The Paraguay Investor Pass. Four tracks. Direct permanent residency. From US$ 70,000.

From the resolution itself

What Resolución MIC Nº 0283/2026 actually establishes.

The CIE — *Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero* — is the administrative instrument MIC issues to grant direct permanent residency. The operative wording from the regulation:

Establécese la Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero (CIE) como instrumento administrativo que otorga acceso directo a la residencia permanente ante la Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, sin necesidad de cumplir la etapa temporal previa.

The Foreign Investor Certificate (CIE) is hereby established as the administrative instrument that grants direct access to permanent residency before the National Migrations Directorate, without the need to complete the prior temporary stage.

The four tracks

Which of the four Investor Pass tracks fits your situation?

Each track has its own threshold and paperwork. You file on one, but any CIE delivers the same permanent residency outcome.

• 01 · Productive Investment — US$ 70,000

  Real operating company in Paraguay. Minimum US$ 70,000 invested, 5 formal Paraguayan jobs (IPS-registered, at least at minimum wage). Business plan filed with MIC. Recurring costs (rent, salaries, utilities, admin) do not count toward the US$ 70,000 — the threshold is for actual capital deployment: equipment, fit-out, inventory, technology, vehicles. *Best fit:* foreign entrepreneurs running an actual operating business in Paraguay.

• 02 · Tourism — US$ 150,000

  Investment in a tourism project (hotel, ecolodge, hospitality venture). US$ 150,000 minimum. Business plan + semestral progress report required. No job-creation threshold codified but the project must be substantive. *Best fit:* founders with a real tourism operation, not pure real estate.

• 03 · Real Estate — US$ 200,000

  Property purchase. US$ 200,000 minimum. Two documentary paths: (a) full registered deed at the property registry, or (b) notarised purchase contract with at least 30% of the price paid. Personal-use and family-use property is excluded from the qualifying base. No business plan, no employment requirement. *Best fit:* founders deploying capital into Paraguay real estate, not into operations.

• 04 · Financial Instruments — US$ 200,000

  Investment in Paraguay-domiciled financial instruments (bonds, securities, regulated investment vehicles). US$ 200,000 minimum. Certificate from an authorised entity, dated no more than 180 days before filing. 2-year minimum hold period. Annual reporting required. *Best fit:* portfolio-oriented investors, retirees who'd rather not run a business or buy property.

Across all four tracks the CIE is the instrument issued by MIC, and it is what opens the permanent-residency filing at DNM. The DNM card follows in 3–6 months. Permanent residency requires at least one visit to Paraguay every three years to maintain.

How the timeline really runs

How long does the Investor Pass really take, from decision to PR card?

The legal text targets 5 business days for the CIE itself. End-to-end including DNM card processing is roughly six months in 2026. Concrete sequence:

1. 01

   Prepare documentation (weeks 0–4)

   Foreign police clearance (apostilled), foreign birth certificate (apostilled), foreign marriage certificate (if applicable, apostilled), Paraguay address proof, passport scan, proof of investment (depends on track). For Productive Investment: company incorporation docs + business plan. For Real Estate: title deed or 30%-paid contract. For Financial Instruments: certificate from the authorised entity.

2. 02

   File CIE with MIC (week 4)

   Submission through the MIC investor portal. MIC reviews the file and (for productive/tourism) the business plan. Target: 5 business days from complete submission. CIE is issued as a numbered administrative document.

3. 03

   File DNM permanent-residency application (weeks 5–6)

   With the CIE in hand, the residency file goes to DNM (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones). This is the same step a standard-route applicant takes, but the CIE bypasses the two-year temporary stage and goes directly to permanent.

4. 04

   Biometrics + cédula (weeks 8–10)

   Visit Paraguay for the biometric capture appointment at DNM. Cédula (national ID) is issued shortly after. From this point you are functionally a Paraguayan resident — can sign contracts, open bank accounts in your own name, register vehicles, sign property deeds.

5. 05

   Permanent-residency card (months 3–6)

   The physical permanent-residency card arrives from DNM 3–6 months after the file is complete. The cédula is the operative day-to-day document; the PR card is the underlying legal status.

*The 5-day CIE target is for MIC's part of the workflow.* DNM's downstream processing for the PR card is the longer leg and runs on DNM's standard intake schedule. A complete, well-prepared file moves through both faster than a partial one — pay an accountant or advisor up front to avoid resubmission cycles.

Investor Pass vs standard residency

Investor Pass vs standard residency — which is the right Paraguay route for you?

Paraguay's standard residency under Ley 6984/2022 + Decreto 4122/2025 already runs in 2–6 months and costs roughly US$ 700 in government fees. The Investor Pass costs more and runs faster — but the meaningful difference is the direct grant of permanent status.

• Time to permanent residency

  Standard track: 2 years temporary (Residencia Temporal), then convert to permanent. Total ~2–2.5 years for permanent status. Investor Pass: direct permanent on day one. Skip the two-year temporary stage entirely. For founders planning long-term presence this is the dominant feature.

• Documentation effort

  Standard track demands the same apostilled foreign documents as Investor Pass plus a Paraguayan police clearance. Investor Pass adds the investment-proof layer (incorporation, deed, or instrument certificate) but removes the second-stage conversion paperwork two years later.

• Cost

  Standard: ~US$ 700 government + ~US$ 800–1,500 advisor. Investor Pass: same government fees + ~US$ 1,500–3,500 advisor for the business plan and filing + the underlying investment itself. The investment isn't a fee — the capital stays in your company, property or portfolio.

• Tax outcome

  Identical. Both routes grant tax residency once you spend >120 days in Paraguay. Both let you benefit from the territorial regime (0% on foreign-source income). The Investor Pass route doesn't grant tax advantages on top of permanent residency.

• Risk of revocation

  Standard residency is harder to revoke once granted. Investor Pass productive-track residency is conditional on substance — MIC monitors continued employment and operational reality. A shell company purely for the residency outcome is grounds for revocation.

Honest framing: the Investor Pass is the right choice if (a) you would invest US$ 70k+ in a Paraguay business or property anyway, or (b) you specifically want permanent status on day one. If you mainly want personal residency without operating a business, the standard route is cheaper, simpler and yields the same tax outcome two years later.

Honest caveats

What should you know before filing for the Paraguay Investor Pass?

• Substance over paper.

  MIC + DNIT cross-check whether the productive-track company actually employs the five workers and conducts the activity stated in the plan. Paper-only entities are flagged and CIE can be revoked. Treat this as a real business, not a residency vehicle.

• Recurring costs don't count toward the US$ 70k.

  Rent, salaries, utilities, recurring admin and accountant fees are explicitly excluded from the qualifying investment computation. The threshold is for capital deployed in the company (equipment, fit-out, inventory, technology). Plan the budget accordingly.

• Banking is still the bottleneck.

  CIE in 5 days, bank account in 2–4 weeks. The cédula speeds up future banking but the *first* corporate account opening still runs on standard non-resident KYC timelines.

• The investment isn't refundable on demand.

  Financial Instruments has a 2-year minimum hold. Productive Investment doesn't have a codified hold but the substance requirement means liquidating the company shortly after PR grant attracts scrutiny.

• PR maintenance requires real visits.

  At least one entry to Paraguay every three years. Long-absent residents lose status quietly — DNM tracks border movements. For founders who'd genuinely live elsewhere, plan periodic visits.