Foreigner Residency Applications in Paraguay Soar 62% in First Half of Year

Paraguay has experienced an unprecedented surge in residency applications from foreigners, with a 62% increase recorded in the first six months of the year. Between January and June, the country received 33,243 applications, a significant jump from the 20,567 applications processed during the same period in 2025.

The majority of these applications, 27,024, were for temporary residency, while 6,219 sought permanent residency. This substantial growth has prompted Paraguay's national migration directorate to implement a contingency plan aimed at streamlining the technical processing and control of these applications.

To manage the increased workload and reduce response times, the directorate has announced extended working hours for its officials and will include work shifts on non-working days. This initiative seeks to address the "unprecedented" rise in demand.

Paraguay had already seen a notable increase of 83% in foreign residency applications during the first quarter of the year. In that period, the agency issued 14,275 residencies, with Brazilians constituting the largest group (64%), followed by Argentinians (8.4%), Germans (4.5%), and Spaniards (2.6%). The government also introduced a program in April offering permanent residency directly to foreigners investing in the tourism, real estate, and financial sectors.