Entering Paraguay on a US passport: visitor stays and overstays

Paraguay is one of the easier countries in South America for a US citizen to enter. There is no visa to apply for before a short tourist trip, the standard stay is 90 days, and the migration authority publishes its extension procedure and its fines in a public fee table. This guide covers the visitor rules as the official Paraguayan pages and the US Embassy in Asunción state them, and where the visitor route ends and residency begins.

Do Americans need a visa for Paraguay?

No, not for tourism of up to 90 days. The US Embassy in Paraguay states that US citizens need a valid passport to enter, and that private US citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for tourism. The embassy also warns that travelers with expired or damaged passports may be refused entry and sent back at their own expense.

The legal basis is a temporary law, not a permanent treaty. Paraguay's Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) announced in August 2024 that the executive had promulgated Law No. 7314, which extends for three more years Law No. 6790/2021, the measure that suspended the visa requirement for tourists from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Under that extension, those nationals entering for tourism with a stay of no more than 90 days do not need a visa.

Because the exemption runs on a fixed-term law, check its status before any trip planned toward the end of the three-year window. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps a list of nationalities that do not need a visa, and the United States appears on it under North America. If that list or the DNM news page changes, the change will show up there first.

What you need at the border

The official pages are short on this point. What they confirm:

• A valid US passport in good condition. The US Embassy flags expired and damaged passports as grounds for refusal.
• Tourist purpose. The visa exemption applies to entry "con fines turísticos" with a stay of no more than 90 days.
• An entry record. The DNM extension page treats the entry stamp in your passport, or the stamped migration slip, as the proof that you entered legally. Keep track of it, because you need it for any extension and its absence is a fineable offence (see below).

The US Embassy refers travelers to Paraguayan consulates for Paraguayan customs rules, and to US Customs and Border Protection for what you can bring back into the United States.

How long you can stay

The visitor stay is up to 90 calendar days. The DNM describes the transitory stay as lasting up to 90 consecutive days ("90 días corridos"). Count from the date on your entry stamp, not from the date your flight left the United States.

Extending a tourist stay: the prórroga de permanencia

Paraguay allows a single extension. The DNM procedure is called Prórroga de Permanencia Transitoria. According to the DNM page:

• It is for foreigners on a transitory stay, which includes tourists, passengers in transit, people in border-zone transit, people receiving medical treatment, and crew members.
• The initial stay of up to 90 days can be extended once, at the request of the visitor, for a period no longer than the one originally granted, at the discretion of the DNM.
• The extension does not let you settle. The DNM defines it as permission to prolong your stay for a limited time without establishing residence.
• You can apply in person or online through the government portal paraguay.gov.py.

Documents listed by the DNM:

1. Your valid passport, original plus an authenticated copy.
2. The consular visa and its verification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, only where a visa is required. US tourists under the exemption do not need one.
3. Proof of entry: the stamped entry slip or the entry stamp in your passport, original plus an authenticated copy.

Extra requirements apply to children and teenagers, including signatures and documents from parents.

The fee for a "Prórroga de Permanencia" in the DNM fee table in force from 1 July 2026 is 5 jornales (daily minimum wage units). At the jornal value shown in the same table, that is 585,385 guaraníes in cash, with slightly higher amounts for card payments because of the bank commission. The online version is listed at 598,263 to 604,703 guaraníes depending on the card type. The jornal is tied to the minimum wage, so the guaraní amounts move when the wage is adjusted; read the current table before you pay.

In practice, a single extension means a US tourist can stay up to about 180 days in one visit if the DNM approves the full period. Apply while your first 90 days are still running.

What an overstay costs

The DNM fee table, issued under Article 87 of Migration Law No. 6984/2022, lists two fines for foreigners in breach:

• Overstaying the authorized transitory stay: 6 jornales, shown as 702,462 guaraníes in cash in the table in force from 1 July 2026.
• Having no record of entry into the country: also 6 jornales, the same amount.

The online "Multa Pendiente" payment is listed at 717,916 to 725,643 guaraníes depending on the card. The table does not grade the fine by the length of the overstay. It is a flat fine per the published table.

The fee table also shows combined amounts for residency applications that include a fine, which tells you that an outstanding overstay fine is settled as part of a later residence filing. Paying a fine does not turn an overstay into legal status, and the official pages reviewed here do not promise any particular treatment at your next entry, so the safer course is to extend in time or leave before day 90.

When the visitor route ends: residency

If you plan to live in Paraguay rather than visit, the tourist extension is the wrong tool. The DNM handles residence through several categories, applied for inside Paraguay at the DNM:

• Residencia Temporal: granted for a fixed term to foreigners who arrive intending to settle and carry out a lawful activity, under Law No. 6984/22. The DNM states the residence card is valid for up to 2 years, renewable for the same period, and that temporary residence is a prerequisite for permanent residence.
• While the temporary residence application is pending, the DNM grants "residente precario" status, which the DNM says allows you to leave and re-enter, study and work for its duration.
• Temporary residents can obtain a Paraguayan cédula de identidad from the National Police identification department, valid for the same period as the residence.

The fee table lists temporary residence under Law 6984/2022 at 25 jornales (2,926,925 guaraníes in cash in the table in force from 1 July 2026). Documents include a criminal record certificate from your country of origin or recent residence, legalized or apostilled, and an INTERPOL certificate for applicants aged 14 and over. For US citizens, that means an FBI identity history summary with an apostille is the usual starting point, since the DNM asks for a certificate with national or federal coverage.

The DNM site lists the other residence categories, including permanent residence and the investor route, each with its own requirements page.

A simple timeline for a long visit

1. Arrive with a passport in good condition and check the entry stamp before you leave the control desk.
2. Note your day 90 from the stamp date.
3. If you want to stay longer, apply for the Prórroga de Permanencia online or at the DNM while you are still within the first 90 days, and keep the receipt.
4. If you decide to live in Paraguay, start the temporary residence file instead, and gather the apostilled FBI record before you go if you can.
5. If you overstay, expect the flat fine from the DNM table when you regularize or leave.

US-side points

Paraguay's rules do not change your US obligations. If you stay abroad long enough to count as living there, US tax filing continues on worldwide income; the IRS page for US citizens abroad covers filing thresholds and deadlines. Keep your passport valid with room to spare, since renewing it abroad goes through the US Embassy in Asunción and takes time.

Common questions

How long can a US citizen stay in Paraguay without a visa? Up to 90 days for tourism. The US Embassy in Paraguay and the DNM both state the 90-day limit, which rests on Law No. 7314 extending Law No. 6790/2021.

Can I extend my 90 days in Paraguay? Yes, once. The DNM Prórroga de Permanencia Transitoria extends a tourist stay for a period no longer than the original one, at the DNM's discretion. You can apply in person or online through paraguay.gov.py.

What is the fine for overstaying in Paraguay? The DNM fee table lists 6 jornales for overstaying the authorized stay, shown as 702,462 guaraníes in cash in the table in force from 1 July 2026. The same fine applies if there is no record of your entry.

Is the visa exemption for Americans permanent? No. It comes from a temporary law that Law No. 7314 extended for three years in 2024. Check the DNM and Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages before travel.