Paraguay Residency for Americans: Requirements, FBI Check and U.S. Taxes

Can Americans get residency in Paraguay?

Yes. U.S. citizens apply under the same Migration Law (Law 6984/2022) as every other nationality, through the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones. There is no minimum investment and no income test for temporary residency, and Paraguay allows dual citizenship.

You hold temporary residency for 2 years, then switch with a permanent residency upgrade. Naturalization can be requested after 3 years of permanent residency (see the Paraguay passport and citizenship guide). Our Paraguay residency solutions page covers every route, including direct permanent residency for investors.

Do U.S. citizens need a visa to enter Paraguay?

Not for tourism. Until 2021 Americans needed a visa. Law 6790/2021 suspended the requirement for citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and Law 7314/2024 extended the waiver for three more years, until 13 August 2027. You can stay up to 90 days, and Migraciones can extend that once.

The waiver is temporary by law. If you plan to travel close to August 2027, check its status with the Paraguayan consulate or Migraciones first.

On passports, the State Department lists six months of validity beyond arrival, while Migraciones asks for a valid passport and limits your stay to its expiry date. Since your passport anchors the residency file, travel with at least six months left, ideally much more.

What documents do Americans need for Paraguay residency?

Paraguay is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, so U.S. documents need an apostille. Federal documents are apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, state documents by the Secretary of State of the issuing state.

1. U.S. passport, valid. It does not need a translation.
2. FBI Identity History Summary (federal background check), issued within 90 days of your application and apostilled by the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications. A state or local police check is not a substitute.
3. Criminal record from any other country where you lived in the last 3 years, apostilled or legalized there.
4. Birth certificate: a certified copy from the state vital records office (not a hospital certificate), issued within the last 6 months and apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing state. In some states a county-issued copy needs a county clerk certification first.
5. Marriage and divorce certificates, if applicable, apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where each was issued.
6. Name change documents, apostilled, if the name on your passport differs from your birth certificate.
7. Sworn Spanish translations of every document except the passport, by a public translator registered in Paraguay. We start them from your scans before you fly.
8. Local checks in Paraguay: Interpol and police registration and proof of address, done during your trip.

How do you get an FBI background check apostilled for Paraguay?

Timing matters because Paraguay wants a recent check and the apostille takes weeks. Work backward from your travel date:

1. Request your Identity History Summary from the FBI CJIS Division. You can apply electronically and submit fingerprints at a participating U.S. Post Office, use an FBI-approved channeler, or mail an FD-258 fingerprint card. The FBI fee is $18. Electronic requests are generally processed faster; mailed requests take longer.
2. Keep the FBI-authenticated result. The FBI authenticates results with a watermark and a division official's signature when it processes them, and it will not re-authenticate old results. Ask us which format to send before you order.
3. Send it to the Office of Authentications with form DS-4194 and the $20 fee per document. The State Department lists about 5 weeks for mailed requests and 7 business days for walk-in appointments.
4. Scan and send it to us. We verify the apostille and begin the Spanish translation.

Because of the 90-day window, request the FBI check about 2–3 months before your trip, not earlier.

How does the residency process work when you move from the U.S.?

There is no remote application: you must be in Paraguay in person to file. With our Gold ($2,850) and VIP ($4,500) packages you make one trip of 5–7 business days to Asunción; the Silver package ($2,200) needs 2 trips.

1. Remote preparation from the U.S. We tell you exactly what to order, vet every apostille and start the translations.
2. One week in Asunción. You submit your originals, complete biometrics and the Interpol and police checks, and sign a Power of Attorney. We accompany you to all government offices.
3. Processing after you fly home. Your representative follows the file. The residency card and cédula take approx. 3–4 months.

Planning to retire? Read our retire in Paraguay guide for the retirement side of the move.

Do you still pay U.S. taxes if you live in Paraguay?

You still file. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so a U.S. citizen in Paraguay keeps filing Form 1040 every year; Paraguayan residency does not change that. Whether you owe U.S. tax depends on your income and the reliefs below.

Foreign earned income exclusion (FEIE)

If your tax home is in Paraguay, you can exclude foreign earned income (wages or self-employment income for work done abroad) up to $130,000 for tax year 2025 and $132,900 for tax year 2026 on Form 2555. You must pass one of two tests:

• Bona fide residence test: you are a bona fide resident of a foreign country for an uninterrupted period that includes an entire tax year. A cédula helps, but the IRS looks at all the facts.
• Physical presence test: you are physically present in a foreign country or countries for at least 330 full days in any 12-month period.

The FEIE does not cover pensions, Social Security, dividends, interest or capital gains, and it does not reduce self-employment tax.

Foreign tax credit and the missing treaty

Paraguayan income tax on Paraguayan-source income can usually be claimed as a foreign tax credit (Form 1116), but not on income you excluded with the FEIE. There is no U.S.–Paraguay income tax treaty (Paraguay is not on the IRS treaty list), so relief comes only from U.S. rules such as the FEIE and the foreign tax credit.

Which U.S. tax forms do Americans in Paraguay file?

Deadlines: Form 1040 is due April 15, with an automatic two-month extension to June 15 if you live abroad on the due date (interest still runs from April 15). The FBAR is due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15. A Paraguayan bank account counts toward the FBAR, and owning a Paraguayan company can add further information returns, such as Form 5471.

Does Paraguay tax Americans on their U.S. income?

Paraguay uses a territorial system: personal income tax (IRP) applies to Paraguayan-source income, at progressive rates of 8–10%, while income earned outside Paraguay is generally not taxed there. For Americans living on U.S. pensions, investments or remote work for U.S. clients, Paraguay often adds little or no local tax.

Be careful: the source rules have exceptions (for example, some services performed abroad for Paraguayan taxpayers count as Paraguayan income), so check your income with a Paraguayan accountant. And low Paraguayan tax means few foreign tax credits: your U.S. liability still depends on U.S. rules.

Residency also does not automatically make you a Paraguayan tax resident. That is a separate determination with your RUC and filings.

What happens to your state taxes, Social Security and Medicare?

State tax domicile

Moving abroad does not automatically end state tax residency. California, for example, can keep treating you as a resident if your absence is temporary or your domicile stays there; the Franchise Tax Board weighs your home, family, driver's license, voter registration and other ties. States with no personal income tax, such as Florida and Texas, are simpler. Plan this with your tax adviser before you leave.

Social Security

U.S. citizens can generally keep receiving Social Security in Paraguay; check your case with the SSA Payments Abroad Screening Tool. Payments can go to a U.S. bank account or, by international direct deposit, to a Paraguayan bank, and the Federal Benefits Unit in Buenos Aires serves Paraguay. There is no U.S.–Paraguay totalization agreement.

Medicare

Original Medicare generally does not cover care outside the U.S., apart from narrow exceptions, so budget for private health insurance in Paraguay.

Should you keep a U.S. company and bank accounts after you move?

If you keep earning in dollars and need a U.S. business structure, a U.S. LLC can be formed in about 5 minutes once you have a U.S. phone number and mailing address. The EIN takes about 7–14 days, and U.S. bank accounts are ready 24–48 hours after it. Our U.S. Business & Personal Integration Service costs $1,500. Ask your CPA how the LLC is taxed in your case.

Official sources

Official pages used for this guide (accessed October 2026):

• U.S. Department of State: Paraguay country information
• Migraciones Paraguay: visa waiver extended for U.S. tourists
• Migraciones Paraguay: temporary residency requirements (Law 6984/2022)
• FBI: Identity History Summary Checks FAQ
• U.S. Department of State: Office of Authentications
• IRS: Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens Abroad
• IRS: Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion
• IRS: United States income tax treaties A to Z
• IRS: Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)
• IRS: Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements
• SSA: Payments Abroad Screening Tool
• Medicare: Travel outside the U.S.

Paraguay residency for Americans: FAQ