Bringing your stuff to Paraguay. Vehicles, household effects, pets — what's allowed and what it costs.

Returning-resident exemption

Régimen del Equipaje del Residente — your one-time duty-free window.

If you're moving to Paraguay as a new resident (or a returning Paraguayan after ≥1 year abroad), Aduana lets you bring a household-worth of personal effects in duty-free. Use it once. After this window closes, every subsequent import is taxed at the standard rates further down the page.

• Eligibility: TR or PR file open at DNM, OR Paraguayan citizen returning after ≥1 year continuous absence.
• What counts as menaje: used personal goods such as furniture, appliances, kitchen, books, clothing, electronics, hand tools. Aduana asks for a USED-goods declaration with serial numbers for items >US$ 200.
• What does not count: brand-new merchandise in original packaging, commercial quantities (>1 of any item), motor vehicles (handled under their own regime — see below), firearms, tobacco/alcohol beyond traveller limits. Per Aduana practice, goods should have been used and in your possession abroad for ≥12 months prior to shipment.
• Window: file the menaje declaration within 6 months of receiving your residency, with goods cleared at customs within that same window.
• Documents: passport + cédula + DNM resolución de radicación + a packing list (lista de bienes) signed by the importer + bill of lading or air waybill.
• Customs broker: required by law for shipments arriving by sea or land. Despachante fees: US$ 250–600 depending on container size.
• Hard cap: the practical reasonableness test is one full 20' container OR equivalent volume. Aduana flags multiple containers for review.

Vehicles

Cars, motorcycles, and the 10-year age cap.

Paraguay caps imports of used passenger cars at 10 model-years old under Ley 4333/2011 (which amended Art. 1 of Ley 2018/2002). For motorcycles the cap is 5 years. Brand-new cars carry no age limit but the duty math hurts. Most relocators sell at origin and buy in Paraguay — the local used-car market is deep and dollarised, and you can exchange your home driver's licence once you have a cédula.

• Used passenger car (≤10 yrs old)

  10% import duty + 10% IVA + ~5% specific tax

  Add ~3–5% inspection + registration. All-in ~28–32% of CIF value. Asunción land registration costs ~US$ 200–400 at the Municipalidad.

• Used motorcycle (≤5 yrs old)

  10% import duty + 10% IVA

  Mopeds <125cc have a lower combined rate. Total all-in usually ~20–22%.

• New vehicle (any class)

  10% import duty + 10% IVA

  Only the standard duty + IVA — no specific used-vehicle surcharge. But CIF is much higher, so absolute paid is higher.

• Hybrid / electric vehicle

  0% import duty + 0% IVA

  Ley 6925/2022 exempts electric/hybrid vehicle imports from BOTH the import duty and IVA (a 10-year exoneration from the law's publication); earlier incentives under Ley 4601/2012 (as modified by Ley 5183/2014) also apply, and the customs procedure was reglamented mid-2024 (effective 24 June 2024). Battery-electric scooters under 1500W qualify too.

• Vehicle imported as menaje

  Not allowed

  Vehicles never qualify under the returning-resident exemption — they have their own regime. Selling at origin and buying locally is almost always cheaper than shipping + paying duty.

After clearance, register at the Municipalidad de Asunción / Encarnación / Ciudad del Este (whichever matches your cédula address) plus the Registro del Automotor. Bring import declaration, original title, cédula, RUC, and proof of CIF paid. Plates issue in 1–3 weeks.

Household effects

Shipping a container in.

If you're using the menaje exemption you only pay despachante + port + delivery — no duty. If you're shipping outside the menaje window (already lived here >6 months), every line item is duty-rated by HS code.

Channels

• Sea freight via Port of Asunción

  Cheapest for full 20' or 40' containers. Transit ~6–8 weeks from Buenos Aires or Montevideo (vessels travel up the Paraná river). Use a freight forwarder with a Paraguay agent — direct booking is rare.

• Land freight from Brazil / Argentina / Chile

  MERCOSUR truck routes via Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), Clorinda (Argentina), or Pilar (Argentina). 4–10 days. Cheaper than sea for partial loads — see the country-specific moving notes if you're relocating from a neighbour.

• Air freight via Asunción airport

  For ≤500 kg of high-value items only — courier rates are 5–8x sea. Useful for a starter shipment of clothes + work tools while the container is still in transit.

Practical tips

• Pack a 'first 30 days' suitcase that flies with you. Containers can take 8–12 weeks door-to-door once Aduana clearance is added.
• Photograph and serial-list every electronic item before shipping. Aduana wants serial numbers on the declaration.
• Prescription medication: keep ≤90 days' supply in your carry-on with the original prescription. DINAVISA blocks larger imports without a Paraguayan prescription.
• Skip the freight if you're moving in light. The local used-furniture market in Asunción is deep — you can refit a 2-bed apartment for US$ 1,500–3,000 second-hand, which beats most container costs once duty + storage are factored in.

Pets

Bringing dogs + cats — the SENACSA pipeline.

SENACSA (Servicio Nacional de Calidad y Salud Animal) gates every live-animal import. Most travellers from the US, EU, UK, MERCOSUR clear in a single SENACSA review on arrival, but the documentation has a hard 10-day freshness window. Plan it as a backwards calendar.

1. T−6 weeks

   ISO microchip + rabies vaccination

   Pet must have an ISO 11784/11785 compliant 15-digit microchip implanted before the rabies shot. Rabies vaccine must be ≥30 days old and ≤365 days old at the time of travel. Boosters are accepted as long as the previous shot wasn't lapsed.

2. T−2 weeks

   Other vaccinations

   Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis. Cats: feline panleukopenia, calicivirus, herpesvirus. All current within 1 year. Internal + external parasite treatment within 30 days of departure.

3. T−10 days max

   International Health Certificate

   Issued by an accredited vet in your home country (USDA-accredited in the US, equivalent in EU/UK), then endorsed by the home country's veterinary authority. Must list microchip number, all vaccinations, and the date of the parasite treatment. Original arrives in Paraguay with the pet — copy is not accepted.

4. Arrival

   SENACSA clearance at airport / land border

   Stop at the SENACSA desk before exiting. The officer reviews the certificate, scans the microchip, charges Gs. 100,000–250,000 (US$ 17–41) for the inspection, and issues an Aduana stamp. Total wait: 30–90 minutes if all paperwork is correct.

Airline reality

• Major carriers from the US (American, United, LATAM via SAO/EZE) accept dogs + cats in cargo to Asunción. Brachycephalic breeds (bulldogs, pugs, persian cats) face seasonal heat embargoes — May to October is generally OK, December–February risky.
• Air Europa flies direct ASU↔MAD with cabin pets up to 8 kg. KLM and Lufthansa connect via Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo.
• Plan for 1 layover max. Each transit airport adds a separate paperwork check; the 10-day certificate window can collapse if a flight delays into a second night.

Birds, reptiles, ferrets, and rabbits have separate, stricter SENACSA regimes — most are practically blocked without an import broker. Dangerous-breed dogs (Pit Bull, Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and crosses) are banned outright by Resolución SENACSA 4081/2021.

Customs duties

How the math works — outside the menaje window.

Paraguay applies the MERCOSUR Common External Tariff (Arancel Externo Común) on imports from outside the bloc. On top of that, IVA (10%) is calculated on the customs-adjusted value. A handful of categories carry an extra specific tax (ISC). Inside MERCOSUR full members (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay; Bolivia joined 8 July 2024 with a 4-year transition), most goods are duty-free under origin rules.

• Most consumer goods (outside MERCOSUR) 0–20% AEC + 10% IVA
• Vehicles + parts MERCOSUR AEC up to 35% on autos (vehicles were excluded from the 10% AEC reduction in Decreto 8767/2023). In practice Paraguay applies the MERCOSUR automotive regime + bilateral agreements; effective applied duty for most used passenger cars lands at 10–20% on CIF, plus 10% IVA + 1–13% ISC. EV/HEV imports are duty-exempt (see hybrid/electric row above).
• Electronics + computers 0–16% AEC + 10% IVA
• Tobacco + alcohol Up to 24% AEC + 10% IVA + ISC up to 22%
• Books + educational materials 0% — exempt
• Goods originating in MERCOSUR (with origin certificate) 0% AEC + 10% IVA

All rates above are on CIF (Cost + Insurance + Freight) value declared in USD or PYG. Aduana revalues at official BCP rates if the declared figure looks low. Build in 5–10% for despachante + port handling + warehousing on top of the headline rate.

Commercial vs personal

When you need a RUC and an import file.

If you're importing for resale, e-commerce, or stocking a business, you cross from the personal regime into the commercial one. Different paperwork, different ID, and different duty stack. Mixing the two is the most common reason a shipment gets held at the port.

• Personal regime: menaje + occasional small imports for own use. Limit per shipment for 'occasional' is roughly US$ 3,000 CIF — above that Aduana defaults to commercial.
• Commercial regime: requires a RUC (active tax number) and registration as importer at the DNIT + DNA. The RUC alone takes 7–10 days; the importer registration adds 2–3 weeks.
• Free Trade Zone (Ciudad del Este, Concepción): goods are stored duty-free; you only pay duty when you nationalise them. Used by re-export and Brazilian-border merchants — overkill for most relocators.
• Customs broker (despachante): mandatory for any commercial shipment and for personal shipments arriving by sea or land. Standard fee: 0.5–1.0% of CIF value or US$ 250–600 minimum.

FAQ

Importing to Paraguay — common questions