Paraguay spouse visa (permanent residence for spouses of Paraguayans)

Law 2193 of 2003 authorises the National Police to issue identity cards to foreign spouses of Paraguayans and to foreign children of a Paraguayan father or mother. Through this law they can be documented as permanent residents without needing a prior temporary residence, and they obtain the Paraguayan identity card before the residence card. A foreign spouse of a Paraguayan therefore follows a different and shorter route than other foreigners.

With the repatriation certificate, the residence fees are waived for spouses of Paraguayans who married abroad and for foreign children of a Paraguayan parent. Spouses who married in Paraguay do not benefit from the waiver and pay the permanent residence fee of 25 jornales, PYG 2,926,925 in cash from 1 July 2026. Applicants without the repatriation certificate also pay the fee and any overstay fine.

The repatriation certificate, issued by the Secretariat for the Development of Repatriates and Refugee Nationals (SEDERREC), also waives fees for other public procedures, for example at Paraguayan consulates and the foreign ministry. Applicants without it who overstayed their authorised transitory stay pay the Article 87 fine of PYG 702,462.

First, obtain the repatriation certificate (Certificado de Repatriación) from Paraguay's Secretariat for Repatriates. Second, apply at the National Police Identification Department for the Paraguayan identity card, presenting the documents that institution requires; it opens a file that is sent to the DNM. Third, apply at the DNM for the permanent admission card within 90 days of the identity card's issue date; after that period you may face penalties.

At the DNM you present an authenticated copy of the Police file, the Paraguayan identity card (or a police report if lost) and the repatriation certificate.

Foreign documents, such as a marriage certificate issued abroad, must be apostilled and translated into Spanish by a public translator registered in Paraguay or by an authorised foreign translator with an apostilled translation. Applicants under 14 do not need criminal record certificates. The procedure is personal and in person, and identity documents are presented with copies authenticated by a notary so that the originals stay with their holders. The card is indefinite and is renewed every ten years.

Children aged 0 to 17 are filed in their own category and do not prove solvency. The accompanying parent or parents sign the application. A Paraguayan parent shows an authenticated copy of the Paraguayan identity card; a foreign accompanying parent must already hold permanent residence and shows an authenticated copy of the foreign identity document and the residence card, and the Paraguayan parent's identity card copy is also required. Files referred for further review go to the DNM legal department, which may ask for more documents under the guidelines of the Ministry of Children and Adolescents (MINNA).