Exiting Paraguay While Awaiting Approval of Cedula Application

You should be fine as long as your visa/residency is in order. Even once you have a PYan cedula it is your visa/residency that will be needed to enter and exit the country.  Only Paraguayans can use their cedulas as legal travel documents within Mercosur country (once you get your cedula youŽll notice it states your nationality).

You will also need the certificado de retorno (return certificate), even after having a cedula and your permanent residency.  The good news is that once you buy this certificate (from Migraciones), it lasts 3 years, and you can use it over and over.  We've used it once, but it already kept us from having to wait in the long line to re-enter the country, because we were treated like Paraguayan citizens.  They check to see that you have this certificate before letting you leave, if you're exiting on a flight, but if you cross the border and try to return without it, it's a hefty fine to purchase your way back in.  **When you go to Migraciones to apply for the certificado, you don't get it right away.  I am pretty sure we had to return TWO days later to pick it up.

hagerman100, so true about that damn "certificado de retorno" but you may also leave and return with no hassle once you have that "contra-sena" (piece of paper proving you've applied for it)  using that slip as prove on the airport.

greetings

OK, let me see if I understand this properly...

Once you apply for a cedula you also must apply for a certificado de retorno, which is another document to show (besides your passport) when you exit and enter the country.

Once you apply for this certificado, you'll get a reciept, or contra sena, that you can use in lieu of the certificado while your waiting for it to get issued.

And if you exit/enter Paraguay prior to getting your cedula, and even after you get it, you need to show your certificado (or the contra sena if you haven't gotten the certificado yet) at the immigration checkpoint?

Wow, all this is making my head hurt!  And all of you already living the good life in Paraguay just said to yourself.."wait till he actually starts living here, then his head will probably explode".  What's nice though is I'm actually starting to see how all this stuff fits together, which is invaluable (although painful!).

Point is, this "certificado de retorno" is only one more way the Gov. can take a buck from you, nothing more, becuase you only need it when leave the country as a immigrant with permanent residence here in Py.If you come and go within the time of your Visa its not necessary.

Second thing, the moment you have the "contra sena" which is basically a receipt of prove that your in the process of getting what-ever document, it's "almost" just as good as the real thing, only its a piece of paper and it gets worn over time, or gets washed with your cloths or whatever, so take really good care with it.     

Bureaucracy in Py can be\IS a big bloody headache, if anyone should decide to do their papers on their own, one piece of advice, make yourself ready for standing around a lot!

Absolutely true, bureaucracy down here is just hell. You better hire someone who does all this stuff for you, otherwise you will go crazy. And it takes a long time before everything is done, which does not metter because once you have got your entrada de mesa o contra seña, you just wait for the rest, you are legal in Paraguay with it.

As of 30 March 2011 you no longer need the "certificado de retorno."

peter458 wrote:

As of 30 March 2011 you no longer need the "certificado de retorno."

Now THAT is what I call GREAT NEWS.

You just need to show your "admisión permanente" card instead. See www.migraciones.gov.py (site in Spanish).

Well this does make things a little easier.  Thanks for the good news and especially the link!

Hi everyone.

is there anyone who can give correct  answer of my following question:

One of my friends applied for permanent residency of Paraguay he been granted admisión permanente and his cedula, is in process. recently he travel back to his country and now he wish to know do he need to obtain a visa to travel back to Paraguay or he just need to provide his admisión permanente at Asuncion Airport and they will grand him visa free eatery in to Paraguay.

Thanks in advance