PARAGUAY OSby RAZA

Apostille · Paraguay OS by RAZA

Apostille and legalization, by document and country

It is not the same process if the paper comes from abroad for Paraguay, or if it is Paraguayan and must be used abroad.

I am bringing documents to ParaguayI need Paraguayan papers for use abroad

The Foreign Ministry apostilles Paraguayan documents for use abroad. Papers a foreigner brings are apostilled in the country of origin, not in Paraguay. Official fees are confirmed at mre.gov.py (published apostille: Gs. 223,000 per document). This guide does not replace a sworn translator or the office that will receive the paper.

The foreigner brings papers from a Hague country (Brazil, Argentina, Spain, the U.S., Germany…)

The apostille is done in the country that issued the document. Paraguay’s Foreign Ministry does not apostille that paper again. With the origin apostille, Migration, Civil Registry or another office in Paraguay should accept it, without a Paraguayan consulate.

When: Residency, marriage, studies, powers of attorney, company: any process in Paraguay with a foreign public document.

What needs to be done

  1. Obtain the original document in the country of origin (competent authority; criminal record at federal, not state, level).
  2. Apostille it there (that country’s apostille authority).
  3. Bring it to Paraguay.
  4. If it is not in Spanish: a sworn translation in Paraguay (the apostilled original + the translation).
  5. File it where it is requested (Migration, notary, university, etc.).

Typical documents

  • Birth certificate
  • Marriage, divorce or single status
  • Federal criminal record
  • Degrees and study certificates
  • Notarial powers of attorney
  • Documents of a foreign company
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The foreigner brings papers from a country that is NOT in the Hague system

There is no apostille. A legalization chain is required: Paraguayan consulate at origin (or, in some cases, a third-country consulate + chain) and then the Legalizations Office of the Foreign Ministry in Paraguay.

When: The issuing country is not a party to the Apostille Convention, or the document type cannot be apostilled.

What needs to be done

  1. Original document in the issuing country, with the signatures that country requires.
  2. Action by Paraguay’s consulate in that country (or the third-state circuit published by the Foreign Ministry).
  3. Legalization at the Foreign Ministry Legalizations Office in Paraguay.
  4. Sworn translation into Spanish if needed.
  5. Confirm with the Paraguayan office that will receive it whether it accepts that chain.

Typical documents

  • The same types (birth, criminal record, studies, powers of attorney), but with legalization, not apostille.
  • Keep proof of each stamp: without one link, the next office will not sign.
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Paraguayan document for use in a Hague country

It is apostilled in Paraguay, at the Foreign Ministry. A Paraguayan apostille is only valid abroad: it has no value for a process inside Paraguay. You do not then need the destination country’s embassy.

When: Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, the U.S. and other contracting states. List: Foreign Ministry / HCCH sites.

What needs to be done

  1. The document must be a Paraguayan public document, with a signature the Foreign Ministry has on file.
  2. Before the Foreign Ministry, go through the issuing office (and any intermediate offices the Ministry lists for that type).
  3. Apostille at the Foreign Ministry Legalizations Office. Published fee: Gs. 223,000 per document (confirm it is current).
  4. Take it to the destination country. If they require the local language: translate under that country’s rules (sometimes a translator there, sometimes here).

Typical documents

  • Birth, marriage, death, single status (Civil Registry → Foreign Ministry window per instructions).
  • Police record / ID copy / passport (Identifications and the chain the Foreign Ministry indicates).
  • Proof of life and residence, complaints, Interpol (National Police and ministries before the Foreign Ministry).
  • Degrees and studies (university / institution + the visas the Foreign Ministry requires, e.g. education).
  • Powers of attorney and notarial acts (notary; the signature must be on the Foreign Ministry register).
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Paraguayan document for a country that is NOT in the Hague system

It is not apostilled. It is legalized at Paraguay’s Foreign Ministry and then taken to that country’s embassy or consulate accredited in Paraguay. The legalization fee depends on the document type (it is not the same as the apostille).

When: The destination did not join the Convention, or the document cannot be apostilled (e.g. certain commercial/customs papers).

What needs to be done

  1. The same signature preparation as for an apostille (registered issuing office).
  2. Legalization at the Foreign Ministry.
  3. Filing at the destination country’s diplomatic mission.
  4. Translation if that consulate or the destination requires it.

Typical documents

  • The same civil, police, academic or notarial types, according to the process abroad.
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If the foreigner brings the document

Apostille or legalization in origin, depending on the country. Then usually a sworn translation in Paraguay.

  • Birth

    Residency, ID, marriage, children in the immigration file.

    Recent civil-registry certificate from the country of origin + apostille (or legalization if not Hague) + sworn translation into Spanish.

  • Marriage / divorce / single status

    Family residency, spouse, marital status.

    Record from the country where it was celebrated or dissolved, apostilled/legalized. If there is a divorce judgment, they sometimes ask for a full certified copy, not an extract.

  • Criminal record

    Migration, SUACE investor, some banks and notaries.

    National or federal certificate (in Brazil: federal, not from a state). Apostille at origin. Short validity: an expired paper will not do.

  • Degree or academic transcript

    Work, professional licensing, recognition of studies, student visa.

    Official diploma or certificate apostilled at origin. Paraguay may require extra Education endorsements. Sworn translation.

  • Power of attorney

    Buy property, open a company or sign without being in Paraguay.

    Notarial power of attorney from the country of origin, apostilled, with express powers. Sworn translation. The Paraguayan notary confirms whether the wording is enough.

  • Papers of a foreign company

    Foreign partner, branch, account, contracts.

    Bylaws / proof of legal existence apostilled. Translation. Sometimes a representative’s power of attorney.

If the document is Paraguayan and used abroad

Signatures from the Paraguayan office; then apostille or legalization at the Foreign Ministry, by destination.

  • Birth, marriage, death (Paraguayan Civil Registry)

    Use them in Spain, Brazil, etc. (succession, marriage, nationality).

    Certificate issued by the Civil Registry with a signature the Foreign Ministry has on file → apostille or legalization according to the destination country.

  • Paraguayan criminal record / ID / passport

    Visas, work or residency in another country.

    Identifications / Police / Interior chain (depending on the paper) and only then the Foreign Ministry. Do not take a loose photocopy to the Ministry.

  • Paraguayan studies

    A master’s, recognition of studies or work abroad.

    Degree or certificate with the institution’s signatures and the education endorsements the Foreign Ministry lists, then apostille Gs. 223,000 (or legalization).

  • Paraguayan power of attorney or deed

    Act abroad (account, property, representation).

    Paraguayan notary + apostille/legalization. The destination country may require a specific form of power of attorney.

What an apostille is not

  • A Paraguayan apostille is not valid for a process inside Paraguay.
  • The Foreign Ministry does not apostille foreign documents: that is done in the issuing country.
  • The Hague Convention does not cover consular/diplomatic documents or administrative papers of a commercial or customs operation (invoices, origin, manifests, bills of lading).
  • Without the issuing office’s registered signature, the Foreign Ministry will not apostille or legalize.

Official source

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