Paraguay issues the Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales online through Portal Paraguay. For many domestic procedures this is the convenient route: the applicant signs in with Electronic Identity, completes the payment flow and downloads the PDF. Police Resolution 752/2020 gives this electronic certificate a 90-day validity period.
The destination matters. Resolution 752/2020 describes the electronic certificate as being for exclusive internal use within Paraguay. Portal Paraguay adds a practical exception: for residence procedures or other uses abroad, the digital certificate is not the default document unless the receiving institution considers it valid.
Domestic and foreign use are different routes
| Purpose | Default route | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| Appropriate procedure inside Paraguay | Digital certificate through Portal Paraguay | 90 days |
| Residence or another legal act abroad | In-person Department of Identifications certificate, followed by the required legalization/apostille route | Portal Paraguay currently states 180 days for the in-person version |
| Foreign institution expressly accepts the digital PDF | Digital certificate may be usable as an exception | It remains a 90-day digital certificate |
The in-person and digital certificates are therefore not merely two presentation formats. Printing the digital PDF does not convert it into the in-person certificate prepared for the formal foreign-document route.
First confirm which background document was requested
A police certificate is not the same as the judicial/criminal-record report issued through the Supreme Court, and it is not an Interpol record. A consulate, immigration authority, university or employer may ask for one of those other documents. Use the exact wording of the recipient's requirement before paying for anything.
How the digital route works
The electronic certificate is tied to the holder's own Electronic Identity. Portal Paraguay's account requirements include being an adult and having a current Paraguayan identity card. A person cannot use their own Electronic Identity to generate somebody else's police certificate.
The finished certificate remains the same official digital document whether displayed electronically or printed, provided the receiving use accepts the electronic version. Fees and payment methods are volatile, so use the amount shown by the live portal rather than an old screenshot.
The formal route for use abroad
For radicación and other legal acts abroad, the police resolution points to an in-person request at the Department of Identifications, allowing the certificate to proceed through the legalization or apostille process required for the destination. Translation may also be required depending on the receiving country or procedure.
If the foreign recipient confirms in writing that it accepts the Portal Paraguay digital certificate instead, that acceptance can make the digital route usable in the specific case. Keep the confirmation with the file. It does not extend the certificate beyond 90 days or rewrite the general territorial rule in Resolution 752/2020.
Checklist
- Confirm whether the request is for police, judicial or Interpol records.
- Identify whether the destination is domestic or foreign.
- For the digital domestic route, have Electronic Identity and a current Paraguayan ID card.
- Calculate 90 days from issuance for the digital certificate.
- For the formal residence/foreign route, start with the in-person Department of Identifications certificate.
- Check legalization, apostille and translation requirements separately.
- Use the digital PDF abroad only when the receiving institution confirms that it accepts it.
The durable distinction is: the online certificate is a valid electronic police document for its intended Paraguayan use, but it is not automatically the formal document route for legal effects abroad.