Paraguay is a country located in South America, with an area of 406,752 km2 and a population of 7,152,703. The Paraguay River divides the country in two natural regions.
To travel to the country many world nationals need to obtain a visa beforehand or upon arrival. If you are planning to travel to Paraguay anytime soon, check out this article, as you will get to know whether you need a visa to the country, and if yes, how to obtain one, and what are the rules of stay in Paraguay.
Who Needs a Visa for Paraguay?
Many world nationals will need to go through the hurdle of applying for a Paraguay visa before taking a trip to the country. However, passport holders from the countries listed below are among the ones privileged of entering Paraguay with only their valid passports:
European Union
Andorra
Argentina *
Bolivia*
Brazil*
Chile*
Colombia*
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic (only 60 days of permitted stay)
Ecuador*
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Iceland
Israel
Liechtenstein
Mexico
Monaco
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Peru*
Russia
Singapore (only 30 days of permitted stay)
South Africa
South Korea (only 30 days of permitted stay)
Switzerland
Taiwan
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay*
Venezuela*
*Nationals of these countries can enter Paraguay with only their IDs as passports are not mandatory for them.
In addition, holders of diplomatic, official or service passports issued by the following countries, can also enter Paraguay visa-free:
Cuba
Egypt
India
Indonesia
Jordan
Lebanon
Morocco
Philippines
Vatican City
Vietnam
As for passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country, they can transit Paraguay without any visa, under the condition of staying in the transit area for 12 hours at most.
Paraguay Visa-On-Arrival
Nationals of six other countries can enter Paraguay with a visa on arrival, which they can obtain by presenting their passports and paying a fee.
While the nationals of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States can obtain such a visa only at the Silvio Petti Rossi International Airport in Paraguay stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days, nationals of Oman and Qatar can obtain a visa-on-arrival at any port of entry. However, their stay in Paraguay is limited to a maximum of 30 days.
In addition, participants of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup with an official invitation issued by the Paraguayan Football Association can get a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days.
Paraguay Visa Requirements
To apply for a visa to Paraguay, you will need to collect several documents according to the criteria set by the Paraguayan authorities and submit them to the nearest embassy, consulate or representative mission in your country of residence.
These documents are:
Visa Application form. The form must be fully completed and signed by you. Make sure you check the form several times and make sure that all the information you give in this form corresponds with the information in the rest of the documents.
Valid Passport. You also need to submit your passport and a photocopy of its personal data pages. The passport must be valid for another six months on the day you plan to enter Paraguay, and have two or more blank pages so that the Paraguayan authorities will have where to affix the visa.
A recent photo. The photo must meet the criteria given further below.
Flight itinerary. Submit a return air ticket or a flight itinerary, from your country of residence to Paraguay and back. Attach a copy to it.
Previous visas. If you ever held a visa to anywhere else in the world, copy each and submit these copies alongside with the other documents.
Proof you can support yourself. You need to show a document that proves you can financially maintain yourself throughout your whole stay in Paraguay. This could be one or more of the following.
Bank statement in original and one photocopy.
A photocopy of your credit card.
Proof of property ownership.
Letter from the employer indicating your position and salary.
Proof of accommodation. This could be one of the following:
If you will be staying at a hotel in Paraguay, make sure you submit a hotel reservation with its full address and contact info.
If you will be staying at a family member living in Paraguay, submit an invitation letter and copy of the identity card of your host.
Company letter for those traveling for business. The letter must indicate purpose, length of stay, contact name, telephone and address in Paraguay, as well as who will be covering the expenses of the trip.
Event invitation letter is required for those participating in conferences, seminars, artistic or sports events, and to study in Paraguay.
Required documents for minors:
Application form signed by both parents.
Child’s birth certificate in original.
An authorization signed by a notary public and parents’ identity documents if the child travels alone, in the company of only one of the parents, or a third party.
Paraguay Visa Photo Requirements
When uploading the digital photo using the contact form, make sure your photo meets the following criteria:
The photo has been taken within the last three months.
It must be taken in front of a plain white or off-white background.
It must show your full-face directly looking at the camera with both eyes open.
Your facial expression should be neutral.
Image Format should be JPG.
The size of the image should be of a minimum of 1.5MB.
Please note that scanned photos are not acceptable. Uploading a scanned photo, or a photo that does not meet even one of the criteria listed above will result in the rejection of your visa application for Paraguay.
Paraguay Visa Application Process
The application procedures for a visa to Paraguay, depend a lot on one’s country of residence. That is why the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises all applicants to contact visas@mre.gov.py or phone + 595 21 414 8771 to get more information regarding the application procedures.
Yet, every applicant will need to complete three mandatory procedures.
Submit the required documents in person at the embassy/consulate/representative mission of Paraguay in their country of residence.
Personal appearance at the embassy/consulate/representative mission of Paraguay in their country of residence.
Complete the applicable payment of the visa fee.
First, collect your documents and send them to the relevant authority nearest to your home, in person or by post.
Once they have your documents, they will contact you to schedule an appointment so you can show up there, make the corresponding payment and pick up the response on your application. They usually contact you about 5 to 30 business days after you have submitted your documents.
Paraguay Visa Fee
All those applying for a visa fee will need to pay the fee at the relevant Paraguayan authority that will process their application. Depending on the visa type, the Paraguay visa costs are as follows:
Single-entry visa is USD65
Multi-entry visa is USD100
This fee must be paid in cash or money order in the name of the Embassy/ Consulate of Paraguay. NO personal checks or credit cards are accepted. Please note that the visa fees may be lower or higher depending on your nationality or country of residence.
Visa-on-arrival fees according to applicant’s nationality are as follows:
For nationals of Australia the fee is USD135
For nationals of Canada the fee is USD150
For nationals of the US the fee is USD160
For nationals of New Zealand, the fee is USD140
For nationals of Qatar the fee is USD100
For nationals of Oman the fee is USD100
Paraguay Visa Validity
A Paraguay visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days. The visa holder must travel to Paraguay within the first six months from the date of visa issuance.
Is Paraguay a Safe Country to Visit?
You should exercise a high degree of caution when traveling to Paraguay for both, petty and violent crime. While tourists are constantly a target for pickpocketers, armed robberies, car theft and burglaries too, take place in urban and rural areas. Watch out for motorcyclists, as they are often looking out to mug someone.
You should avoid Amambay and Canindeyú departments as drug trafficking and crime are at high levels there. Aside from it, also avoid traveling to the northern part of the department of San Pedro and the southern part of the department of Concepcion as armed guerrilla-style groups operate there, and they often kidnap for ransoms.