Purpose of This Guide

Applying for Paraguayan Residency is a moderately challenging process. Though many expats choose to complete the process on their own, without an immigration agency or lawyer, others prefer to pay an expert for help.

The "Big Two" immigration firms are Paraguay Pathways and Nomad Elite. 

Partially due to their dominant Youtube presence, the Big Two firms have high demand, good reputations, and command premium prices. While these two are excellent solutions, this guide lists other agencies and key considerations.

What is an Immigration Agency?

An Immigration agency is a company that assists expats in receiving residency and other immigration or business outcomes in a foreign country. Agencies can be as small as one person, or have many employees. Some agencies hire lawyers to complete the actual immigration process for their clients, which is why some expats choose to find the actual lawyers themselves, instead of paying the agency as a middleman. However, other expats choose to use an agency because of the trust an agency must keep as a public-facing company. Some expats may not be comfortable finding an individual lawyer on their own. Furthermore, many immigration agencies in Paraguay offer other services in addition to residency applications, such as airport pickups, private community access and more.

Bribes in the Paraguayan Residency Process

Some expats and immigration agencies report opportunities to pay bribes throughout the immigration process, usually to speed along the process. Generally, it takes 2-3 months to receive Temporary Residency, and then another 1-2 months to receive a Cédula. Some agencies and lawyers are somehow able to provide Residency and Cédula in a much shorter time frame. It's likely that they are paying government contacts to speed up the process. Some expats are okay with this, while others want to avoid it.

Risks of Paying Bribes in Paraguay

The Paraguayan government is taking action against immigration fraud.

In 2020, BBC reported that famous Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho was arrested for using a fake passport to enter Paraguay. Ronaldinho faced 5 years in prison, and paid $900,000 in fines & bail, according to ESPN.

On October 3rd, 2025, ABC reported that eleven National Police officers were arrested for issuing fraudulent/irregular Cédula cards. The officers had issued the Cédulas in exchange for bribes, and suspicions were raised due to an irregularity in their printing process.

These are serious cases, involving FRAUDULENT, fake IDs. If an expat or agency pays a bribe to speed up their processing time, is that fraudulent? 

Paraguay Immigration Agency & Lawyer Pricing

Expats can expect to spend between $700 and $6,000 obtaining their Temporary Residency and Cédula. The price range depends on the speed in which they want the process completed, extra add-in services, and the popularity of the agency. 

The actual cost of submitting the application is about $428 USD, however the gathering, translating, and notarizing of the documents required in the application is usually a few hundred more dollars. Most agencies include the application, notarizing, and translating fees in their pricing.

Tier 1: DIY Paraguay Immigration Guides: $200 - $600

Some agencies and lawyers sell detailed written and video guides for expats who want to immigrate without hiring a full-on agency, but have doubts or want some extra help. In this case, the expat would need to pay for all of the other fees on their own. Fluido Spanish School published a FREE Temporary Residency Guide.

The prices for these guides generally range between $200 and $600. Higher priced packages often include services such as access to phone calls with the agency or admittance to WhatsApp groups.

Tier 2: Basic Residency and Cédula Packages: $1,200 - $2,500

Expats can expect to pay around $1,500 all-in, for a basic immigration experience. These tend to include an agent/lawyer handling all paperwork and driving expats all around the city as needed for the application. This pricing usually correlates with the typical 3 month wait-time for the Residency, and 2 month wait for the Cédula. 

Tier 3: Expedited Residency and Cédula Packages: $1,800 - $3,500

Many agencies charge extra for expats who want their immigration process expedited. Expats should be aware that this expedition might be being achieved through bribery. Nonetheless, the rushed options seem to be popular, and agencies claim that the Residency will be granted in 1-2 months, and the Cédula in 2-6 weeks. These intermediate packages often come with bonus perks, such as RUC tax ID registration and driver's license registration.

Tier 4: All Inclusive Immigration Packages: $3,000 - $10,000

Many agencies sell luxury packages that go beyond simple immigration. These combos often include residency for multiple family members, company incorporation, bank account creation, and other special permits. Expats looking to apply for SAUCE Permanent Residency often find themselves needing to purchase a Tier 3 or Tier 4 package.

What to Look For in a Paraguayan Immigration Agency

One of the most important things an expat should look for in a Paraguay Immigration service is trust. Trust is often signaled by a physical local presence, and participation in local expat groups, and public facing CEO's. If an agency's CEO is willing to be physically present in the expat community in Paraguay, it gives the expat community trust; If they did a poor job or scammed their clients, the whole community would find out and the CEO could be shunned.

This trust and public image matters especially due to the potential bribery involved in expedited residency requests. 

What to Avoid in a Paraguayan Immigration Agency

Some immigration agencies set off red-flags. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Expats should be wary of agencies that might bribe officials for completely fraudulent Cédulas. It's evident that many agencies offer bribes to speed up the process. However, CEO's that show local and public presence provide trust. If they commit serious fraud, the public will know. These CEO's build trust and offer expats leverage by revealing their identities and engaging in the local community.

Expats should exercise caution with agencies without a public-facing CEO, especially ones that offer terms that are expedited or too good to be true. This is not to say that any agency that hides the name of its CEO is malicious or untrustworthy. However it can be a red flag.

Immigration Agencies vs Law Firms

Many Paraguayan law firms and lawyers offer immigration services that are cheaper than expat-owned agencies. In fact, some agencies actually hire lawyers to do the actual work. The biggest benefit of using a local lawyer is that they are cheaper. That being said, expats often prefer to use immigration agencies because of the trust-factor; It can be easier to trust an CEO who's publicly involved in the expat scene, than a law firm that is more deeply embedded in Paraguay, than the international community. This does not mean that local law firms are untrustworthy, just that they often are less involved in the expat community, and therefore have less at stake if they don't deliver.

List of Paraguayan Immigration Agencies

Paraguay Pathways

Owner: Alessandro Calvo

Immigration Pricing: $1,900 - $3,500

Website: https://paraguaypathways.com

Highlights: Dominate YouTube voice about Paraguay, Connected with high-level politicians

Nomad Elite

Owner: Gerald Summer

Immigration Pricing: $2,750 - $12,950

Website: https://nomadelites.com/

Highlights: 40,000 YouTube subscribers, strong local presence and reputation

Sweet Home Paraguay

Owner: Nino Prodan

Immigration Pricing:

Website: https://sweethomeparaguay.com/

Highlights: Nino is very active in the Asunción expat community. He's often found at events hosted by the Asunción Times.

Paraguay Solutions

Owner:

Immigration Pricing:

Website: https://paraguaysolutions.com/

Highlights: Active since 2017, according to their website.

We Paraguay

Owner: Osher Shmueli

Immigration Pricing: $600 - $6,500

Website: https://weparaguay.com/

Highlights: Offers a free residency checklist. Owner is the one who does the work.

Paraguay Residencia

Owner: Ariel and Eduardo Muñoz

Immigration Pricing: $1,450

Website: https://paraguayresidencia.com/

Highlights: Owned by Paraguayan locals, work done by licensed lawyers.

Worldwise Capital

Owner: Nicole Vilaca

Immigration Pricing:

Website: https://worldwisecapital.com/

Highlights: The agency offers residency applications to many other countries besides Paraguay. 

Romach Law

Owner: Sally Romero & Luis Machucha

Immigration Pricing: $1,500 - $1,900

Website: https://www.romachlaw.com

Highlights: Paraguayan Law firm with 11 years of experience.

Scaglia & Asociados

Owner: Natalia Scaglia

Immigration Pricing: $3,000

Website: https://scagliayasoc.com/residencias-paraguay/

Highlights: Paraguayan Law firm with 11 years of experience and 3,000 clients. 

Gestiones y Servicios Paraguay 

Owner: Paola Olivia Gonzalez Flecha 

Immigration Pricing:

Website: https://www.facebook.com/abogadorodrigotoledo

Highlights: Paraguayan lawyer and government certified translator

Exclusiva Paraguay

Owner: Andrés Torales

Immigration Pricing: $1,500

Website: https://exclusivapy.com/

Highlights: They specialize in real estate investment

Plan B Paraguay

Owner: Paul Kittson

Immigration Pricing: 

Website: https://www.planbparaguay.com/

Highlights: Significant Youtube presence. 

First Class Citizens

Owner: Miquel Gironès

Immigration Pricing: Premium pricing

Website: https://thefirstclasscitizen.com/paraguay

Highlights: Offers residency packages and services in several other countries.

EasyParaguay

Owner: 

Immigration Pricing: $1,490 - $3,500

Website: https://easyparaguay.com/

Highlights: Offers small add on packages, like "Cédula only" for people who applied for residency on their own, but want help getting a Cédula.