Your ultimate checklist before expatriating to Paraguay

This is it. After months of reflection, research, calculations, and—perhaps—a scouting trip that confirmed everything, you've made your decision: you're moving to Paraguay. This is one of the most significant decisions of your life. And to ensure it goes smoothly, you need a final checklist—an exhaustive list of everything you need to do before the big departure, in the right order, and without forgetting anything.

This guide is that checklist. It's the culmination of all the other articles you've read on this blog. Print it out, check off each box, and arrive at the airport check-in counter with the serenity of someone who has prepared everything. Here is your final checklist before expatriating to Paraguay in 2026.

6 months before departure: The preparation phase

Confirm your project and timeline

• ☐ Choose your target departure date—ideally between March and May or August and October, as explained in our scouting trip guide
• ☐ Align your spouse and family—expatriation is a collective project, not an individual one
• ☐ Define your transition budget—3 to 6 months of living costs in Paraguay + installation costs (residency, housing, transport)
• ☐ Establish your activity plan—freelancer, entrepreneur, retiree, investor? Your status determines your legal structure

Start administrative procedures in France

• ☐ Request a criminal record certificate (extract B3)—from casier-judiciaire.justice.gouv.fr. Processing time: 2 weeks.
• ☐ Request a recent multilingual birth certificate (from your birth town hall)—less than 3 months old.
• ☐ Have these documents apostilled by the Court of Appeal in your department. Processing time: 1 to 4 weeks depending on the region.
  
• ☐ Check the validity of your passport—minimum 6 months validity at the time of departure.
• ☐ Request a valid identity card if necessary (useful for certain remote procedures in France).

Engage our services now

• ☐ Contact our team via the contact page to validate your action plan and start the Paraguayan tax residency process (from €1,400, 3 months)
• ☐ Decide on your legal structure—SRL, US LLC, or both? Our freelancer guide and our SRL guide will help you choose
• ☐ Plan your scouting trip if not already done—7 to 10 days to confirm everything on site

3 months before departure: The execution phase

Sever tax ties with France

This is the most critical step. As detailed in our guide on the Paraguay-France tax treaty, neglecting this step is the number one fatal mistake of expatriates.

• ☐ Prepare your departure declaration to the French tax authorities—form 2042 + 2042-NR to be filed after your departure
• ☐ Notify the SIPNR (Service des Impôts des Particuliers Non Résidents) of your change of residence
• ☐ Settle your current taxes—income tax, housing tax, property tax up to date
• ☐ Check your situation regarding exit tax—see our guide on exit tax. If your latent capital gains exceed €800,000, specific procedures are necessary.
• ☐ Anticipate your dividends or significant capital gains—some operations should be avoided within 12 months before departure

Manage your French real estate assets

• ☐ Decide the fate of your main French residence—sale or rental?
• ☐ Rent out your properties (not leave them vacant—an empty property is a signal of potential occupation)
• ☐ Sign a rental management mandate with a French agency if you are renting remotely
• ☐ Choose a French tax domicile for your rental income (with a relative, a post office box, or via a specialized service)

Manage your French bank accounts

• ☐ Keep at least one current account in France—useful for rental income, pensions, residual subscriptions
• ☐ Notify your banks of your change of residence—some will require you to close or change your status (non-resident account)
• ☐ Transfer most of your savings to an international account (Wise, Revolut, or directly to your future account in Paraguay)
• ☐ Check the conditions of your French life insurance policies and their tax treatment in case of residence abroad

Prepare your installation in Paraguay

• ☐ Book your flight—one-way or round-trip ticket depending on your situation. Book 2-3 months in advance for the best fares.
• ☐ Book your temporary accommodation in Asunción—Airbnb for the first 2-4 weeks, while you find your permanent housing
• ☐ Identify your target neighborhood—see our guide to Asunción neighborhoods
• ☐ Start searching for housing remotely via Infocasas—identify 5 to 10 properties to visit upon arrival
• ☐ If you have children: enroll them at Lycée Marcel Pagnol or another school—see our guide to schools
• ☐ Start learning Spanish—Duolingo, Assimil, Babbel, online courses. 3 months before departure, you should have the basics. See our guide to learning Spanish.

1 month before departure: The finalization phase

Physical move

• ☐ Decide what to take with you—your clothes, electronics, sentimental valuables. Furniture is rarely cost-effective to ship.
• ☐ Sell or store the rest—Leboncoin, Vinted, Le Bon Coin for sales; a storage unit for what you want to keep
• ☐ If shipping a container: contact an international freight forwarder 2-3 months in advance. Shipping time Europe-Paraguay: 8 to 12 weeks.
• ☐ Prepare your airline luggage—prioritize essentials: 1 to 2 checked bags (23 kg each) + carry-on. You'll buy the rest locally.

Subscriptions and services to cancel

• ☐ French mobile phone plan—cancellation or keeping an essential number (Free Mobile at €2/month is an economical option)
• ☐ Internet and ADSL/fiber box—cancellation
• ☐ Streaming subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, etc.)—you can resume them from Paraguay if you wish
• ☐ Gym membership—cancellation
• ☐ Press, magazine subscriptions—cancellation
• ☐ French health insurance—cancellation (you will get international or Paraguayan health insurance, see our health insurance guide)
• ☐ Utilities (EDF, gas)—cancellation at the end of the lease/sale date
• ☐ French home insurance—cancellation
• ☐ French car insurance—cancellation and sale of the vehicle (or storage if you keep it)

Health: check-up and supplies

• ☐ Complete medical check-up in France—GP, dentist, ophthalmologist, gynecologist. Take advantage of the French social security while it still covers you.
• ☐ Make digital copies of your medical records—to transmit to your future Paraguayan doctor if necessary
• ☐ Build up a stock of essential medicines—3 to 6 months of your usual treatments. Most medicines are available in Paraguay (often cheaper) but having an initial stock avoids shortages.
• ☐ Check your vaccinations—yellow fever (recommended for Paraguay), tetanus, hepatitis A and B up to date
• ☐ Subscribe to international health insurance or plan to register with a Paraguayan "prepaga" upon arrival
• ☐ If you have pets: complete veterinary formalities (see our pet guide)

Prepare your tax arrival in Paraguay

• ☐ Verify that your Paraguayan residency file is complete with our team—apostilled documents, translations, passport-sized photos in Paraguayan format
  
• ☐ Decide on your money transfer strategy—Wise is generally the best option (see our money transfer guide)

1 week before departure: The final details

Final administrative procedures

• ☐ Forward your mail—La Poste redirection service (12 months) to a French address (parent, friend, post office box)
• ☐ Notify your change of address to essential organizations: pension fund, CPAM (status "expatriate"), provident organizations
• ☐ Print all your important documents in duplicate—passport, tickets, reservations, contracts, certificates
• ☐ Back up your digital data to the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud)—to be able to access it from anywhere
• ☐ Check that you have an international payment method that will work upon arrival—bank card with international withdrawals activated

Prepare for your first days in Paraguay

• ☐ Download essential apps before departure: Bolt, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Google Translate, Wise, AccuWeather, Infocasas (see our app guide)
• ☐ Have your Airbnb address ready upon arrival for the Bolt from the airport
• ☐ Have 200-500 USD in cash for the first few days (to exchange for guaraníes locally or use in USD)
• ☐ Confirm the appointment with our team within the first few days after your arrival

Goodbyes

• ☐ Organize a farewell party with family and friends—it's emotionally important, and it creates strong memories
• ☐ Promise to stay in touch and share your new adventures
• ☐ Mentally prepare your loved ones for your new life—the distance is harder for them than for you

D-Day: Boarding

• ☐ Check your luggage—passport, ticket, apostilled documents, residency file, laptop, medicines, clothes for at least 2 weeks
• ☐ Keep your critical documents with you in the cabin—never in checked baggage
• ☐ Charge your phone and bring a power bank—you'll need it during the long journey
• ☐ Get travel insurance for the trip (often included with premium credit cards)
• ☐ Take a deep breath—you're about to start a new life

First days in Paraguay: The settling-in phase

Day 1-3: Arrival

• ☐ Buy a Tigo SIM card at the airport and activate a data plan
• ☐ Bolt to your Airbnb
• ☐ Do your first grocery shopping at the neighborhood supermarket—Stock, Super 6, Casa Rica
• ☐ Locate essential businesses in your neighborhood: pharmacy, bank, restaurants, cafe
• ☐ Schedule a first meeting with our team to review your plan

Week 1: Critical procedures

• ☐ Start or finalize the tax residency procedure with our team
• ☐ Visit 5 to 10 accommodations and choose your future apartment
• ☐ Sign the lease and plan the move-in
• ☐ Start exploring the neighborhoods on foot, by Bolt, by bus—experience Paraguay

Week 2-4: Practical installation

• ☐ Move into your permanent accommodation
• ☐ Buy essential furniture—Clasipar for used, local stores for new
• ☐ Subscribe to water, electricity, internet—see our internet guide
• ☐ Subscribe to home insurance—see our insurance guide
• ☐ Continue learning Spanish—enroll in local courses

Month 1-3: Consolidation

• ☐ Receive your Paraguayan cédula—the culmination of the residency procedure
• ☐ Open your bank account in Paraguay with our support—bi-currency account (dollars + guaraníes)
• ☐ Create your SRL if necessary (€1,500, 1 week)
• ☐ Activate accounting services at €30/month—to never again worry about tax declarations
• ☐ Obtain your Paraguayan driver's license (€150) if you plan to buy a car
• ☐ Subscribe to local health insurance (prepaga)
• ☐ Join social activities—sports, classes, expatriate events (see our expatriate communities guide)
• ☐ Start building your social circle—French speakers, other expatriates, Paraguayans

The financial checklist: Don't forget anything

Before departure

Item	Action	Status
Paraguayan tax residency	Start the procedure (from €1,400)	☐
Apostilled documents	Criminal record + birth certificate	☐
Departure declaration	Prepare form 2042	☐
French bank account	Keep at least 1 account	☐
French property	Sell or rent	☐
Paraguay flight	Book 2-3 months in advance	☐
Temporary accommodation	Airbnb 2-4 weeks	☐
Health insurance	International or Paraguayan	☐
Vaccinations	Yellow fever + boosters	☐
Medicine stock	3-6 months	☐
Transition cash flow	3-6 months of living costs	☐
Spanish learning	Minimum A2 level	☐

Upon arrival

Item	Timeline	Status
Tigo SIM card	Day 1	☐
Meet our team	Week 1	☐
Search for permanent housing	Week 1-2	☐
Lease signed	Week 2-3	☐
Paraguayan Cédula	3 months	☐
Bank account opened	Month 3-4	☐
SRL created (if necessary)	Month 3-4	☐
Accounting activated	Upon SRL creation	☐
Driver's license	Month 4-6	☐
Local health insurance	Month 1-3	☐
Social network built	Ongoing	☐

Pitfalls to avoid: a reminder of fatal mistakes

Before packing your bags, re-read our guide to fatal mistakes. The 12 most common mistakes are:

1. Settling without tax residency — the first to absolutely avoid
2. Not severing tax ties with your home country — the risk of tax reassessment
3. Opening a bank account without assistance — weeks of frustration guaranteed
4. Buying real estate without due diligence — the most expensive mistake
5. Neglecting zero tax declarations — penalties and weakening of your file
6. Living in Paraguay but not truly living there — fictitious residency, guaranteed reassessment
7. Trusting the wrong "facilitator" — choose an established provider
8. Underestimating the importance of Spanish — isolation and frustration
9. Mixing personal and professional finances — accounting chaos and loss of limited liability
10. Arriving with European expectations — guaranteed disappointment
11. Keeping everything in France "just in case" — weakens your tax residency
12. Ignoring crypto reporting — Resolution 47/2026 of the DNIT

Final word: Paraguay awaits you

You're almost there. This checklist is your roadmap — follow it step by step, don't skip any boxes, and you'll arrive in Paraguay one step ahead of 95% of other expats. The success of your expatriation lies in preparation, not luck.

Paraguay will offer you what it offers hundreds of French-speaking expats every year: 0% tax on your international income, a cost of living that triples your purchasing power, a sunny quality of life, a human warmth that Europe has forgotten, and the freedom to build your life according to your own rules.

But Paraguay doesn't do all the work. It provides the framework. It's up to you to fill it with your energy, patience, learning of Spanish, cultural openness, and long-term commitment. Expats who succeed in Paraguay are those who take the country seriously — not those who see it as a mere tax haven.

You've read our guides. You know about taxation, cost of living, procedures, pitfalls, opportunities. You know where to go, what to do, who to contact. All that's left is to embark.

Paraguay awaits you. And so do we.

Ready to turn your project into reality? Contact our team today to start your Paraguayan tax residency and activate our entire ecosystem of services. Your new life starts now.