How to prepare your immigration papers, permanent residence permit and identity card for Paraguay by yourself
Preparing immigration papers – Part I – The preparation in the home country
The whole project can only succeed if you have already done good preparatory work in your home country!
Birth certificate
The first document you will need is your birth certificate.
Your birth certificate will be certified with the Apostille.
If your country is member of the Apostille-Convention from Den Haag you are lucky.
Otherwise the long diplomatic chain is required. If this applies to you, now would be a good time to consider professional help with your application.
Once this is done, we still need to have the birth certificate (and all stamps) translated.
Yes, also the International Birth Certificate; and by a licensed translator.
You can find a current list of the Embassy of Paraguay here.
This translation can also be done in Paraguay; usually at a lower cost.
Takes a day or two, however, and will correspondingly delay the rest of the process after your arrival in Asuncion and require extra travel.
Important: The name on the birth certificate must match the name on your passport EXACTLY!
In case this is not the case, because you got married or divorced, then you need additionally
Marriage certificate (original and apostilled)
Divorce decree (original and apostilled)
Death certificate (original and apostilled)
Name declaration (registry office and apostilled)
These respective documents must not be older than from 2010 (if you have us as a helper, the birth certificate can be from 1936 in extreme cases) and must be certified with the Apostille. After that all documents will be translated by the authorized translator including all stamps!
Important! In case of immigration of a family, each member has to present the required documents.
The application can only be made in person in Paraguay.
Police Certificate of Good Conduct
The next document is the police clearance certificate.
This must not be older than 6 months (if your country has an apostille) when submitted in Asuncion.
The police certificate of good conduct must also be certified with an apostille. Once this is done, the translator comes into play again.
Children under the age of 14 are not yet of legal age and therefore cannot have a criminal record. Therefore, this document is not required for children under 14.
If you find entries of previous convictions in your criminal record, not all is lost. Depending on the type of criminal record and the duration of the conviction, you may still be able to apply for your residence permit in Paraguay. If this applies to you, now would be a good time to consider professional help with your application.
Passport
To enter Paraguay, you will need a valid passport valid for at least 6 months when entering the country.
For saome countries a VISA is required, we suggest you check here: doyouneedvisa.com
If your country does require a VISA, please contact your local consulate or ambassy of Paraguay regarding a VISA.
Learn Castellano
Knowing the local language is always recommended when emigrating.
But since you want to do everything yourself, this basic rule is 300% as important for you.
In Paraguay you will have to negotiate with taxi drivers in the first days after your arrival at the airport.
- have to negotiate with cab drivers
- discuss the intricacies of Paraguayan bureaucracy with numerous officials,
- go to the police, to Interpol, to the bank,
- and much more
all this will not be easier without a really solid knowledge of the language.
Taking a translator with you to some (or all) of the steps listed might be a good idea.
Plan on a generous cushion of time and appropriate funds to remedy any communication problems.
Money
Even if you do everything yourself, you will need money.
Purely the fees for the application of the residence permit amount to about 420, – Eur/USD and are to be paid in cash.
Per person the import of Eur/USD 10.000 in cash to Paraguay is permitted without customs declaration.
Optional: Documents that not everyone needs
Do you have children? Are you married? Divorced? Had a name change? Do you have a degree?
Important! If you travel to Paraguay with a child without the second parent, then you must have a written (!) declaration of consent from the other parent. This must be notarized and apostilled.