The Senate is reviewing an agreement providing for reciprocal visa exemption between Paraguay and Qatar for citizens traveling on ordinary passports. The text, signed in Doha on October 9, 2025, was submitted by the Executive Branch on August 21 and still needs approval by both chambers of Congress before it can take effect.
The bill is before the Senate’s Constitutional Affairs and Foreign Relations committees, which are expected to issue reports before the plenary vote. If approved, it will proceed to the Chamber of Deputies.
The agreement was signed by Paraguay’s Foreign Minister, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, and Qatar’s Minister of State for Interior Affairs, Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al Thani. The proposal was submitted with the signatures of President Santiago Peña and Paraguay’s foreign minister.
Under the proposed rules, Paraguayans and Qataris would be able to enter, leave, transit through and stay in the territory of the other party for up to 90 days without a visa or migration fees. The ordinary passport would have to be valid for at least six months, and entry and exit would have to take place through border posts authorized for international passenger traffic.
The exemption would not apply to anyone seeking to stay for more than 90 days, establish residence, work or study. In those cases, applicants would still have to request the relevant visa from the migration, diplomatic or consular authorities of the destination country.
The text also provides a solution for documents lost, expired or damaged during the trip. Citizens would be able to leave the country with a new passport or temporary travel document issued by their diplomatic or consular mission, which would have to notify the authorities of the receiving state of the issuance.
The agreement is advancing as Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks to expand the country’s economic and trade agenda. On August 27, Ramírez Lezcano chaired a meeting of the Business Advisory Council for International Economic Relations (COCEM) at the ministry’s headquarters. The council advises the government on economic and trade foreign policy.
Senator Antonio Barrios, president of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations and International Affairs, and European Union Ambassador Katja Ahfeldt attended the meeting. Discussions covered trade, integration, opportunities and challenges for sectors including industry, logistics, technology, finance, agriculture, livestock and river transport.