Whether you’re visiting Paraguay as a tourist, investor, or future resident, it’s important to understand the country’s customs and currency declaration rules. The National Tax Directorate (DNIT) reminds all travelers that Resolution No. 475/2021 requires an electronic customs declaration when entering or exiting the country regardless of transportation method.
Cash: No Limit, But Mandatory Declaration
Paraguay does not impose a maximum cash limit. You can carry any amount of money or bearer instruments (like bonds, shares, or traveler’s checks). However, if you carry more than USD 10,000, you must submit an electronic customs declaration, either in advance or upon arrival.
Pro Tip: Submitting the form online before travel can save time and prevent issues at the border.
Personal Items and Gifts: What Can You Bring?
Travelers can bring personal belongings duty-free – such as clothes, books, cameras, smartphones, laptops, jewelry, strollers, or wheelchairs as long as they are clearly for personal use.
There are also duty-free allowances for gifts or items brought into the country, depending on how you enter:
By air or water: up to USD 1,000
By land (e.g., from Brazil or Argentina): up to USD 300
Additionally, purchases made in duty-free stores enjoy a separate allowance of up to USD 500.
Example: A couple flying in from Europe brings $800 worth of electronics as gifts and purchases another $200 in perfume at the duty-free shop. As long as there’s no commercial intent, everything falls within the allowed limits.
Why This Matters
DNIT emphasizes that correct declaration of goods and money helps avoid penalties or confiscation and ensures smooth entry into the country.
Especially Relevant for Expats
If you’re relocating to Paraguay or bringing in capital, it’s essential to follow the same rules. Personal tools, tech, or household goods are usually duty-free if intended for private use. However, any amount above USD 10,000 must still be declared.
Bottom Line
Being informed helps you enter Paraguay with confidence. The digital customs process is fast, transparent, and designed to support both travelers and authorities alike.
When you leave Paraguay, can you also carry up to $10,000? (ten thousand)
I was confronted with a small 3-digit US-$ amount when I left from Asuncion airport last time (some $200 or so, to Europe), and the official asked me to bribe him, as he “didn’t want me to get into trouble” –
Unfortunately I was not aware of the regulation and the security check was opened late, so a quite stressful situation.
Hello Anna, in the past couple of years corruption in Paraguay has gone down a lot. That said, it is still possible to run into some of the “older generation” of airport (or traffic police for that matter) police will try to get some extra money from foreigners. As long as you insist that you want to follow the rules, you will never get into trouble. The policeman in question however WILL get in trouble if you insist on following proper procedures.
There is no limit on the cash in USD when leaving the country. Amounts over 10.000 USD should be reported though. No tax or anything on the import (or export) of cash in any case. Gold coins (or silver coins) however should NOT be imported (or exported) under any circumstances.
What about personal musical instruments?
I am a recorder player, so I have a selection of personal instruments (there are different types, tuning and sizes and wood recorders have play time limit of around 50 minutes per day). So whilst my collection looks big(12), it’s not really unusually excessive. I have no intention of selling any of them and all of them are over 3 years old.
How would I go about calculate a possible tax and making sure that I have no surprises on entry (I hope to relocate)?
Thanks!
Hello Gaby, it can be a bit troublesome to bring goods into Paraguay. I assume you will bring your collection with you by plane? It is 100% up to the customs agent how they will treat your case. It can be nothing or it can be expensive. Impossible to tell.
If sending per mail is an option, there are companies out there where you can send your stuff to an address in florida (or spain if you are from the EU) and they will ship your things to Paraguay for a fee. This is most used for amazon or alibaba orders these days. “Paraguaybox” is one of them. The good about it is, that it bypasses customs. Takes about 20 days from the US to Paraguay as a rough guideline.