Investor Pass: Paraguay Residency by Investment in 2026
Since April 2026 there are four investment routes to direct permanent residency, from US$70,000. The classic SUACE programme is only one of them.
Much of the content on residency by investment in Paraguay still describes a single route: SUACE, with a minimum contribution of US$70,000, a business plan and a commitment to create five formal jobs.
That description is accurate — but incomplete since 17 April 2026.
On that date, at an official event in São Paulo, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) and the National Directorate of Migration launched the Paraguay Investor Pass, implemented by MIC Resolution No. 283/2026. The programme does not replace SUACE — it keeps it as one of four available routes and adds three more, with different amounts and asset classes.
Anyone describing Paraguay as “residency for US$70,000, full stop” is overlooking three-quarters of the options now available.
The four routes, side by side
All converge on the same key document: the Foreign Investor Certificate (CIE), issued by SUACE, which gives direct access to permanent residency — without passing through the temporary residency stage.
| Route | Minimum investment | Asset | Additional requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Productive (classic SUACE) | US$70,000 | Paraguayan company | Formal business plan + commitment to create at least 5 permanent direct formal jobs |
| Real estate | US$200,000 | Property in Paraguay | Documentary evidence of the purchase |
| Financial instruments | US$200,000 | Portfolio of eligible securities | Minimum holding period (2-year retention) |
| Tourism | US$150,000 | Tourism-sector venture | Sector-specific requirements |
The productive route is the oldest — running since 2013 as the original SUACE investor programme — and retains its own logic: a company, a business plan, jobs created. The other three (real estate, financial instruments and tourism) are creations of the 2026 Investor Pass and require neither a business plan nor job creation, but do require the capital to be genuinely invested, or at least partly disbursed, before filing.
Note on scope: the Investor Pass has been in force for less than four months as at the date of this article. Operational detail — exactly how each route treats dependants, precise review times by category, and any regulatory adjustments — is still bedding in. We confirm the text of MIC Resolution 283/2026 and SUACE’s current instructions before any concrete structuring.
The process, in three stages
- Structuring the investment. For the real estate, financial instrument and tourism routes, prior evidence of the capital is required. On the productive route, the minimum disbursement to open the file is 30% of the committed amount.
- Certification with SUACE. Electronic submission of apostilled personal documentation, a sworn declaration of the source of funds and evidence of the investment. SUACE has up to 5 working days, from a complete file, to issue the CIE.
- Permanent residency at the DNM. With the CIE in hand, the application is filed directly with the National Directorate of Migration, which grants permanent residency without the temporary stage. Timelines typically run from 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the completeness of the file.
Why this matters now, specifically
The timing is not accidental. Spain closed its Golden Visa in April 2025, and Portugal had already removed the real estate route from its programme in 2023. Paraguay’s response — widening its investment routes precisely as Europe narrows its own — is a capital attraction policy decision, not an isolated regulatory detail.
That changes the calculation for anyone who had been comparing European residency-by-investment programmes: Paraguay has stopped being merely the “company with five jobs” option and now competes directly on real estate and financial instruments — categories historically associated with European golden visas.
What classic SUACE still requires — and why it may be worth it
For anyone who already has, or intends to have, a real operation in Paraguay — not merely a residency vehicle — the SUACE productive route remains the only one of the four with a business rationale built in: an incorporated company, a business plan, jobs created. It is the right route for someone genuinely relocating or opening an operation, not simply allocating capital.
The real estate, financial instrument and tourism routes serve a different profile: someone seeking residency as the by-product of a wealth allocation, with no intention of running a business in the country.
Frequently asked questions
Did the original SUACE programme end with the launch of the Investor Pass?
No. SUACE remains active as the classic productive route, now brought under the Investor Pass umbrella alongside the three new options.
Do I have to go through temporary residency before permanent?
No, on any of the four investment routes. That is precisely the distinguishing feature: direct access to permanent residency.
Does residency by investment cover a spouse and dependent children?
The April 2026 announcement did not spell out dependant rules for the three new options. The classic SUACE regime has historically allowed a spouse and dependent children to be included — the expectation is that the Investor Pass follows similar logic, but this has to be confirmed with the MIC at the time of application.
Is there a tax benefit attached to the programme?
Sources connected to the launch mention a reduced dividends rate for residents under the programme. That is a point requiring specific verification against the tax rules in force before being built into any plan.
The starting point
Four routes with different amounts, assets and requirements do not mean four right answers — they mean four different questions to answer before choosing: do you want to run a company, allocate capital into real estate, move an investment portfolio, or invest in a tourism venture?
The answer to that question is what determines the route — not the minimum amount in isolation.
One conversation is enough to map which of the four routes matches your profile and objective.
Informational content. It does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. The rules cited were verified against the official and press sources indicated in July 2026 and may be amended or further regulated. Individual situations produce different outcomes and should be analysed case by case.