Residency by investment in a Paraguayan tourism project
The tourism route sits between the productive and the passive routes: a lower minimum than real estate or financial instruments, and no fixed job quota in the sources we have seen, but a real project to build or run.
Minimum, as currently publishedfrom USD 150,000 invested in a tourism project, with a business plan
What the tourism route requires
The investment needs a tourism business plan (creating, buying, expanding, modernising or running tourism assets, infrastructure or services) with an execution schedule and progress reports every six months; the resolution sets no minimum number of jobs for this route, and rent, salaries and running costs do not count as investment. Typical projects are boutique hotels, eco-lodges, estancias, fishing and river lodges, tour operator infrastructure and leisure facilities.
What the business plan must contain
The resolution sets out the contents: the company (new or existing, with shareholder or beneficial-ownership records if you are not named in the statutes), the location, the type of tourism service under the tourism authority's classification of providers, an itemised investment table and an execution schedule. Investment is counted in property, equipment, vehicles used in the activity, furniture, building works and installations. Rent, salaries, utilities and recurring administrative costs are not counted, so a budget heavy on running costs can fall short however much you spend.
Solvency
You show that you can fund the plan, with recent bank statements (yours or your company's), investment titles, or valuations of property, vehicles or machinery you own.
Who it suits
- Investors with hospitality experience, or a partner who has it.
- Owners of an existing tourism business who want to expand or modernise it.
- Buyers of a lodge or hotel who intend to run it as a business, not as a home.
Documents
The business plan, the execution schedule and evidence of the money going into the project carry the file, alongside the licences and registrations the project needs.
For every route, the certificate application itself needs an online application form that counts as a sworn statement; your passport or national ID; proof of entry to Paraguay (entry card, passport stamp or DNM movement certificate, plus a consular visa if your nationality needs one); an apostilled or legalised criminal record certificate from your country of origin, and from any country you lived in for more than a year in the last 3 years; a Paraguayan Interpol certificate; and a sworn statement on the origin of the funds. Documents issued abroad need apostilled (or legalised by the Paraguayan consulate and then the Foreign Ministry) and translated into Spanish by a Paraguayan registered public translator or an authorised foreign one, with the translation itself apostilled or legalised; Brazilian documents in Portuguese need no translation.
Risks and exit
A tourism project carries building, licensing and seasonal risk, and its value depends on how it trades. Progress on the plan is reported to SUACE, and its verification directorate checks the project against what you filed: a plan that exists on paper and not on the ground is exactly what verification is designed to catch. Your written brief covers the reporting period and what selling the project would mean.
Other routes to residency by investment
Productive business
from USD 70,000 invested in a productive business, with a business plan and at least 5 formal jobs
Invest in an industrial, commercial or service company in Paraguay, with a business plan and formal local jobs.
Active: you run the company and its payroll
Financial instruments
from USD 200,000 in qualifying financial instruments, held for at least 2 years
Hold qualifying Paraguayan financial instruments through an entity authorised by the securities regulator.
Passive: placed through an authorised broker
Real estate
from USD 200,000 in real estate used for an economic activity (not your own home)
Buy property in Paraguay that is used for an economic activity, such as rental or commercial premises.
Passive: the property must earn, not house you
Film production
about USD 40,000 contributed to an INAP-endorsed Paraguayan film production
Back an INAP-endorsed Paraguayan film production: the lowest ticket, and the highest risk of not getting the money back.
Passive: backing a production, high risk
Further reading
Your case, step by step
Prepare your case
You provide identity and source-of-funds documents. We review the investment structure and confirm the scope before funds move or anything is filed.
Timing: Depends on document collection, legalisation and translation; we agree the sequence with you.
File and attend appointments
We prepare and handle the filing in Asunción. You attend the appointments required for your case.
Timing: Appointment availability and document readiness determine the schedule; confirmed before you travel.
Authority review
The authority reviews and decides your application. We follow the case and tell you if further documents or appointments are needed.
Timing: a case-specific window confirmed in writing before filing; investment structuring, source-of-funds documents and authority review affect the timing
Cédula after residency approval
Once residency is approved, we prepare the cédula application and you attend the required appointment.
Timing: an official 60 working days for a first-time foreign-resident cédula, often longer in 2026
Frequently asked
- Does the tourism route require creating jobs?
- The sources we have seen do not set a job quota for this route, unlike the productive route. The project still has to be real and reported on, and we confirm the current reading in writing.
- Can I buy an existing hotel?
- Buying, expanding, modernising or running tourism assets can all qualify under the business plan. What matters is that the money goes into tourism activity, not a private home.
- Can I live in the lodge?
- Living on site is common, but the investment has to be a tourism business. A property used mainly as your own home would not qualify.
What happens next
You write to us
On WhatsApp or the form: your nationality, where you live now and what you want to do.
We answer in writing
The route that fits, the documents you need and the fee, before you commit to anything.
You decide
Nothing starts until you say yes in writing. If it is not a fit, we say so.
- Who replies
- A person on our team reads your message and answers it, not a bot.
- How fast
- We answer in writing as soon as we can, and tell you if it will take longer.
Tell us what you are working with
Capital, timeline, and what you want the residency to do for you. Nothing is filed until you have seen the full cost, timeline and exit options in writing.
Your case is handled by Anton Marklund, Yanina Alvarez and Diana Davalos, the team that files residency, cédula and tax cases in Asunción. You attend the appointments; we handle the filing.