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Paraguay Citizenship by Naturalization: 2026 Requirements and Timeline

Foreigners can become Paraguayan after 3 years of permanent residency. The Supreme Court counts those years from your permanent residency resolution, not from your arrival, so for most people the earliest application is about 5 years after moving (up to 2 years temporary, then 3 permanent). You also need a Paraguayan cédula, a lawyer, a 14-item document file and a pass in the Court's exam.

3 years after permanent residencyAbout 5 years from arrivalSupreme Court process

Last updated: 4 October 2026

Paraguay citizenship at a glance

Legal basis: Constitution, Art. 148: adult, 3 years' residence, regular work in Paraguay, good conduct.
The clock: starts on the date of your permanent residency resolution.
Absences: refused if you were away more than 3 months a year in each of the 3 years before applying.
Who decides: the Corte Suprema de Justicia, under its own rules (Acordada 464/2007).
Exam: mandatory. Spanish or Guaraní, history, geography and the constitutional rules on losing nationality.
Cost: court fee ₲43,051 (about US$7), plus a mandatory lawyer whose fee is not regulated.
Dual nationality: treaties with Spain and Italy. Paraguay does not ask you to renounce; your home country's law decides.

US dollar amounts use the Central Bank of Paraguay reference rate of ₲5,851 per US$ on 1 October 2026.

First step: residency

Citizenship needs 3 years of permanent residency. The free calculator shows the Migraciones fees for your nationality and family.

Residency fee calculator

Naturalization requirements

Article 148 of the Constitution lists four requirements. Congress has not passed the law that was meant to regulate them, so the Supreme Court applies its own rules, Acordada 464/2007 (Chapter VIII), in a summary procedure with the Fiscal General del Estado. A May 2026 press report described a bill on naturalization in a Chamber of Deputies committee; we found no official record of it, and it is not law.

1. Legal adulthood

You must have reached the age of majority (mayoría de edad).

2. Three years of residence

Continuous residence, counted from the date of your permanent residency resolution. You must have a real home in Paraguay and meet the absence rule below.

3. Regular work in Paraguay

Regularly practising a profession, trade, science, art or industry in the country. The Court asks for an employer certificate with IPS and RUC numbers, or for traders a patente comercial and RUC, or for students a study certificate.

4. Good conduct

Proved under the Acordada. Besides your certificates, the Court requests an Interpol report through the Policía Nacional, a Registros Públicos report, and a report on any lawsuits or court orders against you in the last 3 years.

Timeline: why it is about 5 years, not 3

The Supreme Court's page says you need "three years of permanent residence, counted from the date of the permanent admission resolution". Under Ley 6984/2022, most foreigners must first hold temporary residency (up to 2 years) before permanent residency. Guides that promise citizenship 3 years after arrival are counting from the wrong date.

Stage	Duration	Source
Temporary residency	Up to 2 years; apply for permanent in the last 3 months of the card	Ley 6984, Arts. 46 and 47
Permanent residency before you can apply	3 years from the resolution	Constitution Art. 148; Acordada 464/2007, Art. 42
Prosecutor's opinion	Within 5 days	Acordada 464/2007, Art. 47
Supreme Court decision	Within 30 days	Acordada 464/2007, Art. 48
Voting and other political rights	2 years after naturalization	Constitution Art. 152

The 5-day and 30-day deadlines are the only ones in the Court's rules. No total processing time is published, and we could not confirm how long cases take in practice or how often the exam is held.

Shorter starts: SUACE investors and Uruguayans

Investors certified under the Paraguay Investor Pass (SUACE) skip temporary residency, so they can apply 3 years after their permanent residency. Uruguayans also get permanent residency directly under Ley 6774/2021. The 3 years of permanent residency still apply.

Mercosur nationals

Citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador can use the Mercosur Residence Agreement: 2 years of temporary residency (not extendable) with fewer documents, then permanent residency. The 3-year count for citizenship starts at permanent residency, as for everyone.

The absence rule

Acordada 464/2007, Art. 42, says naturalization will not be granted if the applicant has permanent residency but was away from Paraguay "for periods longer than three months a year, during each of the three years before the application". It is also refused if you have no real home in Paraguay.

Read it conservatively: keep your time abroad under three months in every one of the three years.

This is much stricter than the residency rule. Migraciones only cancels permanent residency after more than 3 consecutive years abroad without justification (Ley 6984). Holding a residency card while living elsewhere can keep your residency but will not get you citizenship.

The citizenship exam

What the rules say

Acordada 464/2007, Art. 46: the exam checks elementary knowledge of one of the official languages (Spanish or Guaraní), Paraguayan history and geography, and the constitutional rules on losing nationality. It can be oral or written.

How it ran in 2022

Written test worth 30 points
21 points needed to pass (70%)
History, geography, culture and basic constitutional knowledge
Mandatory for every foreign resident who is not the child of a Paraguayan
If you fail, you can sit it again on a later date

Source: Supreme Court news of 22 March 2022. We did not find an official syllabus or a current exam calendar.

How to apply, step by step

Complete 3 years of permanent residency

Count from the date of your permanent residency resolution, and keep absences under three months a year.

Have a Paraguayan cédula

The Court asks for a certified copy. Foreign residents get the cédula from the Policía Nacional Departamento de Identificaciones (₲8,500, about 30 business days).

Collect the 14 documents

See the list below. Foreign documents must be legalised or apostilled and translated by a translator registered with the Supreme Court.

File the petition at the Supreme Court

A lawyer signs the written petition to the Secretaría Judicial II. You present it in person to sign the sworn statement, and pay the ₲43,051 court fee.

Background checks

The Court requests reports from Interpol (through the Policía Nacional), Registros Públicos and its judicial statistics office.

Exam

Language, history, geography and the constitutional rules on losing nationality.

Prosecutor’s opinion

The Fiscal General del Estado gives an opinion within 5 days.

Supreme Court decision

The full Court grants or refuses the petition within 30 days.

Oath and diploma

If approved, you swear allegiance to the Republic at a hearing and receive the diploma (carta de naturalización). The Court held oath ceremonies in February, July and August 2026.

Notifications

The decision goes to Migraciones, the Policía Nacional and the Foreign Ministry, which informs the country of your former nationality.

Documents: the Supreme Court's 14-item list

All documents must be originals or certified copies (copias autenticadas; see our notary guide).

#	Document	Notes
1	Photo	Postcard size, profile (15 cm x 10 cm).
2	Paraguayan cédula	Certified copy. You need the cédula before you apply.
3	Passport	Certified copy of every page, including blank ones.
4	Birth certificate	Certified copy, legalised or apostilled.
5	Permanent residency card (Carnet de Admisión Permanente)	Certified copy.
6	Certificado de Radicación	Issued by Migraciones, ₲234,154 (about US$40).
7	Police record (Antecedentes Policiales)	From the Policía Nacional Departamento de Identificaciones, ₲24,500 (about US$4).
8	Criminal record (Antecedentes Penales)	From the Poder Judicial, ₲43,051 (about US$7).
9	Home-country good conduct or criminal record	Certified copy, legalised or apostilled.
10	Proof of work	Employer certificate with its IPS (social security) number and company RUC. Traders: patente comercial, RUC and two or more companies that can give a reference. Students: study certificate. Professionals: add the degree.
11	CV	Curriculum vitae.
12	Sworn statement	On the Supreme Court’s form (Secretaría Judicial II). You must present the application in person to sign it.
13	Tasa judicial (court fee)	₲43,051, checked first on the 1st floor of the Torre Norte, Palacio de Justicia.
14	Written petition	Signed by a lawyer (or a lawyer with special power of attorney), giving a procedural address in Asunción and your real address.

Translations are stricter than for residency. The Court requires a translator registered with the Supreme Court. Migraciones also accepts sworn translators abroad, but the Court's page gives no such option.

Extra documents in some cases. If you have Paraguayan relatives or Paraguayan children, add their Civil Registry certificates. Self-employed applicants may be asked for property titles, trademark registrations or patents (Acordada 464/2007, Art. 40).

Apostille rules for your home-country documents are in our apostille guide.

Costs

The Migraciones certificate fee is set in daily minimum wages (jornales) and changes every 1 July; the figure below is the one in force from 1 July 2026. The Supreme Court page that lists its fee has no date, so check it before paying.

Item	Cost
Supreme Court fee (tasa judicial)	₲43,051 (about US$7), plus up to ₲4,400 at a bank counter; free by home banking
Certificado de radicación (Migraciones)	₲234,154 (about US$40)
Police record (Policía Nacional)	₲24,500 (about US$4)
Criminal record (Poder Judicial)	₲43,051 (about US$7)
Lawyer (mandatory)	Not regulated; get a written, itemised quote
Translations	Not regulated; ask for a written quote per document

If you hire a lawyer: ask which documents they obtain and which you must get yourself, and what the quote includes. Be wary of anyone who promises a result or a date: the full Supreme Court decides.

Marriage, descent and other routes

Citizenship by marriage

Marriage to a Paraguayan does not give a shorter route. Article 148 sets the same requirements for every foreigner, and the Supreme Court's procedure has no reduced period for spouses. If you have Paraguayan relatives or children, the Court asks for their Civil Registry certificates. Some guides say marriage lets you skip temporary residency; we found no official source for that.

Children of Paraguayans born abroad

This is not naturalization. Under Ley 7052/2023, a child born abroad to a Paraguayan parent opts for Paraguayan nationality by birth before a first-instance civil court (not the Supreme Court), with a legalised or apostilled birth certificate, police and judicial records, a certificado de vida y residencia, and an Interpol certificate if over 14.

Investment, honorary and stateless routes

There is no citizenship by investment: the Investor Pass gives permanent residency only. Congress can grant honorary nationality by law to foreigners who gave eminent service to the Republic (Art. 151). Ley 6149/2018 makes naturalization easier for stateless people only; it is not the general route.

Dual citizenship

Article 149 of the Constitution says multiple nationality "may be admitted by international treaty or by constitutional-level reciprocity" between the country of origin and Paraguay. The only treaties we found are with Spain and Italy.

Spain

The 1959 convention lets Spaniards by origin take Paraguayan nationality without losing Spanish nationality. An Additional Protocol in force since 1 March 2001 lets beneficiaries hold passports of both countries.

Italy

An agreement signed on 26 February 2019 and approved by Ley 6479/2019 lets Italians and Paraguayans take the other nationality without losing their own. It covers all Italians, not only Italians by origin. We could not confirm its entry-into-force date from an official source.

Do you have to give up your original nationality?

Paraguay does not ask you to. Neither the Supreme Court's 14-item list nor Acordada 464/2007 includes a renunciation. Whether you keep your original nationality depends on your home country's law. Note that the Court tells the Foreign Ministry to inform your former country that you naturalized, which matters if your country removes citizenship from people who naturalize elsewhere.

Example: the UK government says "You can apply for foreign citizenship and keep your British citizenship" (GOV.UK). For other countries, check your own government's official site before you apply.

After you naturalize

A naturalized Paraguayan who later voluntarily acquires another nationality loses Paraguayan nationality (Art. 150). Ley 7052/2023, which lets Paraguayans keep their nationality when they naturalize abroad, covers Paraguayans by birth only, not naturalized foreigners.

After naturalization: rights, passport and loss

Political rights

Naturalized Paraguayans become citizens, with political rights such as voting, 2 years after naturalization (Art. 152).

Paraguayan passport

Passports are issued by the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional. Once naturalized, you can apply for one there. We do not list visa-free destinations: each destination sets its own entry rules, so check its official government site.

Losing it

Naturalized Paraguayans lose the nationality after more than 3 years of unjustified absence, declared by a court, or by voluntarily acquiring another nationality (Art. 150). If work or study will keep you away longer, tell the Supreme Court (Acordada 464/2007, Art. 53).

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get Paraguayan citizenship?

You can apply 3 years after the date of your permanent residency resolution. Most people first spend up to 2 years on temporary residency, so the earliest application is about 5 years after arriving. SUACE investors, who start with permanent residency, can apply 3 years after it. Once you apply, the Supreme Court’s rules give the prosecutor 5 days for an opinion and the Court 30 days to decide, but no total processing time is published.

What are the requirements for Paraguayan citizenship by naturalization?

Article 148 of the Constitution sets four: legal adulthood, at least 3 years of residence in Paraguay, regular work in a profession, trade, science, art or industry in the country, and good conduct. The Supreme Court counts the 3 years from your permanent residency resolution. You also need a Paraguayan cédula, a lawyer, the Court’s 14-item document file and a pass in the exam.

Can I spend time abroad while I wait for citizenship?

Only a little. The Supreme Court’s rules (Acordada 464/2007, Art. 42) say naturalization will not be granted if you were away for more than three months a year during each of the three years before applying, or if you have no real home in Paraguay. Keep absences under three months in every one of those years.

Is there a Paraguayan citizenship exam?

Yes, and it is mandatory. It tests elementary knowledge of Spanish or Guaraní, Paraguayan history and geography, and the constitutional rules on losing nationality. In 2022 the Supreme Court described a written test worth 30 points, with 21 needed to pass (70%), and said applicants who fail can sit it again later.

How much does Paraguayan citizenship cost?

The Supreme Court fee (tasa judicial) is ₲43,051 (about US$7). A lawyer must sign the petition, and lawyer fees are not regulated, so get a written, itemised quote. Add the certificates in the document list, such as the Migraciones certificado de radicación (₲234,154) and the police certificate (₲24,500), plus translations.

Does Paraguay allow dual citizenship?

Paraguay recognises multiple nationality by treaty or constitutional reciprocity (Art. 149). It has treaties with Spain (for Spaniards by origin) and Italy. No Paraguayan rule makes you renounce your original nationality to naturalize, so whether you keep it depends on your home country’s law. After naturalizing, voluntarily acquiring another nationality makes you lose Paraguayan nationality (Art. 150).

Can I get Paraguayan citizenship by marriage?

Not by a shorter route. Article 148 sets the same requirements for every foreigner, and the Supreme Court’s procedure has no reduced period for spouses of Paraguayans. If you have Paraguayan relatives or children, the Court asks for their Civil Registry certificates. We found no official source for the claim that marriage lets you skip temporary residency.

How do I get a Paraguayan passport?

Paraguayan passports are issued by the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional. You can apply for one once you are naturalized.

Can I get Paraguayan citizenship by investment?

No. The Paraguay Investor Pass (SUACE) gives permanent residency without temporary residency first. You still need 3 years of permanent residency, the absence rule, the exam and the Supreme Court process before you can naturalize.

Do I need to speak Spanish to become Paraguayan?

You need elementary knowledge of one of the official languages, Spanish or Guaraní, which the exam checks. Documents not in Spanish must be translated by a translator registered with the Supreme Court.

Sources

Official sources, checked 4 October 2026.