Paraguay granted 36,033 residence permits to foreigners between January and July 2026, 74% more than in the same period last year, including 23,994 to Brazilians, amid the expansion of the Investor Pass program and a 58% increase in applications.
Dirección Nacional de Migraciones
Pytagua coverage mentioning Dirección Nacional de Migraciones.
Paraguayan public entities are massively resorting to the argument of 'unavoidable urgency' to make purchases without bidding, a practice criticized by Senator Rafael Filizzola, who warns that the legal exception has become the rule.
Paraguayan police remove an agent and investigate an alleged scheme for irregular issuance of identity cards to foreigners, mainly Brazilians, after blocking the delivery of documents to people with criminal records.
Former IPS president Vicente Bataglia received house arrest for irregular entry into the country, while another former president Jorge Brítez faces a second criminal case for elevator bidding and his lawyer alleges political persecution, and a third, Andrés Gubetich, returned to EBY with high salary and is investigated for fraud, amid a billion-dollar loss case at the institute.
Paraguay expelled to Brazil the leader of the Comando Catarinense, Fábio Celso Oberoli, and his companion, who were detained in Pedro Juan Caballero and are wanted for drug trafficking.
Paraguay integrated its police databases with Interpol for real-time queries, while Parliament debates a bill granting police access to private security cameras.
Paraguay repatriated 14 Central American migrants to their countries of origin, bringing the total number of people who have transited through the country under the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States to 52, an operation that received support from IOM.
Paraguay has approved a new mandatory protocol for migration agents at all of the country's borders to detect and report human trafficking cases during routine inspections.
Residency applications in Paraguay increased by 62% in the first half of 2026, totaling over 33,000 requests, with Brazilians representing the majority of applicants, leading the government to adopt measures to streamline the procedures.
Foreign residents in Paraguay are entitled to an old-age pension starting at age 65, provided they can prove at least 30 years of permanent residency in the country and meet requirements such as not receiving other salaries and not owning more than 30 head of cattle.
The real estate boom in Asunción, driven by the $200,000 investment-for-residency program, attracted 18,071 applications from foreigners in the first quarter of 2026, an 85% increase compared to the previous year.
The Paraguayan National Directorate of Migration (DNM) prevented over 1,300 irregular departures and recorded 867 cases of foreign nationals being denied entry at borders and airports in the first half of 2026, in addition to cases involving document fraud and individuals wanted internationally.
The National Directorate of Migrations of Paraguay has increased the fees for immigration procedures and fines for foreigners by 5%, in line with the decree that updated the country's legal minimum wage.
Paraguay has established new unified rules for foreigners to prove economic solvency when applying for permanent residence, which will take effect on July 6, 2026.
The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) outlined the procedure for foreigners who are children or spouses of Paraguayans to obtain permanent residence in Paraguay, which includes obtaining a free repatriation certificate from SEDERREC, issuance of the Cédula de Identidad Paraguaya at the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional, and subsequent registration with the DNM within 90 days, with fee exemptions for those who hold the certificate.
Paraguay has stepped up immigration controls and international cooperation after an Argentine case exposed an alleged Russian-linked influence network, though authorities have not confirmed whether any suspects or Russian nationals were actually identified or turned away at the border.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested the preventive detention of a 19-year-old Brazilian citizen, a migration consultant, accused of stealing a notarial seal from Escribanía Amarilla in Ciudad del Este, based on security footage that recorded the crime on May 25.
The Paraguayan government launched the Investor Pass in April, allowing foreigners who invest at least US$150,000 to obtain permanent residency through an accelerated process.