Paraguay: direct permanent residence for investors under the 2026 Investor Pass

Paraguay has long offered permanent residence to foreigners who invest in the country. For more than a decade the main route required USD 70,000 in a productive business, evidenced by a certificate from SUACE, the government's single business window. In April 2026 the Ministry of Industry and Commerce relaunched the scheme as the Investor Pass through Resolution MIC 283/2026, which repealed Resolution 1052/2025 and created the Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero (CIE). The CIE now has four tracks: productive investment (USD 70,000 with an approved business plan and at least five formal jobs), tourism (USD 150,000 with a business plan), real estate held for income or development (USD 200,000) and financial instruments held for at least two years (USD 200,000). With a CIE, the investor applies directly to the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) for permanent residence, skipping the two-year temporary residence that Law 6984/2022 otherwise requires. Official figures show 140 certificates issued in the first half of 2026, 18 of them under the new tracks.

Permanent residence in Paraguay carries no annual minimum stay. Residents should nevertheless visit regularly, because long absences of more than three years can lead to loss of status, and naturalisation depends on genuine residence. The investment must be made in the six months before the application and kept for the period set for each track; SUACE may revoke the certificate if capital is not paid in or the project does not go ahead, which can prompt Migraciones to review the residence. Holders receive a Paraguayan identity card (cédula) and can register with the tax authority, open bank accounts and own property.

Paraguay's tax system is one of the lightest in the region and is built largely on the source principle. Personal income tax (IRP) applies at 8%, 9% and 10% on income from personal services and 8% on capital income and gains with a Paraguayan source; corporate income tax (IRE) is 10%, and dividends paid to resident shareholders bear 8%. Under Law 6380/2019, some services performed abroad for Paraguayan taxpayers are treated as local income, so the treatment of each foreign income stream should be checked before arrival. Registration in the taxpayer register (RUC) follows the investor certificate and permanent residence, and it determines the regime that applies to the new resident.

Spouses and children are not covered by the CIE itself; they apply for residence through the DNM's family procedure, with marriage and birth certificates apostilled or legalised, and minors need documents and authorisations from both parents. After three years of permanent residence, counted from the permanent admission resolution, adults who exercise a profession, trade or business and are of good conduct may apply to the Supreme Court of Justice for a naturalisation letter (Constitution, Art. 148). Under Article 149 of the Constitution, multiple nationality is admitted only by treaty on a reciprocal basis, as with Spain, so most applicants should expect to be asked to give up their previous nationality.