How do I get a visa to Paraguay?

Usually, Consulates and Embassies issue entry visas to Paraguay through invitation letters. You can obtain entry visa for study, work, investment, tourism, among other categories. After your visa interview, to issue the Paraguay entry visa can take one day to one month.

If you need a Paraguay entry-visa, the process of obtaining it can be challenging. Let’s see how can you arrive in Paraguay. Practical steps of obtaining a Paraguay travel visa and the invitation letter.

Who needs a visa to visit Paraguay?

Not all travellers and applicants for the permanent residence permit needs an entry-visa in Paraguay. Citizens of the developed countries may enter without a visa and start their immigration process under the usual and most affordable immigration solution of the world, the so-called deposit option of the Paraguay Permanent Residency Program. 

For example, the citizens of the European Union can enter in Paraguay without an entry visa. Meanwhile, the citizens of South Africa or Russia can pick up a visa upon arrival at the airport.

How can I immigrate to Paraguay?

Those applicants who are in the country, independently of their visa can apply for the permanent residency permit. Those clients who can enter visa-free in Paraguay (or can pick up a visa upon arrival) are allowed to apply for the permanent residency immediately. They can use the straightforward, so-called “deposit” option.

It is not allowed to apply for the pr permit under a tourist visa. However, there is a regulation which allows immigration lawyers to apply for the change of your status at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to qualify. It is the usual legal process. On the other hand, those applicants who need a tourist visa usually must authenticate their documents for immigration at a Consulate or Embassy of Paraguay before travelling and it can be a problem. Because regularly their country is not a member state of the Hague Agreement, it means that they can not issue Apostille stamps as internationally recognised authentication. Moreover, the officers at the Embassy will recognise that you want to immigrate under a tourist visa, and naturally, they will refuse to issue the entry visa. You will see at the practical steps, that Paraguay takes the entry visa issue seriously. Because of the straightforward immigration solutions after arriving in the country. Paraguay is a welcoming country (one of the lasts of this kind in the world) but has its severe regulations and requirements. However, an invitation letter allows you to receive the Paraguay entry visa stamp in your passport.

Do I need a visa to Paraguay?

Here is the link to the official information about the Paraguayan visa agreements, take a look at here to find your country and visa status: (http://www.migraciones.gov.py/application/files/3815/6537/7285/Supresion_de_Visas_-_Agosto_2019.pdf) 

Personal invitation letter for the entry visa of Paraguay

Citizens, permanent residents and even companies registered in Paraguay can invite foreigners to Paraguay through an invitation letter. The invitation letter must be registered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The inviting party has personal responsibility for the invited person. It means that if the invited person vanishes or immigrates under a tourist visa, the authorities will ask the inviting person and has serial legal consequences if the entry visa was obtained under a false reason. 

Practical steps of registering the invitation letter and obtaining the entry visa

  1. We (as an official immigration legal consultancy) register the invitation letter at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  2. We participate in a meeting with the officers of the “Dirección de Pasaportes y Servicios Consulares” to justify the invitation.
  3. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will notify the relevant Embassy or Consulate.
  4. The Consulate or Embassy sets up the visa interview.
  5. You visit the Embassy or Consulate for the visa interview.
  6. The Embassy or Consulate will issue the visa and stamp it in the passport(s).
  7. When you arrive in Paraguay, we have to authenticate your visa again at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, only in the case of immigration. Tourists do not have to do this, just enjoy beautiful Paraguay.

How long does it take to get a Paraguay entry visa through invitation letter? 

The time frame of issuing the Paraguay entry visa after the interview is one day to one month. It depends on the place of the application and the citizenship of the applicant. 

If you don’t need an entry visa and want to become a permanent resident of Paraguay then please contact us online before arrival or visit our office in Asunción.

Do you want to immigrate in Paraguay and need an entry-visa? We can support the visa applications of investors through the SUACE Program and real students if they can show their Letter of Admission from a Paraguayan educational institution. Contact us here.