Paraguay announced a new Investor Pass on April 17, 2026, creating a direct route to permanent residency for qualifying foreign investors. The program is designed to let applicants bypass temporary residency, but several practical details were still unclear at the time described, including the exact implementation rules and whether the investment must be made before or after residency approval.
What the Paraguay Investor Pass offers
The Investor Pass is presented as a new legal pathway for foreign investors who want to obtain permanent residency directly, without first holding temporary residency.
The program is expected to involve three investment routes:
- $150,000 in tourism projects;
- $200,000 in the Paraguayan stock market, the Bolsa de Valores;
- $200,000 in real estate.
Each adult applicant is expected to qualify individually. The transcript states that applicants will not be able to combine funds with a spouse or business partner to meet the threshold.
Children will most likely be excluded from this pathway, as happens under the existing SUACE permanent residency program.
Implementation remains unclear
Although the Investor Pass was publicly announced during an official government mission in São Paulo, the operational rules were not yet fully defined at the time described.
Migraciones and SUACE are the two government bodies involved, but the transcript states that neither had fully defined how the program would work in day-to-day practice.
The implementing decrees and practical regulations were still being drafted, with further details expected within about 30 days of the initial announcement.
The main unresolved question is sequencing: whether the investor must complete the investment before residency is granted, or whether approval can be based first on a commitment to invest.
Comparison with the existing SUACE route
Paraguay already has a long-running investment route through SUACE.
Under the existing SUACE program, an applicant can obtain direct permanent residency by committing to:
- invest $70,000;
- create five local jobs.
This route does not require temporary residency first. The applicant obtains permanent residency and a cédula based on a business plan and commitment, then proceeds with the investment afterward.
The new Investor Pass differs by increasing the investment threshold but removing the job creation requirement.
In simple terms:
- SUACE: $70,000 investment plus five jobs;
- Investor Pass: $150,000 or $200,000 investment, depending on route, with no job creation requirement.
Both routes are expected to remain available. The Investor Pass is described as a new option, not a replacement for SUACE.
Permanent residency versus temporary residency
Temporary residency remains available, but the transcript argues that permanent residency has become more important under the current rules.
The key practical difference is the physical return requirement:
- temporary residents must return to Paraguay at least once every 12 months to maintain status;
- permanent residents must return once every three years.
For digital nomads, remote workers, and people seeking a backup residency without structuring their travel around Paraguay every year, permanent residency offers more flexibility.
The required documents are expected to be broadly the same whether applying through SUACE or the Investor Pass. The differences are expected to be the investment structure, sequencing, and compliance requirements.
Investment routes
Stock market route
The stock market route is expected to require a $200,000 investment in Paraguayan securities through the Bolsa de Valores.
The transcript describes Paraguayan bonds and securities as yielding around 10–12% when invested in guaraníes.
Currency risk remains a factor, but the guaraní is described in the transcript as having a stable history and strong recent performance against the US dollar.
Real estate route
The real estate route is expected to require a $200,000 investment.
The transcript describes two broad real estate strategies:
- buy-to-rent, with roughly 6–7% net annual yield;
- build-to-sell, with potential annualized returns of around 12–13%.
The build-to-sell strategy may involve construction workers, architects, engineers, and other local professionals. Because that can create local jobs, some investors using this model may also be able to qualify under the existing $70,000 SUACE route instead of the $200,000 Investor Pass route.
Tourism route
The tourism route is expected to require a $150,000 investment in tourism projects.
The transcript does not give detailed criteria for what qualifies as a tourism project.
Which route may fit which applicant
The choice between SUACE, Investor Pass, and temporary residency depends mainly on capital size, operational tolerance, and travel flexibility.
SUACE may fit applicants who:
- have $70,000 to invest;
- are comfortable with job creation;
- are willing to manage a business structure;
- want a route that has existed for years;
- prefer a lower investment threshold.
The Investor Pass may fit applicants who:
- have $150,000 or $200,000 available;
- do not want job creation obligations;
- prefer to deploy capital into securities, real estate, or tourism;
- want direct permanent residency;
- want to avoid annual temporary-residency return requirements.
Temporary residency may still fit applicants who:
- want to keep upfront costs lower;
- do not want to commit $150,000–$200,000;
- are comfortable returning to Paraguay every 12 months;
- do not need permanent residency immediately.
Residency demand is rising
The transcript states that residency applications in Paraguay rose from 28,000 in 2024 to over 47,000 in 2025, with the government projecting 80,000 in 2026.
The Investor Pass is presented as part of Paraguay’s effort to build infrastructure around growing foreign demand.
Main caveats
The Investor Pass was announced before all practical details were finalized.
The main open issues are:
- the exact implementing regulations;
- whether investment must happen before or after residency approval;
- how compliance will be checked;
- how each investment category will be documented;
- how children and family members will be handled;
- how SUACE and Investor Pass will interact in cases where an investment also creates jobs.
The program may become a useful direct permanent residency route for investors who want flexibility and can deploy capital. However, applicants comparing options should weigh the higher investment threshold against SUACE’s lower $70,000 requirement and temporary residency’s lower upfront cost.
