For an ordinary filing, the reference Legaliza Paraguay uses is 90 to 120 days for residency and then 60 to 150 days for the Paraguayan cédula, when the category allows you to request it. These are estimates from client work already stated in our guides, not official or guaranteed deadlines.
To plan a move, separate three moments: preparing the documents, obtaining residency, and requesting the cédula. The clock does not start at the first conversation with the team, and residency and the cédula are not delivered together automatically.
How long does each stage take?
| Stage | Planning reference | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Certificates and apostilles in Brazil | About 15 to 30 days | Estimate given by the owner on 30/10/2026, with no guarantee. It varies with the document, the place, and any correction or shipping. |
| Preparation in other countries | The site does not publish a number of days | Confirm issuance and apostille with each authority. Do not reuse the Brazil figure for another country. |
| Entry into Paraguay and local preparation | Confirm for the specific case | Includes the entry record, the applicable police records, and certified copies. |
| Filing and review of residency | Estimate of 90 to 120 days in an ordinary filing | Counted from filing. Extra requests and demand can change the wait. |
| Preparing and requesting the cédula | A later stage, with its own documents | Whether you can request it depends on the residency route. |
| Issuing the cédula | Estimate of 60 to 150 days after the request | Not included in the residency estimate. |
Adding the two processing ranges gives 150 to 270 days. That sum is only a reference for someone who can go from temporary residency to the cédula under Law 6.984/2022. It does not include the initial preparation or gaps between applications. The real total can be shorter or longer. It should not be announced as a closed timeline.
1. Prepare certificates and apostilles before you travel
Issuing documents in the country of origin has to be on the schedule. Check the certificates you need, the validity of police records, the spelling of names, and the apostilles before you set the trip to file.
For documents issued in Brazil, allow about 15 to 30 days for certificates and apostilles. That is a service estimate, with no guarantee: confirm issuance, apostille, and delivery in each place. If a name, parentage, or civil status does not match, leave time to correct it. For documents issued in another country, the site does not publish a number of days.
See the Hague apostille guide and the list in the temporary residency guide. The plan also needs to cover documents for minors and periods of residence in other countries, when they apply.
2. Organize entry and the local documents
To enter Paraguay and apply for residency, each person presents the travel document Migraciones accepts for their nationality, as a physical original. For Brazilians, that document is a passport, RG, or Carteira de Identidade Nacional (CIN). A driver’s license (CNH) and cards from professional councils, such as CRM and CREA, do not replace those identity documents. Do not use a work booklet, filing receipts, or digital versions in place of the required document. Check that the document is in good condition and that the photo still identifies the person before you travel.
That guidance is already in the temporary residency guide, in the question about a driver’s license and a professional card. Bringing the wrong document can block entry or filing and force another trip.
Entry papers, the police records the category requires, and certified copies should be checked before filing. The list is not the same on both routes: temporary residency under Law 6.984/2022 includes Interpol from age 14, in addition to Policía Nacional records. The Mercosur temporary list does not include Interpol.
Avoid a plan in which every appointment depends on finishing the previous step the same day. Availability, travel, and document issuance can force changes.
3. File the residency application and follow it
Handing in the application does not mean approval. The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) reviews the documents and can ask for more.
Keep the filing receipt and follow any further requests. A missing document, a mismatched detail, or a slow reply to the authority can add to the total time. The 90 to 120 day estimate does not replace following the case.
What does residente precario mean?
On the Law 6.984/2022 route there is a residente precario card while the application is pending. Article 57 of the law provides for 90 calendar days of validity and, during that period, allows the holder to stay, work, study, leave, and re-enter the country.
That document is not approved residency and does not guarantee a favorable decision. Because the review can outlast the card, check the printed date and ask the DNM before it expires about the status of your case. Do not assume an automatic extension.
4. Understand when you can request the cédula
Under Law 6.984/2022, granted temporary residency allows you to request the cédula at the Departamento de Identificaciones of the Policía Nacional. It is a new stage, with its own requirements. The site’s reference is 60 to 150 days for issuance after the request.
On the Mercosur route, temporary residency does not give access to the cédula. Permanent residency comes first. Mercosur temporary residency lasts two years and cannot be extended. The DNM directs people to start the permanent application in the 90 days before expiry.
That is why 150 to 270 days does not describe the Mercosur path to the cédula. Choosing the category only for the cost can conflict with a plan for work, banking, or other services that depend on that document.
See the comparison of Mercosur and Law 6.984 and the Paraguayan cédula guide.
Can the MigraMóvil change the wait?
See our MigraMóvil schedule and the date of the last check, with the link to confirm the official program again.
Yes. The MigraMóvil is the DNM’s traveling program and has regular and reduced editions. On the official page checked on 30/10/2026, the regular edition provides for pickup on Saturday at the end of the edition for applications received in the first three days and approved after the document check. For applications from the last days, and for the reduced edition, the published reference is 30 to 45 days, under the conditions the DNM states.
Those times are not a guarantee for every application. Check the program, the shifts, the requirements, and the conditions of that edition before you travel. The program covers migration documents. It does not mean receiving the cédula at the same appointment.
What else can slow the process down?
- A driver’s license or professional card brought instead of a passport or physical identity document. For Brazilians, that includes a CNH instead of a passport, RG, or CIN.
- Certificates with mismatches, or without the required apostille.
- Police records that have expired or were issued by a different authority from the one required.
- Missing documents or authorizations for minors.
- Incomplete copies and local documents at filing.
- Extra requests and a slow reply to them.
- Planning services that depend on the cédula before you can request it.
Sorting these points helps avoid doing the work twice. No advisory service controls the queue or can guarantee approval or a delivery date.
What about costs and the next stages?
On the official table checked on 30/10/2026, the cash fee is Gs. 2,341,540 for Mercosur temporary residency and Gs. 2,926,925 for temporary residency under Law 6.984/2022. Electronic payments add charges depending on the method. Those amounts are DNM fees. They are not the full cost of the documents or the advisory fee.
A driver’s license and a bank account also have their own requirements and reviews. Do not add promises of issuance in a few days or of an account opened in minutes: confirm the conditions with the municipality or the bank.
Plan around your goal
Before you set the move, decide whether you need only residency or also the cédula, and when. Then organize the documents and leave room for extra requests and calendar changes.
The Legaliza Paraguay team can help check the category and build the sequence of stages for your case. To start the conversation, share your nationality, whether the application is individual or for a family, and when you plan to move. The first contact is by WhatsApp or the site form. In-person service with the person responsible happens after you hire us.
Adapted from the article published on Medium on 01/02/2025. Rewritten with the official sources reviewed on 30/10/2026. The residency and cédula estimates are service references, not commitments by public authorities. The 15 to 30 day reference applies only to certificates and apostilles issued in Brazil.