Relocation guide

Moving to Asunción: Your First 30 Days, Step by Step

Moving to Asunción goes smoother in the right order. Phone first. Then rides, cash and a short-term place. Then people, and the paperwork runs alongside instead of eating your first month. This page works for anyone starting out here, from abroad or from Encarnación, with prices checked in early October 2026.

Before you fly

• Entry: US and Canadian citizens enter without a tourist visa for up to 90 days under Law 7314, valid until August 13, 2027. Ninety days is the common limit, not a universal one, so check your own nationality with Paraguay's foreign ministry before you book.
• Documents, if you plan to stay: residency asks for a birth certificate, a police record from home and an INTERPOL certificate, with foreign documents apostilled and translated. Apostilles come from the country that issued the document, so get them done before you leave.
• Phone: make sure it's carrier-unlocked. A local SIM is your first errand.
• Medicine: bring a supply of any prescription, with the generic name written down. Our pharmacies guide covers the rest.
• Insurance: travel medical cover for your first months. Private hospitals ask for a card or a deposit at the desk; see hospitals in Asunción.
• Packing: light and casual. From November to March, the city is hot, and casual clothes work for daily life.

Days 1 to 3: land, connect, get moving

From the airport. The airport sits in Luque, about 15 to 20 minutes from central Asunción in normal traffic. The official taxi rank inside the terminal charges about ₲120,000 to 180,000 to the center. A Bolt to Villa Morra runs under ₲100,000 outside surge. More in the airport section of our taxi guide.

Get a local SIM. A prepaid SIM registers to your passport. The official Tigo and Personal stores in Shopping del Sol, Paseo La Galería and Shopping Mariscal are the easy stop. A Tigo 10 GB pack for 30 days costs ₲63,000. Our SIM card guide lists every pack and the self-activation steps.

Install the ride apps. Uber, Bolt and the Paraguayan app MUV all work in Asunción, and each shows the price before you confirm. MUV saves only Paraguayan cards, so with a foreign card, pay MUV in cash or use another app. See booking a ride.

Carry small notes. Keep guaraníes on hand for drivers who prefer cash and for corner shops. The central bank is rolling out new banknote designs in the first quarter of 2027, and the current notes stay valid alongside them.

Week 1: transport, safety numbers, the basics

Buy a bus card early. City buses don't take cash. You tap a Jaha or Más Tarjeta card. Más Tarjeta lists its card at Gs. 25,000, including one journey, and you can buy and top up at Aquí Pago, Pago Express, Biggie and Tigo Money points. A ride costs Gs. 2,300, or Gs. 3,400 on a differential bus. Details in how bus cards work and getting around Asunción.

Learn the walking rule. Asunción is walkable in patches. Walk inside your neighborhood, ride between neighborhoods, and take a ride app door to door after dark. (You will also see a family of four on one motorcycle. Do not try this.)

Save these numbers. 911 is the national emergency line. The SEME ambulance is 141, or 021 141 from a mobile. For a power cut, ANDE's line is 021 160, and its virtual assistant is on 0962 160 160. Our hospitals guide and power outage guide have the rest.

Plan around the heat. From November to March, midday walking is hard work. Do errands early, check the weather before outdoor plans, and read our summer heat guide.

Week 2: a place to live

Start short and furnished. Rent a furnished place for the first one to three months, then pick a barrio once you've walked it. A furnished one-bedroom in Villa Morra asks about ₲4,500,000 to 6,000,000 a month. Our where-to-live guide compares barrios, and the cost of living guide covers the rest of the budget.

Budget for move-in. For a longer lease, plan on three to four months of rent up front: deposit, first month and agency commission. Never leave your original passport as "security."

Keep the lease in your name. When a bank or Migraciones asks for proof of address, a lease in your name holds up. Read renting an apartment before you send money, including its section on rental scams.

Weeks 3 and 4: people and routine

Pick one weekly thing and keep going. Friendships here come from repetition, not apps. Try a Spanglish Social language exchange, the Thursday Digital Nomads & Expats social, or a free Club de Caminantes walk from Turista Roga on Palma on a weekday morning. The full list lives in how to make friends in Asunción.

Come to an Open Asu plan. Weekly in-person plans in Asunción for locals and newcomers who want a bigger circle. Join our WhatsApp and get your #AsuBingo card. Our meetups are small and easy to walk into alone.

Start Spanish now, not later. Spanish runs every errand, and daily speech mixes in Guaraní. Our learn Spanish guide lists schools and free practice, and the Jopará survival kit gets you 30 phrases that make people smile.

Working remotely from here

Asunción isn't a remote-work hub. For the right person, that's the appeal: nobody arranged the city for visitors, the cost of living stays moderate, and the people you meet aren't leaving in three weeks.

• Time zone: Paraguay stays on UTC-3 all year. No clock changes.
• Internet: test the actual unit at the hour you work, not the building's ad. Keep mobile data as a fallback, and ask the landlord what happens during a power cut.
• Where to work: see our coworking and laptop-friendly cafés guide.
• Visas: remote workers enter as tourists or apply for temporary residency.
• The social part: no big remote-work scene absorbs new arrivals here. Introduce yourself in week one, not week four, and say yes to the first three invitations.

Paperwork: in parallel, not first

The residency queue will still be there next week. Don't spend your first weeks at home on forms; do them alongside everything else.

• Temporary residency lasts up to two years, and you can extend it. You apply for permanent residency in the three months before your temporary card expires (details under Law 6984/22).
• The official source is Paraguay's Dirección Nacional de Migraciones at migraciones.gov.py. Our visa and residency basics page points at the official pages.
• Taxes: immigration residency and tax residency work separately. See Paraguay taxes for newcomers.
• Bank accounts: requirements vary by bank. Ask the bank which documents it accepts before you go in.

Bring it or buy it here

• Bring: prescriptions with documentation, specialty electronics, any brand you can't live without.
• Buy here: furniture, clothes, kitchen basics and fresh food. Supermarkets stock what you need, and chipa sells on every corner.

The short checklist

• Before you fly: entry rules for your passport, apostilled documents, unlocked phone, prescriptions.
• Day 1: SIM, ride apps, small notes.
• Week 1: bus card, emergency numbers saved.
• Week 2: furnished short stay, lease in your name.
• Weeks 3 and 4: one weekly activity, one Open Asu plan, first Spanish lessons.
• All month: paperwork in parallel, from official sources.

FAQ

Do I need a visa to move to Asunción?

To visit, US and Canadian citizens enter without a tourist visa for up to 90 days; other nationalities should check with Paraguay's foreign ministry. To stay longer, you apply for temporary residency through Migraciones.

How long does temporary residency last in Paraguay?

Up to two years, and you can extend it. You apply for permanent residency in the three months before the temporary card expires.

Is there a digital nomad visa for Paraguay?

Remote workers enter as tourists or apply for temporary residency. Check migraciones.gov.py for current categories.

What's the first thing to do when I land?

Get a prepaid SIM with your passport, install Bolt, Uber or MUV, and carry guaraníes in small notes.

How much does a furnished apartment cost in Asunción?

A furnished one-bedroom in Villa Morra asks about ₲4,500,000 to 6,000,000 a month. For a longer lease, budget three to four months of rent up front.

Is Asunción good for remote workers?

For self-directed people, yes: moderate costs, UTC-3 all year, and a small scene where people stay. Test the internet in your actual unit before you sign.

Do I need Spanish to live in Asunción?

For daily life, yes. Errands, leases and doctors run in Spanish. Start lessons in your first month.

How do I meet people after I move?

Pick one weekly activity and keep going: a language exchange, the Thursday social or an Open Asu plan. See how to make friends in Asunción for the full list.

Arrive with people already waiting. Join Open Asu on WhatsApp before you land, and ask your first question there.