The Paraguayan cédula. How to get one, what it does, how long it takes.

From the law

Where the foreign-resident cédula comes from.

The cédula entitlement for foreign residents is established by [Ley 6984/2022](https://www.bacn.gov.py/leyes-paraguayas/10973/ley-n-6984-de-migraciones) and the Policía Nacional regulations on identification. The operative text:

Los extranjeros con residencia legal en la República podrán obtener cédula de identidad civil paraguaya, conforme a los procedimientos establecidos por la Policía Nacional, Departamento de Identificaciones.

Foreigners with legal residency in the Republic may obtain the Paraguayan civil identity card, in accordance with the procedures established by the National Police, Department of Identification.

What it is

What is the Paraguayan cédula?

If you have lived in any other Latin American country you already know the rhythm: the cédula is the regional equivalent of a national ID card, more central to daily life than passports usually are in Anglosphere countries.

1. 01

   Issuing authority

   Policía Nacional — Departamento de Identificaciones. The Asunción sede central is at Denis Roa esq. Avda Boggiani (Ygatimí was the historic former location), with offices in Encarnación, Ciudad del Este and every departmental capital. The Asunción central office serves the majority of foreign-resident applications.

2. 02

   What it looks like

   A polycarbonate card with chip and biometric photo. Front face: full name, cédula number, date of birth, sex, nationality, signature, photo. Back face: blood type, address (Asunción by default for foreign residents), parents' names, expiry date, machine-readable zone.

3. 03

   What it does

   The cédula opens bank accounts, anchors your RUC (tax ID), connects you to IPS social security, and is required to sign property contracts, register a vehicle, exchange a foreign driver's licence or sign up for a mobile-phone postpaid line. Naturalised citizens also use it to vote in local elections. Carry the original — most government counters and many banks refuse photocopies.

4. 04

   Validity

   10 years for adults, 5 years for minors under 18. Only the physical card expires; the *number* on it is permanent (the edge-cases section spells out exactly which life events leave it untouched). Renewal at expiry is a straightforward over-the-counter affair.

Foreign-resident cédulas are visually identical to Paraguayan-citizen cédulas. The nationality field on the card lists your country of origin; the card itself does not encode your residency status (temporary vs permanent). That distinction lives on your *carnet de residencia* issued separately by DNM.

Who can apply

Who can apply for a Paraguayan cédula?

Permanent residents

Eligible the day DNM approves the carnet de residencia permanente. Cédula validity matches the standard 10-year adult / 5-year minor schedule, renewable indefinitely as long as residency status is maintained.

Temporary residents

Eligible during the temporary-residency window (up to 2 years renewable under Ley 6984/2022). The cédula is valid for the duration of the residency carnet. When the resident converts to permanent residency, the card is reissued with a new expiry date.

Tourists, visa holders, applicants pending

Not eligible. Tourists carry passport only. A residency *application* pending at DNM does not qualify until the application is approved and the carnet de residencia is issued. The MIC Constancia de Inversionista Extranjero (Investor Pass certificate) does not by itself confer cédula eligibility — the DNM permanent-residency card is what unlocks it.

Step by step

How long does it take to get a Paraguayan cédula?

Official Identificaciones processing is quoted at 60 business days for a first-time foreign-resident cédula and 20 business days for a standard renewal at the sede central. WhatsApp groups sometimes report faster turnarounds in practice, but plan around the official windows. Some applicants use a paid concierge that handles the queueing; the going rate sits in the US$ 50–150 band, depending on how much hand-holding you want.

1. 1

   Day 0 — Confirm DNM residency carnet is in hand

   You must have the physical Carnet de Residencia issued by DNM. A screenshot of the DNM approval email is not enough — Identificaciones wants the original carnet. If you are still waiting on the carnet, the cédula clock has not yet started.

2. 2

   Day 1–3 — Schedule the biometric appointment

   Online appointment system at the Policía Nacional Identificaciones portal. Some Asunción slots open same-week; departmental offices outside Asunción often have shorter queues. Walk-in is technically possible but rarely fast — appointments win.

3. 3

   Day 7 — Pay any applicable fee first

   First-time issuance for foreign residents is free; renewals and replacements cost Gs. 8.500. Where a fee applies, official guidance says it must be paid in cash (en efectivo) at the office cashier until a card-payment system is in place. Keep the receipt; you hand it over at the next step.

4. 4

   Day 7 — Biometric appointment (in person), same visit

   Done on the same visit (right after payment if a fee applies). Bring: any cashier receipt from step 3, original carnet de residencia, passport (original + photocopy), proof of address (Paraguayan utility bill or rental contract), one passport photo (most offices have their own camera — confirm in advance). The counter takes your fingerprints, photo, signature, and blood-type confirmation. Reckon on 15–30 minutes once you reach the window.

5. 5

   Card issuance — official window

   Official processing is around 60 business days for a first-time foreign-resident cédula and about 20 business days for a renewal. Most applicants collect in person at the same office. SMS notification when ready; in Asunción you can collect Monday–Friday during office hours.

6. 6

   After collection — Register downstream services

   Once you have the cédula: open a Paraguayan bank account, apply for a RUC (tax ID) at DNIT, register with IPS if you plan to be a salaried employee, exchange your driver's licence at the municipality. See the setup guide for the in-country sequence.

Plan around the official windows (about 60 business days for a first-time foreign-resident cédula, 20 for a renewal); actual turnaround varies by office and can be longer if you live outside Asunción and need to travel for the appointment. A scouting trip in advance lets you pre-book the biometric appointment for the week your residency is expected to be approved.

What it costs

How much does a Paraguayan cédula cost?

First-time cédula for foreign residents

Free — first issuance is gratuito per Policía Nacional Identificaciones

Express issuance

No official express/urgente cédula service is confirmed at Identificaciones — the published fee table lists no express option. Treat any quoted "express" tier as unverified.

Renewal at expiry

Gs. 8.500 (~US$ 1.40 at May 2026 BCP rate)

Replacement (lost / stolen / damaged)

Gs. 8.500 plus a denuncia (sworn report) at the Policía Nacional for lost or stolen — see lifecycle section

Address change

Gs. 8.500 — issued as a new card with updated address; old card surrendered

Passport photo (if office camera unavailable)

PYG 25,000–40,000 (~US$ 4–6) at any photo studio in Asunción centre

Concierge / queue agent (optional)

US$ 50–150 — handles appointment booking, paperwork pre-check, accompaniment for non-Spanish speakers

Peg dates: the cédula fee above (Gs. 8.500 for renewals/replacements; first issuance free) is the official Identificaciones rate; the US$ equivalents use the May 2026 BCP reference rate (~6,000–6,160 Gs. to the dollar), so the dollar column drifts with the exchange rate even when the guaraní fee holds. These are *cédula-only* fees and do not include the upstream residency cost (DNM residency filing of 25 jornales = Gs. 2.787.550 in cash, about US$ 450 at the same rate, per Decreto 4122/2025 in force since 1 July 2025; apostille fees in your home country; sworn translation in the US$ 28–57 per-document range). The full breakdown by route is on the cost calculator.

Lifecycle scenarios

How do you renew or replace a Paraguayan cédula?

The 10-year card meets life events. Each scenario below has its own clear path at Identificaciones; none requires restarting the residency process.

• Standard renewal (at expiry)

  Apply ahead of expiry (you can renew up to 90 days before, and reportedly up to a year after without penalty). Same office, same biometric procedure, Gs. 8.500 fee. If your residency status is current the renewal is purely administrative — no DNM step required.

• Lost or stolen — replacement

  File a *denuncia policial* at any Comisaría as soon as you can (free; the report number is what Identificaciones needs). Take the denuncia + your passport to Identificaciones. The replacement fee is Gs. 8.500, on the standard renewal processing window. The number on the new card is unchanged — see number portability below.

• Damaged card — replacement

  No denuncia required — a chipped or delaminated card is enough on its own. Present the damaged card plus your passport at Identificaciones. The replacement fee is the same Gs. 8.500.

• Name change (marriage, divorce, legal change)

  Bring the apostilled foreign marriage/divorce certificate (or Paraguayan equivalent), a sworn translation, and a request form to Identificaciones. The card is reprinted with your updated name for Gs. 8.500.

• Address change

  Bring proof of new address (utility bill or rental contract) and the current card. New card issued with the updated address for Gs. 8.500. The address on the cédula does not have to be your *daily* residence — plenty of foreign residents keep an Asunción address on the card even while living in Pilar or Encarnación.

• Change from temporary to permanent resident

  When DNM converts your residency from temporary to permanent, present the new carnet at Identificaciones. A fresh cédula is issued carrying the longer 10-year validity. Some applicants report no fee on a conversion reissue, others were charged the standard rate — confirm at the counter rather than assuming.

• Permanent move abroad

  If you intend not to return to Paraguay for more than 3 years and want to release the cédula, you can surrender it at any Identificaciones office. Most foreign residents do not surrender — the cédula remains valid as long as your residency status remains valid (Plan-B residency holders typically retain the card).

Edge cases

Five situations the WhatsApp groups ask about every month.

• Children's cédula

  Minors (under 18) can be issued a cédula once their residency is approved. Procedure is the same but a parent must accompany; the standard cédula fee applies (first issuance free, renewals Gs. 8.500); validity is 5 years rather than 10. Some parents wait until age 5–6 to get the first cédula since infant biometrics aren't useful and the card expires quickly.

• Name mismatch with passport

  If your passport shows a middle name and your apostilled birth certificate does not (or vice versa), Identificaciones will use the birth certificate version. This can create downstream issues at banks. Best practice: align the residency file with how your name appears on your bank-account-side passport.

• Asunción address requirement

  No. The cédula address can be anywhere in Paraguay. Foreign residents living in Encarnación, Pilar, Ciudad del Este or rural areas all carry cédulas with their actual addresses. The Asunción default applies only when no proof of address is presented — but that's a worse outcome (banks notice).

• Cédula number portability

  This is the one rule worth memorising, because it governs every scenario above: the number you are assigned at first issuance is permanent. Renew it, replace a lost card, change your name on marriage, move house, convert from temporary to permanent residency, even naturalise as a citizen — the card gets reprinted but the number underneath never moves. That single number is what DNIT, IPS, the banks, the property registry and BCP all key on, which is why it has to outlive any individual piece of plastic.

• What if Identificaciones loses my file?

  Rare but real. Keep photocopies of your carnet de residencia and passport in cloud storage. Rule of thumb from the WhatsApp groups: if nothing has moved well past the official window (roughly 20 business days for a renewal, 60 for a first-time foreign-resident card), that's the point to escalate through DNM (it has cross-jurisdictional authority over residency-linked Identificaciones files) rather than re-queueing at the Identificaciones counter.