Living in Paraguay as a French Citizen: Cities, Cost of Living, Residence and Safety

Paraguay has more than 7 million inhabitants over about 406,750 km². Spanish and Guarani are the two official and everyday languages, and the currency is the guaraní, whose exchange rate varies. The country remains one of the poorest in South America while being among the most open economies in the region; activity rests on agribusiness and on hydroelectricity produced by the binational Itaipú and Yacyretá dams. The “Economic indicators” block of this page updates the indicators.

The advantages of settling there lie in a residence procedure governed by law 6984 of 2022, personal taxation at moderate rates (8%, 9% and 10% for personal services income, according to the DNIT, the tax authority) and an affordable local cost of living. The points of caution are just as concrete: no social security agreement or tax treaty links France to Paraguay in the lists of CLEISS (the French liaison centre for international social security) and impots.gouv.fr (the French tax authority’s website), the French embassy operates with reduced staff and the consulate general in Buenos Aires is responsible for administrative procedures. The guide to expat insurance in Paraguay and the checklist for the first 90 days help you prepare the project.

Asunción, the capital, has 464,180 inhabitants and is home to the French embassy, the Lycée français international Marcel-Pagnol and the administrations. France Diplomatie recommends avoiding, especially at night, certain districts (the Mercado Cuatro market, La Chacarita) and suburbs such as San Lorenzo, Limpio, Luque or Villa Elisa, and keeping a low profile near currency exchange offices and cash machines.

The main cities include Ciudad del Este (about 396,000 inhabitants, on the Brazilian border), San Lorenzo (about 227,900), Luque, Capiatá and Lambaré, which together with Asunción form the large conurbation. For travel, France Diplomatie advises avoiding driving at night, notably on the routes to Ciudad del Este and Encarnación, Route 6 and the Trans-Chaco. In the Chaco, conditions are difficult: travel there is done accompanied, with reserves of water, food and fuel.

The legal minimum wage is of the order of 3 million guaraníes a month, after an annual adjustment decided by decree 6225 of 17 June 2026. The jornal, a unit also used to calculate migration fees, is worth about 117,000 guaraníes (Ministry of Labour, National Directorate of Migration). The ministry specifies that failure to pay the minimum wage is an offence punishable by fines of 10 to 30 minimum jornales per worker.

For everyday spending, France Diplomatie indicates that taxis are numerous and cheap, about €5 a ride in Asunción and about €25 from the airport, with ride-hailing apps available. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in many shopping centres, restaurants and hotels, cash machines are numerous in the large cities and US dollars are accepted. A settling-in budget is built from the actual rent in the target city, health insurance and travel; the guide to budgeting for health abroad helps you cost the last of these items.

A visa is not required for a stay of under 90 days with a passport valid for the whole stay; beyond that, an extension is requested from the Paraguayan immigration service. At a land border, the entry and exit stamps must be placed in the passport, on pain of a heavy fine on exit. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers coming from Brazil, Bolivia, Peru or Venezuela (France Diplomatie).

Temporary residence under law 6984 of 2022 is granted by the National Directorate of Migration for two years at most, renewable for an equal period, and is a prerequisite for permanent residence. During processing, the applicant has the status of “precarious resident”: they can leave and re-enter the country, study and work. The file includes the identity document, proof of entry, the birth certificate, a criminal record certificate from age 14, an Interpol certificate, a certificate of antecedents for foreigners from the national police and two sworn statements, with documents apostilled or legalised and translated by a Paraguayan sworn translator. The procedure is personal and done in person. The fees are 2,926,925 guaraníes in cash for temporary residence, 1,287,847 for an extension and 234,154 for the radicación certificate; card payments cost a little more.

Residence gives access to the Paraguayan identity card (cédula). On the French side, the French embassy in Asunción (Avenida General Santos 465, +595 21 213 840) does not issue identity documents but can issue a laissez-passer; the French consulate general in Buenos Aires handles administrative procedures.

The network of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) includes, in Asunción, the Lycée français international Marcel-Pagnol. Tuition fees, places and enrolment procedures are requested from the establishment. Families who send their children to the Paraguayan system work in Spanish, with Guarani as the second official language.

The children of a resident need their own health cover: see expat family insurance. France Diplomatie also reminds readers that a child born in or resident in Paraguay who travels alone or with only one parent must present an exit authorisation issued by the competent judge.

France Diplomatie advises against travel, except for compelling reasons, in the zone on either side of the San Pedro – Concepción line, where an armed group operates, in Pedro Juan Caballero (department of Amambay) and in the uninhabited zones of the department of Canindeyú. The rest of the country is under heightened vigilance. French citizens are asked to arrange the means needed in the event of a crisis, notably by checking their insurance and financial capacity.

The practical advice is not to resist in the event of an assault, to avoid travelling alone, to save the numbers of the embassy and an emergency contact and to keep copies of your documents separate from the originals. The embassy’s emergency number is +595 971 995 656 during opening hours, and that of the consulate general in Buenos Aires is +54 9 11 4470 3202 outside them. Heavy rain can cause flooding and cut off traffic, which makes driving dangerous even in town.

Roads are sometimes in poor condition and poorly signposted, with pedestrians, animals, unlit vehicles and potholes; in the Chaco, petrol stations are far apart and sometimes dry, and roadside assistance is almost non-existent outside the large cities. Only third-party liability is compulsory for car insurance; in the event of an accident, you must notify the police immediately and draw up a report. Private buses and coaches are often in poor condition.

The law prohibits under-20s from consuming alcohol, and possession, consumption and trafficking of drugs are punished by at least 5 years’ imprisonment. Certain products are prohibited on entry (cured sausages, meats, tinned goods, certain fruit and vegetables) and may be confiscated. Insurance covering care, hospitalisation and repatriation is essential, failing which access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency; see the expat health insurance comparison. Expavy helps you weigh these options against your situation.