Global Residency Programs Report: Paraguay

Through the SUACE (Unified System for Company Opening and Closing) programme, Paraguay offers one of the most accessible and cost-effective routes to direct permanent residency in South America, bypassing the standard two-year temporary-residency phase. To qualify, foreign entrepreneurs must establish a local company and commit to a minimum productive capital investment of USD 70,000 deployed into tangible business assets (such as equipment, infrastructure or commercial real estate). The full investment does not need to be transferred upfront; instead, applicants submit a business plan detailing how the capital will be structured and spent over a flexible 10-year period (averaging roughly USD 7,000 annually) while creating at least five local jobs. Alternatively, individuals seeking a passive, non-business track can use the Economic Solvency Route, which grants temporary residency via a basic declaration of income or a localised bank deposit, or the premium Investor Pass framework, which grants immediate permanent residency for a minimum passive investment of USD 150,000 in tourism or USD 200,000 in real estate or the domestic stock market. All pathways feature a strictly territorial tax system (0% on foreign-sourced income), a fast 3-year track toward citizenship eligibility, and minimal physical-presence mandates, requiring only a single brief visit every three years to maintain the permanent-residency card and cédula (national ID).