Paraguay immigration and residence pathways

Paraguay's current migration framework is built around residence status, not a collection of separate work, freelance, student or digital-nomad visas. Law 6984/2022 defines occasional, temporary and permanent residence, while the MERCOSUR Residence Agreement creates a separate path for nationals of participating states. In 2026 the government also modernized direct permanent residence for qualifying foreign investors through the Paraguay Investor Pass / foreign-investor certificate framework.

Current route map

• Occasional residence — up to 90 days, extendable once in the year, for defined lawful professional, academic, technical, business and similar activities.
• Temporary residence — the general Law 6984/2022 route for foreigners establishing themselves to conduct a lawful activity, normally up to two years and extendable.
• Temporary MERCOSUR residence — two-year, non-renewable residence for nationals of the participating MERCOSUR states currently listed by DNM.
• Permanent residence after temporary status — the standard definitive route after qualifying temporary residence.
• Permanent MERCOSUR residence — the definitive MERCOSUR conversion, subject to the filing window before temporary MERCOSUR status expires.
• Investor permanent residence — direct permanent residence for qualifying investors using the SUACE/CIE framework, including the 2026 Investor Pass investment modalities.
• Family-linked permanent residence — direct routes for qualifying foreign spouses/children of Paraguayans and certain relatives of repatriated Paraguayans.

Work, self-employment and remote work

The Migration Law protects the right of an immigrant with DNM-authorized residence to perform lawful work. DNM also states that the precarious status issued while a general temporary-residence application is pending permits its holder to remain, leave and re-enter, study and work during its validity. That makes residence status the immigration foundation for employees, self-employed professionals and many founders who do not qualify for the investor exception.

No dedicated Paraguay digital-nomad visa was identified in the current DNM route catalogue. A visitor or transitory stay should not be relabeled as work authorization. Remote workers intending to live and work from Paraguay should assess the general residence framework and any tax, employment or professional obligations separately.

2026 fees and solvency changes

DNM's current fee schedule has applied since 1 July 2026 and is tied to the prevailing daily wage, so older peso/guaraní fee figures should not be reused. DNM also changed the permanent-residence economic-solvency evidence from 6 July 2026 under Resolution 407/2026. This guide uses the current published schedule and avoids treating historical amounts as current.

Explore Latin America, work visas, entrepreneur visas, our methodology, and the legal disclaimer.

Published pathways