Paraguay Investor Pass and SUACE: What Changes for Permanent Residency by Investment in 2026

On 17 April 2026, in São Paulo, the Ministerio de Industria y Comercio and the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones officially launched the Paraguay Investor Pass: a new instrument that complements the existing SUACE pathway.

In total, foreign investors now have three distinct pathways to obtain Paraguayan permanent residency directly through investment, with no prior temporary residency required. This article presents these three pathways with rigour, drawing exclusively on verified official and press sources.

Paraguay claims the title of "Switzerland of South America", a phrase that circulates within expatriate circles and that the authorities themselves use to position the country on the international investment stage. The comparison points to monetary stability (the guaraní is one of the least devalued currencies in the region), territorial taxation that levies tax only on locally sourced income, the absence of wealth and inheritance taxes, and a tradition of discretion in wealth management.

Where Switzerland was for decades the destination of choice for European capital seeking security and tax optimisation, Paraguay is positioning itself as the South American equivalent for regional and international capital (Brazilian capital in particular). The launch of the Paraguay Investor Pass from São Paulo, in front of an audience of Brazilian investors, illustrates this positioning perfectly.

The official figures shared at the launch reflect a dynamic without precedent in the country's migration history.

For 2026, the authorities project that more than 60,000 of the 80,000 expected new residents will be Brazilian nationals, against a backdrop of tighter taxation on non-residents in Brazil.

Permanent residency for investor-entrepreneurs through SUACE

Legal basis: Law N° 6984/22 and its implementing regulation · Administered by SUACE and the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones

Minimum amount: USD 70,000 over 10 years + 5 formal jobs

A pathway designed for those who invest by setting up a company

SUACE (Sistema Único de Apertura y Cierre de Empresas) is, by nature and by design, a one-stop shop oriented towards the creation and management of companies in Paraguay. The permanent residency pathway it offers is aimed at investors who want to both invest and run a business: incorporate an active legal entity, open a Paraguayan company, and generate genuine economic activity within the country. Investing and running a business are two distinct realities, and this pathway combines them, which makes it unsuitable for those seeking to deploy capital without establishing an operational entity.

The conditions currently in force

• 🏗️ Investment in a company: USD 70,000, contribution spread over 10 years in a Paraguayan company set up through SUACE
• 👥 Formal jobs: minimum of 5, in addition to the investment requirement

This pathway remains the cheapest in terms of entry ticket (USD 70,000 over 10 years) and the only one suited to a structured entrepreneurial project in Paraguay. Processing time is typically between 4 and 9 months for a complete file. Our comprehensive guide to the SUACE residency-by-investment programme details each step of the process.

The Paraguay Investor Pass brings together two new distinct routes, introduced on 17 April 2026. Their common feature: neither requires the creation of a company nor formal jobs. They are aimed at investors who wish to deploy capital in Paraguay without necessarily running a business.

Direct permanent residency through real estate or the stock exchange

Legal basis: enabling special law (text in the process of official publication) · Source: MIC, 17 April 2026

Minimum amount: USD 200,000 · No job creation required

A direct response to market demand

This pathway targets precisely the profile that the standard SUACE programme excluded: the investor who buys real estate or deploys capital on the stock exchange without setting up an active company or hiring staff. The five-job requirement is removed in exchange for a higher threshold of USD 200,000. According to ABC Color, Minister Riquelme noted that this option fits within the "financing" pillar of his economic strategy: injecting liquidity into the stock exchange helps finance Paraguayan industries, while real estate investment supports the construction sector.

• 🏢 Real estate: USD 200,000 (houses, apartments, offices, residential or commercial)
• 📈 Stock exchange: USD 200,000, liquidity injection into the Paraguayan stock market

A largely electronic process

According to the MIC, the process will be largely paperless. The only mandatory physical presence will be required for the issuance of the cédula de identidad. Steps are handled through the integrated SUACE-Migraciones circuit, which brings together migration, tax and identification matters within a single workflow.

Direct permanent residency through tourism investment

Legal basis: enabling special law (same framework as pathway 2) · Source: MIC, 17 April 2026

Minimum amount: USD 150,000 · The lowest threshold in the programme

A reduced entry ticket to support tourism

The third pathway is reserved for investment projects in the Paraguayan tourism sector. It carries the lowest threshold of the Paraguay Investor Pass: USD 150,000, that is USD 50,000 less than the real estate and stock exchange routes. It is the only modality of the programme priced below USD 200,000. The government justifies this preferential treatment by its goal of developing tourism as a priority growth driver. The same process conditions and the same tax benefits (8% on dividends) apply.

⚠️ Points to monitor: information not yet officially published

The following elements do not yet appear in the official communications available as of the publication date of this article.

• The full text of the special law enabling the Paraguay Investor Pass is not yet available online.
• Processing times for the Paraguay Investor Pass have not yet been officially communicated.
• The precise definition of tourism projects eligible for pathway 3 is yet to be specified.
• The conditions for maintaining residency over time (minimum presence, maintenance of the investment) remain to be confirmed for pathways 2 and 3.
• The exhaustive list of documents required for the Paraguay Investor Pass has not yet been published by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones.

Before 17 April 2026, the only way to access Paraguayan permanent residency without prior temporary residency was the standard SUACE pathway, conditional on the creation of a company and five formal jobs.

Paraguay also retains its core tax advantages: territorial taxation (only Paraguayan-sourced income is taxable for residents), personal income tax at a flat 10% rate, 10% VAT, and the absence of wealth and inheritance taxes. These fundamentals, combined with the new access pathways, make Paraguay a serious destination for investors seeking an alternative tax residency in South America. They reinforce its reputation as the "Switzerland of South America".

Before committing to one of these three pathways, take the time to assess the profile and reputation of your support provider — a particularly sensitive issue in Paraguay, where the residency market is experiencing unprecedented acceleration.

• MIC · Ministerio de Industria y Comercio — Official launch press release of the Paraguay Investor Pass, 17 April 2026 · mic.gov.py
• Dirección Nacional de Migraciones — Official page "Trámite especial para inversionistas extranjeros bajo el Sistema SUACE" (Law N° 6984/22) · migraciones.gov.py
• SUACE · Sistema Único de Apertura y Cierre de Empresas — Explanatory manual and requirements for foreign investors · suace.gov.py (PDF)
• ABC Color — "Investor Pass", el nuevo sistema lanzado para atraer capital extranjero, 17 April 2026 · abc.com.py
• Última Hora — Investor Pass: Presentan plan para facilitar residencia a inversionistas extranjeros, 17 April 2026 · ultimahora.com
• La Nación Paraguay — Paraguay lanza "Investor Pass" para otorgar residencia a extranjeros que inviertan U$S 150.000, 17 April 2026 · lanacion.com.py
• La República (Colombia) — Paraguay crea "Investor Pass" para atraer capital extranjero con residencia permanente directa, 2026 · larepublica.co