The main thing that you are going to have to do yourself, before starting your residency process in Paraguay, is getting some of your documents Apostilled. Here is everything you need to know.
What is an "Apostille"?
An Apostille is a certificate used to authenticate documents between different countries. It has been a "thing" since the Hague Convention of 1961, which resulted in an international treaty that massively simplified the process of checking if documents issued by other countries were genuine, or not. Over time, it has become more widely used as more countries sign up to the procedure, and is now standard practice for the majority of countries worldwide, including all of South America, all of Europe, and most countries in North America, Asia, and Australasia. If you're into the history of international law, check out the Wikipedia article.
Basically what it does, is make the country that issues the original document check that it is genuine before issuing an Apostille, so that in another country, they just need to check that the Apostille is genuine. If it is, they can then accept whatever the document says as being true, with no further checks needed.
What does an Apostille look like?
This varies by country - some issue a full-page certificate with fancy gold lettering, some attach a sticker on the back of a certified copy of the document. A quick internet search should provide plenty of examples from whatever country you need an Apostille from.
What is the process to get a document Apostilled, how long does it take, and what does it cost?
This varies by country - each country can decide how they check if documents are genuine, how quickly or slowly they issue the Apostille, and how much they charge as a fee.
Some countries require you (or your lawyer) to come to a government office in person, some do it by postal mail, some have an online process. You will need to check the process in whatever country your documents are from to find out about the processes and timescales they work to.
Many countries have different service levels for different prices - i.e. you can pay more for a fast-track option, or pay less for the slower process.
In a lot of countries, there are specialist legal services for getting documents Apostilled. You usually need to pay extra for this, but they are usually much quicker. Many of them will accept couriered documents, and send them back to you by courier with the Apostille, if you're happy to send the original document by post or courier.
Expect to pay between $10 - $50 per document for the Apostille itself, and between $25 - $100 per document if using a specialist or fast-track service, depending on what country you need it from.
Which documents need to be Apostilled?
For residency in Paraguay, there are two documents which everybody needs to get Apostilled, without exception:
(1) Birth Certificate
(2) Police Record (for everyone aged 14 or older)
Regardless of your nationality or residency status, the Apostille needs to be issued by the country that issued the original document. Even if you can convince another country to Apostille one or more of your documents, it will not be accepted by the Paraguayan government unless it is Apostilled by the country that issued the document.
Additionally, you may wish to get other documents Apostilled, depending on your circumstances:
(3) Marriage Certificate - if you are getting residency here as a married couple, or might want your spouse to get residency here in future, definitely get this Apostilled
(4) Driving License - if you would like to get a driving license here quickly and easily, get your current one Apostilled
(5) Other forms of Photo ID - if you are moving to Paraguay from another country which is not your country of nationality and therefore bringing a Police Record from a country which you are not a citizen of, you will need to get at least one form of photo ID from that previous/current country of residency, to prove that you lived there. This can be a driving license, national ID card, or anything else "official" issued by the government of that country, and Apostilled by that country
(6) Academic or professional qualifications, certificates etc - this is not needed for getting residency in Paraguay, but if you might need to use them for work or education here, you might as well get them Apostilled at the same time as your other documents
How long is an Apostille valid for?
When you request a document to be Apostilled, you are usually asked which country it is for (i.e. Paraguay), and what the purpose is (i.e. to obtain residency). Therefore, generally speaking, you can only use each Apostilled document for one other country. If you need documents Apostilled for two or more separate countries at the same time, you will need to request (and pay for) two separate Apostilles.
When the Apostille is issued, it is valid for six months. So don't do this too early - it needs to still have a few weeks' validity left at the time you officially start your residency application.
What if my country is not a signatory to the Hague Convention, and therefore does not issue Apostilles?
If the country that issued your document(s) does not issue Apostilles, don't worry, you can still get residency in Paraguay, you just have to prove your documents are genuine in a different way.
The actual process for this will vary depending on the country, and depending on the status of diplomatic relations between Paraguay and that country. Some are still relatively easy, some are more complicated.
To find out what is needed, you will have to contact the Paraguayan Embassy in that country, or if that country does not have a Paraguayan Embassy there, contact whichever Paraguayan Embassy looks after diplomatic affairs for your country - likely based in a different country on the same continent.
Generally speaking, you can expect to need to get your documents "legalised" in the issuing country, often involving a public notary, sometimes involving government departments (such as the Ministry of Law, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and then you will need to get those "legalisations" verified by the relevant Embassy of Paraguay that oversees things in that country, or in occasional rare cases, by an Embassy or Consulate of a different South American country which Paraguay has authorised to do these checks. It will probably take a little longer than getting an Apostille, but can often be done by post or courier.
In all cases, if the country that issues your document(s) does not issue Apostilles, contact the Embassy of Paraguay in that country (or region). Once your documents have been verified by the relevant Embassy of Paraguay, they are ready to be translated (if required) and submitted at the start of your residency application process.
Can you check if my documents have been Apostilled correctly?
We can check to see if it "looks" correct, but it is only the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs that can actually check properly - which is what they do as part of your residency process. If you have followed the correct legal procedures in your country - which are usually very straightforward - you have nothing to worry about.
Should I have my documents translated into Spanish before or after getting them Apostilled?
After! The Apostilled document is what needs to be translated into Spanish, which includes the Apostille certificate itself. Click here for more information about getting your documents translated into Spanish for residency in Paraguay.