Eligibility quiz
Does one of your parents have natural Paraguayan nationality?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Paraguayan passport and ID
Paraguayan citizens can have an identity card and passport.
A valid Paraguayan ID can also be used for travel within Mercosur where the document rules allow it.
Live in Paraguay for life
Paraguayan citizens can live in Paraguay without a visa or residence renewal.
Live and work in 9 countries
Study in Paraguay
Everyone has a right to education throughout life.
Basic school education is free in public schools.
Work in Paraguay
Paraguayan citizens can work and pursue lawful activities without a foreigner's work or residence permission.
Get help abroad
Paraguayan consulates can help with travel documents and guidance, accidents, detention and the protection of children or people unable to care for themselves.
Mercosur consulates may also help where Paraguay has no representation, when the regional agreement applies.
Vote and run for office
Paraguayan citizens can vote and run for office from age 18, with restrictions.
Citizens abroad can vote if registered and not legally barred.
Limits on voting include some prisoners, people whose political rights a court has restricted, and certain military and police conscripts and trainees.
Use public healthcare
Everyone can use public assistance to prevent or treat illness and for emergencies caused by accidents or disasters.
Access social security
Social security covers dependent workers and their families.
The benefits available depend on the rules and a person's work and insurance history.
How to apply
From outside ParaguayFrom outside Paraguay
Find your consulate
If you live outside Paraguay, you can register your or your child's birth at the Paraguayan consulate that serves the place where you live before starting the court application.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Paraguayan consulate covers your city for birth registration?”
Register the birth
Ask the consulate to register your or your child's birth. This registration does not itself grant Paraguayan nationality.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register a birth at the Paraguayan consulate serving your city?”
Once in ParaguayOnce in Paraguay
Settle in Paraguay
If you or your child have not already settled permanently in Paraguay, do so before applying to the court.
Find residence informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I settle permanently in Paraguay through the National Directorate of Migration?”
Find your court
Find the court for the place where you or your child live. Adults apply to the Civil and Commercial Court; applications for children go to the Children and Adolescents' Court.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Paraguay first-instance court in your city handles nationality by option for adults or children?”
Get legal help
Get a lawyer to handle the court filing. For a child, you can seek help from the Children and Adolescents' Public Defender's Office or appoint a legal representative.
Find legal helpSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I find a lawyer or public defender for Paraguayan nationality by option?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the court.
See required documentsFile your application
Give the documents to your lawyer to prepare and file the application at the court. An adult applies personally through a lawyer; a representative applies for a child, and there is no judicial filing fee.
See how to fileSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I file a nationality by option application with a court in Paraguay?”
Wait for the decision
The court will seek a prosecutor's opinion and decide the case. Work with your lawyer to answer any questions or objection; an objection must be answered within nine days.
See what happensSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after a court receives a nationality by option application in Paraguay?”
Register and collect
After approval, submit the final court decision and any court letter needed to Civil Status to register the decision and get your or your child's birth certificate. You can then use the certificate to apply for Paraguayan identity documents.
Find registration informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register a court decision for Paraguayan nationality by option and get a birth certificate from Civil Status?”
Confirm at 18
If the application was made for your child, they can confirm their choice at the court after turning 18 and within two years. If they do not do so in that time, their choice is treated as confirmed.
Find confirmation informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How does a child confirm Paraguayan nationality by option at court after turning 18?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate and your Paraguayan parent’s birth certificate. If you register your birth at a consulate, get the full version of your birth certificate.
Parent’s residence certificate
Get your Paraguayan parent’s certificate of life and residence from the National Police. It shows your parent’s address.
Consular birth record *
Get the record of your birth registration from the Paraguayan consulate. You will need it to start your nationality case in Paraguay.
* Only if you register your birth at a consulate.
Family book *
Bring the original family book and copies of the relevant pages. Ask your consulate which pages it needs.
* Only if you register your birth at a consulate and your consulate asks for it.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Military service
Paraguayan citizens must prepare for and contribute to the country's defence; compulsory military service is limited to 12 months in peacetime.
Women serve only in support roles when needed during an international armed conflict.
Those who object on grounds of conscience serve instead at designated civilian centres.
Citizenship rights can end
Citizenship rights are suspended upon gaining another nationality unless countries recognise each other's citizenship, or during a prison sentence or certain court-declared incapacity.
The rights return when the reason for suspension ends.
Paraguayan nationality cannot be taken away, but can end by voluntary renunciation before the Supreme Court.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Extranjeros en Paraguay
Spanish Facebook group for people living in Paraguay
Join on FacebookExpat Families in Paraguay - Share & Connect
English Facebook group for people living in Paraguay interested in Paraguayan local life
Join on FacebookParaguay Expat Residency Support Group
Facebook group for people living in Paraguay interested in Paraguayan visas (English & Spanish)
Request to joinConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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