No foreign police clearance? You can still file. Paraguay's law allows a sworn statement instead.

— What the law asks for

Three layers of background check required for residency.

• 01

  Foreign police clearance(s)

  From your country of origin plus every country where you lived 1+ year in the last 5 years. Apostilled and translated to Spanish.

• 02

  Interpol certificate (Asunción)

  Issued in Paraguay. Covers international wanted-persons databases.

• 03

  Paraguay National Police certificate for foreigners

  Issued in Paraguay. Confirms you have no record on Paraguayan soil.

If even one of the foreign clearances is missing, you can still start the process using the substitution mechanism below.

— Step 1

Get the two mandatory local certificates first.

Both are issued in Asunción, take a day or two, and don't require leaving Paraguay.

• Paraguay National Police certificate

  Certificado de Antecedentes Informático para Extranjeros

  Departamento de Informática de la Policía Nacional

  Ytororo 704 casi R.I.2 Ytororo, Bº Mcal. Estigarribia, Asunción

  Mon–Fri, 07:00–17:00

  Gs. 63,000 (~ USD 9)

  Notarized copy of passport

  Usually next business day

• Interpol certificate

  Certificado de Antecedentes de Interpol

  Departamento de Interpol – Oficina Central

  Coronel Pedro Gracia 468, Bº Sajonia, Asunción

  Mon–Fri, 07:00–17:00

  Gs. 111,502 (~ USD 16)

  2 photos 3×4, notarized passport copy, form filled on site

  Usually within a few days

— Step 2

Replace the missing foreign certificate with a Declaración Jurada.

If you physically cannot obtain a clearance from country X, walk into any Paraguayan notary (Escribanía Pública) and draft a Declaración Jurada — a sworn statement that includes:

• Full passport details
• List of countries whose certificates you cannot obtain
• Reason it is impossible (armed conflict, persecution risk, no diplomatic relations, emergency relocation, etc.)
• Clear statement: "I have no criminal record in the countries listed and have committed no offense subject to international warrant."
• Commitment to provide the originals as soon as it is realistically possible

Notarization fee: Gs 100,000 to Gs 250,000 (~ USD 14–35), depending on the notary.

This practice is supported by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones' (DNM) authority to accept supplementary evidence and statements case-by-case under Law 6984/2022.

— Step 3

File the full package at Migraciones.

Walk into the DNM office with the complete bundle:

• Passport
• Birth certificate (apostilled and translated)
• Police + Interpol certificates from Step 1 (originals)
• Notarized Declaración Jurada from Step 2 (one per missing country)
• Medical certificate from an authorized Asunción clinic (~ Gs 50,000)
• Proof of address in Paraguay (rental contract or letter from landlord)

• Sede Central (Asunción) Caballero Nº 201 esq. Eligio Ayala · 07:00–14:30
• Encarnación Regional office, full residency processing
• Ciudad del Este Regional office, full residency processing

Residency processing fee: Gs. 2,787,550 (~ USD 385)

Once accepted, you immediately receive a Residencia Precaria — a temporary document that legalizes your stay until the final decision.

— Get the original remotely

How to obtain the missing certificate without leaving Paraguay.

Even if it arrives later, you'll need it when upgrading from temporary to permanent residency.

• Russian citizens

  Request via Gosuslugi portal (qualified electronic signature required). If no QES, ask the consular section of a friendly embassy or grant a notarized power of attorney to a relative in Russia.

• Ukrainian citizens

  Order through the Diia app or via an MVD service center, with international courier delivery to your Paraguay address.

• US citizens

  File online for the FBI Identity History Summary Check (via an FBI-approved Channeler) and have it mailed to your Paraguay address.

• EU citizens

  Most EU countries (Germany, France, Spain) issue Führungszeugnis / Extrait de casier judiciaire via a government online portal with international postal delivery.

• Other countries

  Check your consulate's website in Asunción — many missions issue clearances directly through the diplomatic post.

— Shortcut

MigraMóvil mobile units.

If you live far from Asunción or want to speed things up, watch for MigraMóvil announcements at migraciones.gov.py. Mobile DNM offices visit major cities (including Encarnación and Ciudad del Este) once a month and process residency in 3–5 days, including non-standard document packages.

— Important warnings

Read this before swearing the declaration.

• No real convictions

  If you actually have criminal history, hiding it under oath leads to residency cancellation, deportation, and entry ban. In that case, consult a Paraguayan criminal lawyer first.

• Foreign certificate validity: 6 months

  When the original eventually arrives, it's only valid for 6 months from issuance, so don't delay obtaining it.

• Permanent residency requires the full set

  Upgrading from temporary to permanent residency after 2 years requires the complete package, so plan to have real certificates by then.

— Useful contacts

Numbers and addresses to save.

• DNM (Migraciones) migraciones.gov.py
• Foreign Ministry (legalizations & visas) Eduardo Víctor Haedo 386, Asunción · (+595 21) 414 8771
• Interpol (certificates) Cnel. Gracia 468, Asunción · (+595 21) 228 100