Temporary to Permanent Residency in Paraguay: The Three-Month Window
A deadline page. The window is three months, the late window is one month with a fine, and missing both costs you the route.
Last verified 2026-08-19Next review 2026-11-192 official sources
Apply in the three months before your temporary residence card expires. The migration authority states this is when the change of category to permanent residency should be requested.
If you miss it: a late application is accepted up to one month after expiry, with payment of the overstay fine. More than one month late, the conversion is no longer available — only a temporary extension, of up to six further months.
The timeline, plainly
| When | What is available | Cost implication |
|---|---|---|
| More than 3 months before expiry | Too early for the change of category | — |
| The 3 months before expiry | Change of category — the intended window | Gs. 2,926,925 |
| Up to 1 month after expiry | Change of category, late | Gs. 2,926,925 + Gs. 702,462 fine |
| More than 1 month after expiry | Temporary extension only, up to 6 months | Conversion route lost for this cycle |
Read the last row carefully. It does not say your residency vanishes. It says the route you were on is no longer the route available to you, and you are back to managing a temporary status rather than moving to an indefinite one.
What to do the day your temporary card is issued
- Note the expiry date printed on the carnet.
- Subtract three months. That is your opening date.
- Put a reminder five months before expiry, not three — you need lead time to order fresh police and INTERPOL certificates and to assemble solvency evidence.
- Put a second reminder one month before expiry as a hard backstop.
The certificates are the reason for the five-month reminder. Police records are issued by another authority on its own timetable, and a certificate that arrives after your window has closed is an expensive piece of paper.
What the conversion asks for
Lighter than your first application, because your identity and civil status are already on file:
- Valid foreign identity document — original plus authenticated copy
- Valid Paraguayan identity document — original plus authenticated copy
- Temporary residence carnet — original plus authenticated copy
- Police background certificates, for applicants aged 14 and over
- INTERPOL certificate, for applicants aged 14 and over
- Economic-solvency documentation under your category
The 2026 change that affects this application specifically
Since 6 July 2026, the solvency evidence is assessed under Resolución DNM N.° 407/2026. It sorts applicants into twelve categories — professionals, technicians, employees, self-employed in commerce or services, teleworkers and digital nomads, property owners, partners and shareholders, farmers and ranchers, ministers of worship, retirees and pensioners, dependants, and students — and requires documentary evidence of verifiable income and of the actual exercise of the declared activity.
If your temporary residency was granted before that resolution took effect, your conversion is still assessed under it: the resolution applies to applications filed from 6 July 2026, not to residencies granted from that date.
Not established: how much income the solvency test requires. The migration authority's announcement of Resolución 407/2026 does not publish a figure, and none appears in the professional analyses we have reviewed. We will publish the amounts, with a date, once we have the resolution text. Until then, plan on being able to evidence your income thoroughly rather than to a specific number.
What you get
- An authorisation to reside indefinitely in Paraguay.
- A carnet that is renewed every ten years rather than a status that expires.
- A cédula with ten-year validity.
MERCOSUR nationals: your window is different
If you hold MERCOSUR temporary residency rather than general temporary residency, this page is not your deadline. Yours is 90 days, not three months, and your temporary status is not renewable, which makes missing it more consequential. See MERCOSUR permanent residency.
If you have already missed the window
Do not assume nothing can be done, and do not assume the problem is small. The authority publishes an extension of up to six months, which buys time to re-plan under the general migration law. What it does not do is preserve the conversion. Work out where you actually stand before paying for anything — including before paying us.
Common questions
- When should I apply to change from temporary to permanent residency?
- The migration authority states the application should be made in the three months before the temporary card expires. A late application is accepted up to one month after expiry, with payment of the overstay fine.
- What happens if I miss the window entirely?
- More than a month after expiry, the migration authority states that only a temporary extension is available — up to six further months — rather than the change of category.
- What does the change of category cost?
- The published permanent residency fee is Gs. 2,926,925, plus Gs. 234,154 for a certificado de radicación where required and Gs. 702,462 if an overstay fine applies. Checked 19 August 2026.
If your card expires within six months, the dates matter
The conversion windows are fixed, and missing one changes which route is available to you. We can check your dates with you and tell you what still fits.
Sources
Every legal, fee and procedural statement on this page is taken from the sources below and was checked on 2026-08-19. Where they change, this page changes.
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — Residencia Permanente por cambio de categoría — Converting temporary residency to permanent residency
- Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — Actualización del régimen de acreditación de solvencia económica — Resolución DNM N.° 407/2026 — categories, effective date and standard of proof
Related
This page is general information about Paraguayan rules as published by the authorities named above. It is not legal or tax advice for your circumstances, and immigration outcomes depend on your nationality, documents and individual case. See our legal and tax information disclaimer.