VisaReplacing a lost residence card in Paraguay does not extend its validity
A current-rule guide to replacing an unexpired card, checking separate information-change charges and preparing for travel while documents are missing.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check whether replacement is the right service
This guide concerns residents replacing a lost, stolen, damaged or incorrect residence card in Paraguay. A temporary replacement retains the original expiry date; it does not extend permission.
Migration Law 6984 distinguishes replacement of an unexpired card from temporary extension and ten-year permanent-card renewal. Article 61 requires an application, payment evidence, residence card or loss report, Paraguayan identity card if held or its loss report, and original-country passport or identity document. Check the old expiry date before selecting the service.
Assemble evidence of identity and the missing document
The current replacement checklist requires the original and an authenticated copy of the identity document from the country of origin. It accepts the listed national identity documents or passport. For the residence card and any Paraguayan identity card, provide the authenticated copy or the corresponding theft or loss report. If personal details have changed, provide evidence of that change; a different declared profession needs supporting evidence too.
Arrange the authenticated copies before presentation if you need originals returned. The checklist expressly links their return to providing copies authenticated by a public notary. Keep the loss report and old document details available together: losing both cards does not remove the need to identify which records must be replaced. The published contact is +595 21 411 2000 for checking the submission arrangements and any evidence your particular case lacks.
Use the payment column matching your card
The official tariff is effective from 1 July 2026. It lists replacement at Gs.585,385 in cash, Gs.598,263 with a debit card, Gs.601,483 with a national credit card and Gs.604,703 with an international credit card. The electronic totals include the published provider commission and tax. Use the total for your payment method rather than adding an estimated percentage yourself.
The tariff separately lists information changes and permanent-card renewal. For example, replacement combined with a change of recorded personal details may involve the information-change charge as well. The cash charge for that separate service is Gs.234,154; confirm which services the cashier is charging before paying. A resident replacing a lost card without changing data should not assume that every charge shown in the wider tariff applies to the same application. Information changes cost Gs.239,305 by debit, Gs.240,593 by national credit card or Gs.241,881 by international credit card. The separate permanent-card renewal cash price is Gs.468,308; its lower price does not make it the correct service for an unexpired lost card.
Keep the residence card and Paraguayan identity card separate
Article 62 requires police-issued Paraguayan identity cards for temporary and permanent residents. Permanent residents identify themselves with that card rather than being required to display the residence card. Article 63 links temporary identity-card validity to the residence period.
If both cards disappeared, list both issuing authorities. A Migration Directorate replacement receipt does not establish that the separate police-issued identity document has also been replaced.
Resolve travel evidence before booking a departure
The Directorate’s border guidance lists resident travel-document combinations, including a valid passport accompanied by the admission document, or eligible original-country identity documents for travel within Mercosur accompanied by that document. It also lists a valid Paraguayan identity card. The original-country identity-document concession is limited to the specified Mercosur nationalities and regional journeys; residence in Paraguay does not itself make every foreign national eligible. All travellers must register entry and exit at authorised border control posts. The Directorate describes that registration itself as free, distinct from paying for a replacement card.
The same guidance says receipts for travel documents being processed are not accepted as valid entry or exit documents. It does not establish that a residence-card replacement receipt can substitute for the missing admission document in every case. Ask border officials which listed combination you can actually present, and check the destination’s requirements separately. The reviewed replacement instructions provide no guaranteed completion time or general permission to travel on a loss report.
