Whilst we cannot give you a precise number of days for how long it actually takes to get residency in Paraguay - because at several stages, we and you are dependent on various civil servants in various government departments - we can give you a very good estimate, based on our own experience of doing this hundreds of times with people from all over the world. Here is a stage-by-stage breakdown:
Step 1: Preparing Your Documents
All of this is done before your residency application starts, so isn't really included in the timeline, but is here to give you an idea of what you can expect. It's split into two parts:
(a) Things you need to do
This is just getting your documents Apostilled. In most countries, this is a relatively easy process, but the requirements and the timelines do vary quite a lot across different countries. In some countries you can do this in one day, by going to a government office in person; other countries do it by post, and many countries have a "slow" way which can take a month or more, as well as a "fast track" (which usually costs more, but can be done within just a few days). In many countries, there are specialist legal firms which offer to get it done for you, for a fee - these are often very quick. Ultimately how long this takes will depend on the processes in place in the country you're from, and whether or not you're willing to pay more for a quicker result. Click here for the full details on getting your documents Apostilled.
Total time: Anywhere from 1 day, to 2 months
(b) Things we need to do
This is basically getting all of your application forms done, getting various stamps and certifications on your documents, translating them into Spanish if that's not done yet, and getting your application into the system with the Paraguayan Government. We know exactly what to do, and can get everything done within a few days maximum. If translating your documents from English, it can be done very quickly, if it's from another language, it depends on the availability of a government-approved translator, as for some languages there aren't many to choose from. Click here for more details on getting your documents translated into Spanish for residency in Paraguay.
Total time: Anywhere from 2 days (no translation needed), to 2 weeks (if you need translation from a less-common language)
Step 2: Enter Paraguay
If you don't need a visa, you can enter Paraguay whenever you like, so it doesn't add any time at all. If you do need a visa, you will have to attend a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate in person to get one. Expect it to take at around 3 days from your initial appointment to being able to go back and collect your visa, and an absolute worst-case scenario of 2 weeks, particularly if there are public holidays around that time. The times do vary based on which Embassy or Consulate you're dealing with, but that's a rough guide. Click here to see if you need a visa to enter Paraguay, or not, and what the relevant processes are.
Total time: Anywhere from instant, to 2 weeks
Step 3: Meet the Government
There are two parts to this:
(a) Getting your appointment - this will partly depend on your own availability and preferences, partly depend on what days we have available space to fit you in, and partly depend on whether or not you asked us to book a time in advance, during Step 1.
(b) The actual visits to the government offices - we will make sure this is all done on 1 day.
Total time: Anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks
Step 4: Collect Your Residency Card
There are two parts to this:
(a) Waiting for the Residency Card to be issued - this generally takes 4 weeks, sometimes as little as 3 weeks.
(b) Actually receiving your card - as soon as your card is issued, we will collect it on the same day, and give it to you as soon as you are available to meet us, which can of course be on the same day.
Total time: Anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 weeks
Step 5: Meet the Government (again)
This is the part where you apply for your Cedula. We need to wait until your Residency Card is issued before we can get you in the system for a Cedula, and can then get you an appointment within a few days, which will partly depend on your availability, our availability, and the availability of the government officials we need to visit. On the day of your appointment, everything else required can be done on the same day.
Total time: Anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks
Step 6: Collect Your Cedula
This usually takes approximately two weeks, but can vary - the best case is going to be around one week, and the worst case is if they make a mistake on your Cedula, for example give you the wrong nationality, wrong marital status, etc... it's not common per se, but it does happen far more frequently that you might expect, from this particular government office. We will always check all of the details as soon as your Cedula is issued, and if they have made a mistake, we will get it fixed and reissued (which adds some time, but prevents you having problems, so is always 100% worth it).
Total time: Anywhere from 1 week (best case scenario) to 1 month (worst case scenario) - expect it to take 2 weeks
Some additional notes
In Paraguay, it is common for timescales counted in "days" to mean "working days", not actual calendar days. Therefore, if something is described as taking "40 days", what they probably mean is "8 weeks" (because there are only 5 working days in each week), even though by that time you would have actually been waiting for 56 days, including all the weekends.
So please bear that in mind when assessing if we are quick at what we do, if you're going to be comparing us to official maximum timescales, or even other residency lawyers (or fixers, helpers, agents etc). We've used actual days, weeks and months, so you know exactly what to expect.
Timescales for the whole end-to-end process
If you want to get everything done super-quickly, we can do this for you - we will plan everything in advance with military precision, and make sure you are at the absolute minimum on every timescale listed above. We would then be able to get the full process (including your Cedula) done for you in approximately 5-to-6 weeks (i.e. 25-30 working days...), as long as you can (a) prepare your documents and pay in advance of arriving in Paraguay, and (b) be available on any day, possibly at relatively short notice, to attend government offices in person.
If you are less hurried, and want to pick days which are most convenient for you rather than the absolute earliest opportunity, you can take your time and still have everything done in less than 2 months, even if you haven't planned anything with us in advance, and still need to translate your documents