Testimonial: how a Belgian family transformed their lives in Paraguay
After the portrait of Julien (a French entrepreneur from Lyon, article available on this blog), we collected the testimony of a Belgian family who moved to Paraguay at the end of 2023. Marc and Sophie, in their forties with two children (10 and 7), left the Brussels region for Asunción after two years of preparation. Today, 20 months after their arrival, they have agreed to share their journey with honesty and real figures—to help other French-speaking families who are still hesitant to make the move.
Their first names have been changed to protect their privacy, but every detail of the story is authentic. If you are a family considering this move—especially a Belgian family with school-aged children, facing European tax pressure—this detailed testimony will provide concrete benchmarks that theoretical articles cannot offer.
Before leaving: their life in Belgium
Family profile
Marc, 43, is an independent consultant specializing in digital transformation for Belgian, Dutch, and French SMEs. Sophie, 41, was a marketing manager in a large Brussels company before taking extended parental leave. They have two children: Louis, 10, and Chloé, 7 (ages at the time of their departure). They lived in a large house on the outskirts of Brussels, in Walloon Brabant.
Their financial situation in Belgium
Here is their actual situation for their last tax year in Belgium (2022):
| Item | Annual Amount 2022 |
|---|---|
| Marc's consulting turnover (via Belgian SRL) | ~€285,000 |
| Sophie's net salary (before parental leave) | ~€38,000 |
| Corporate tax (ISoc) on the SRL | ~€40,000 |
| Marc's self-employed social contributions | ~€25,000 |
| Personal income tax (IPP) on personal income (Marc + Sophie) | ~€55,000 |
| Property tax on the house | ~€2,800 |
| VAT on consumption (estimated) | ~€12,000 |
| TOTAL annual levies and taxes | ~€134,800 |
| Gross cumulative family income | ~€323,000 |
| Effective tax rate | ~42% |
And even then, this calculation does not take into account employer social contributions on Sophie's salary (integrated into the employer cost), municipal taxes, VAT incorporated into consumer goods prices, etc. The "true" tax rate was close to 50%.
The turning point
"We started thinking about it seriously during COVID," Marc explained. "I worked remotely for months, my clients were never happier with my services, and I was earning more than before. And in parallel, the Belgian government announced several new tax projects—on securities accounts, on the Cayman tax, on capital gains. At some point, we said: why stay?"
Sophie adds: "And then there was the children's issue. In Belgium, we raised them in a somewhat anxiety-provoking context—gloomy weather 8 months a year, decent but not exceptional public school, social pressure for them to follow the standard path. We wanted something else for them. To see the world, learn Spanish, grow up in the sun. We felt we owed them better than the Brussels routine."
Choosing Paraguay among the options studied
Marc and Sophie spent 18 months exploring possible destinations before deciding. Their successive shortlists:
- Portugal (NHR): abandoned when the NHR regime was abolished in 2024
- Dubai: ruled out for cultural reasons (children's school, climate, living environment)
- Cyprus: interesting but the non-dom status limited to 17 years and CRS weighed in the balance
- Andorra: attractive proximity but prohibitive entry cost and dissuasive housing bubble
- Paraguay: discovered later in their research, initially dismissed due to lack of knowledge, then seriously reconsidered
"We made a reconnaissance trip to Asunción in April 2023," Marc recounts. "I really wanted to verify that it was livable for a family, not just fiscally attractive. We went as a family for 12 days. We visited the Lycée Marcel Pagnol, met other French-speaking expats, visited different neighborhoods, experienced daily life. At the end of the trip, Sophie told me: 'I'm ready. The children too.' That's when we decided to leave."
Preparation (6 months)
Belgian administrative procedures
Preparing to leave Belgium was simpler than anticipated:
- Notification of departure to the municipality of residence (deregistration from the national register)
- Cessation of activity of the Belgian SRL with amicable liquidation (Marc was the sole shareholder)
- Notification to the Belgian tax authorities (SPF Finances) of change of residence
- Termination of mutual insurance, other insurances, and ongoing contracts
- Transfer or closure of Belgian bank accounts (they kept an ING account for flexibility)
- Sale of the Waterloo house (3-month procedure, completed just before departure)
"The sale of the house generated net capital of approximately €380,000 after repayment of the remaining mortgage," Marc specifies. "This capital became our 'start-up fund' for settling in Paraguay."
Procedures in Paraguay
Marc and Sophie initiated their Paraguayan tax residency with our assistance in July 2023, four months before their actual departure. For a family (both parents), the cost was €5,000 (€2,500 per adult). The children, being minors, benefited from a simplified procedure as dependents.
In parallel:
- Creation of a US LLC in Wyoming for Marc (international billing structure)
- Opening a Mercury Bank account in the USA
- Early registration of children at Lycée Marcel Pagnol in Asunción (start of February 2024 in the Southern Hemisphere)
- Remote housing search via Infocasas, with several video calls to visit apartments
- Preparation for international moving (some essential furniture and personal belongings)
Arrival: November 2023
The first few weeks
"We arrived in Asunción on November 18, 2023, with 10 suitcases and two tired children," Sophie recounts. "Silvio Pettirossi airport is small and user-friendly; we cleared customs in 45 minutes. A driver from our support team was waiting for us; we went directly to the Airbnb we had booked for 6 weeks in the Carmelitas neighborhood."
"The first few days, it was 38 degrees. We had come from gloomy Brussels; it was a total thermal shock. The children swam in the Airbnb pool on the first evening; they were enchanted. Our heads were spinning. But the following week, we started to set up our new life."
The tasks of the first few weeks
- Finalization of the Paraguayan cédula for the whole family
- Opening of a bi-currency bank account (Itaú for the main account, secondary account in USD)
- Active search for definitive housing (daily visits for 3 weeks)
- Purchase of a used car (Toyota Corolla 2018, 12,000 USD) and obtaining a Paraguayan driver's license
- Administrative registration at Lycée Marcel Pagnol for Louis and Chloé
- Subscription to private health insurance (prepaga) with MédicoS for the whole family
- Fiber optic internet installation (Tigo, 500 Mbps, 45 USD/month)
The definitive housing
After 4 weeks of searching, Marc and Sophie found their home: a 280 m² house with a pool and garden in the residential neighborhood of Barrio Manorá, 10 minutes by car from Villa Morra and 15 minutes from Lycée Marcel Pagnol. Monthly rent: 1,650 USD/month, all-inclusive except water and electricity charges.
"In Belgium, our equivalent house in Walloon Brabant would cost €3,500-€4,000 in rent, or €650,000-€800,000 to buy. In Asunción, for the same standard, we pay 1,650 USD. The saving on housing alone exceeds 24,000 USD per year," Marc calculates.
Children's integration at Lycée Marcel Pagnol
Preparation
Marc and Sophie's main concern was their children. Louis was entering CM2 (the last year before middle school) and Chloé was in CE1. Changing schools internationally, especially for Louis at a pivotal age, raised legitimate questions.
"We had extensive discussions with Lycée Marcel Pagnol before leaving," Sophie explained. "The director reassured us: the school regularly welcomes French-speaking expat families, the programs strictly follow the French National Education curriculum, and children are quickly integrated. We also found other French-speaking expat parents on Facebook who shared their experiences."
The first weeks of school
The Paraguayan school year follows the Southern Hemisphere calendar (February to November). The children therefore had 2.5 months of "vacation" after their arrival before the start of the 2024 academic year in February. Marc and Sophie took advantage of this to travel in Paraguay (Encarnación, Ciudad del Este, Iguazú Falls on the Brazilian side), learn basic Spanish, and allow Louis and Chloé to decompress from the move.
"The start of the school year in February was magical," Sophie recounts. "The children had learned a few words of Spanish during the holidays thanks to Duolingo and their local private tutor. Lycée Marcel Pagnol mixes French instruction (official curriculum) with intensive Spanish classes and introductory Guarani. Louis immediately made a group of friends, a core of 3-4 French expat children like him. Chloé was adopted by her class from the first week."
Academic level
After 18 months at Lycée Marcel Pagnol, both children have made remarkable progress:
- Louis (now in 6th grade) is operationally bilingual French-Spanish. His grades in mathematics, French, and science are equivalent to or higher than those he obtained in Belgium. He particularly appreciates the personalized support made possible by small class sizes (22 students per class vs 28-30 in Belgium).
- Chloé (now in CE2) speaks fluent Spanish with her classmates and understands basic Guarani. Her level in French and mathematics is very solid. She plays tennis and does theater as extracurricular activities.
"Tuition at Lycée Marcel Pagnol costs approximately 8,500 USD/year per child, or 17,000 USD/year for both," Marc details. "It's significant, but in Belgium, even in public school, ancillary costs (extracurricular activities, materials, school trips, after-school care) already reached €4,000-€5,000/year per child. And here, our children receive a trilingual education with reduced class sizes. Education is one of the investments we fully embrace."
Our guide to schooling in Paraguay details the educational options available for French-speaking families.
Marc's professional activity: continuity
The shift to the US LLC
Marc transitioned all his consulting activity to his US LLC starting in spring 2024. His clients (primarily Belgian, French, and Dutch) easily accepted the new billing via the LLC. Some clients requested explanations about the change but continued the collaboration without issue.
"I had anticipated that a third of my clients might be lost during the transition. In reality, I lost two out of twenty-two, and I gained three new ones in the first year, by recommendation. Turnover did not decrease; it even slightly increased thanks to my new mental availability (less administrative stress, fewer unnecessary trips)."
Marc's figures today (year 2025)
| Item | Annual Amount 2025 |
|---|---|
| Consulting turnover (via US LLC) | ~€310,000 |
| Structural costs (LLC, PY accounting, US LLC accounting) | ~€4,500 |
| US federal tax (non-resident without US trade or business) | €0 |
| Paraguayan tax (foreign source income) | €0 |
| Net in pocket | ~€305,500 |
"Compared to my situation in Belgium with an equivalent turnover (~€285,000), where I kept approximately €155,000 net after all deductions, today I keep €305,500. This is almost double, for the same work. The difference automatically goes into our savings and investments."
Sophie's activity: professional rebound
Reconversion
Sophie took advantage of the life change to pivot professionally. She no longer wanted to return to full-time corporate work. After 6 months spent supporting the children in their adaptation and intensively learning Spanish, she launched a small marketing consulting activity for French-speaking and Belgian SMEs in June 2024.
She bills 3 regular clients (monthly subscription) and occasionally takes on short assignments. Her turnover is around €55,000-€70,000 per year, growing strongly. Everything goes through an extension of Marc's US LLC (dedicated client account) to simplify accounting.
"The big change is that I work 3 days a week and take care of the children the rest of the time," Sophie explains. "In Belgium, to earn the equivalent net, I would have had to work full-time with stress and mental load. Here, with 0% taxation, I can afford to adjust my workload to our family life."
The real cost of living for a family in Asunción
Marc and Sophie meticulously tracked their family expenses for 18 months. Here is their average monthly budget for a family of 4 with two children attending Lycée Marcel Pagnol and a comfortable lifestyle (regular travel, leisure, sports, restaurants):
| Item | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Manorá house rent (280 m², pool, garden) | 1,650 |
| Utilities (water, electricity, internet, subscriptions) | 320 |
| Lycée Marcel Pagnol tuition (2 children, monthly prorated) | 1,400 |
| Extracurricular activities (tennis, theater, piano) | 280 |
| Groceries (family of 4) | 800 |
| Restaurants (6-8 outings/month) | 450 |
| Prepaga health insurance (4 people) | 420 |
| Car (fuel, maintenance, insurance) | 220 |
| Spanish lessons Sophie and Marc | 150 |
| Gym and pool (adults) | 120 |
| Family leisure (cinema, parks, outings) | 300 |
| Travel (weekends + 1 cumulative trip/month) | 600 |
| Miscellaneous (clothing, gifts, unforeseen) | 450 |
| TOTAL monthly | ~7,160 USD |
| TOTAL annual | ~85,900 USD (~€79,000) |
"In Belgium, for the same family lifestyle, we spent approximately €145,000/year (more expensive rent, more expensive equivalent schooling, more expensive life, local taxes, more expensive insurance). In Asunción, we spend €79,000. The direct saving on the cost of living is €66,000/year—in addition to the tax saving."
Our guide to the cost of living in Paraguay details these comparisons for other profiles.
Overall savings over 20 months
Marc precisely calculated the total difference (taxation + cost of living) over the first 20 months in Paraguay versus a hypothetical scenario where they would have remained in Belgium:
- Net tax savings (on Marc's turnover + Sophie's income): approximately €200,000
- Savings on family cost of living: approx. €110,000
- Total saved in 20 months: ~€310,000
- Setup costs (residency, LLC, relocation, car): ~€25,000
- Net cumulative after 20 months: ~€285,000
These savings have allowed Marc and Sophie to:
- Build a secure cash reserve (12 months of family expenses)
- Invest 150,000 USD in a diversified portfolio of international ETFs via Interactive Brokers
- Purchase their first property in Paraguay (rental apartment in Asunción, 180,000 USD)
- Fund 3 significant family trips (Argentina, Brazil, return to Europe to visit family)
The Difficult Adjustments
Family separation
"It's the hardest part," Sophie admits. "My parents live in Namur and are very fond of the children. We video call 3 times a week, but it's not the same as seeing them in person. We've arranged for them to visit twice in 20 months for 3-4 week stays. And we went back to Belgium once for 2 weeks last summer. You never really completely overcome the distance, but you learn to live with it."
"The cost of flights is a significant expense," Marc adds. "A family round trip from Brussels to Asunción in high season is €6,000-€7,000. We've incorporated an annual trip to Europe into our budget, sometimes two."
The heat of the Paraguayan summer
"From December to March, it's 35-40 degrees Celsius with high humidity," Marc explains. "It's intense. The air conditioning runs constantly, and the electricity bill triples during these months. The children suffer a bit in the first few years. But we adapt — shifting the daily rhythm, active mornings, siestas or indoor time between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., resuming activities in the late afternoon. And the advantage is that winter is beautiful (15-25 degrees from June to September)."
Learning Spanish
"I underestimated the difficulty," Sophie admits. "Even for a French speaker, it requires time and consistency. I took classes 2 hours a day for 8 months, and today (after 18 months) I manage very well in daily life, but I'm not yet fully bilingual. The children progressed much faster than us — they absorb everything at that age."
Paraguayan bureaucracy
"Everything is slower and less structured than in Belgium," Marc observes. "To open a bank account, finalize the cédula, obtain a car registration certificate — each step takes time and patience. Fortunately, our support team handles most of it. If we had to do everything ourselves, it would have been a nightmare."
Unexpected Benefits
Family quality of life
"What surprises us most is the quality of our weekends," Sophie recounts. "In Belgium, weekends were often dedicated to chores — shopping, laundry, administration, repairs. Here, we have a housekeeper 3 times a week for 200 USD/month, which frees up an incredible amount of time. Our Saturdays and Sundays are truly family moments — swimming, excursions, restaurants, activities with the children. We're actually living our lives instead of managing them."
Flourishing children
"Louis and Chloé are more confident, more sociable, more curious than they were in Belgium," Marc observes. "They have friends of many different nationalities at Lycée Marcel Pagnol — French, Belgian, Argentinian, Brazilian, Paraguayan, American. They speak fluent Spanish, understand Guarani, and maintain an excellent level of French. Their openness to the world is infinitely greater than that developed by their cousins who stayed in Belgium."
Slower pace
"Paraguay has a calmer, less pressured pace," Sophie explains. "People take the time to chat, say hello, and show interest in you. It's not the perpetual rush we experienced in Brussels. This daily decompression has a huge impact on our mental health. We sleep better, are less anxious, and laugh more."
Spousal bond
"Our relationship has strengthened," Marc testifies. "In Belgium, we were two overworked professionals who crossed paths between work, children, and social obligations. Here, we really have time to rediscover each other, to talk, to dream together. It's an intangible but absolutely precious benefit."
Their Advice for Hesitant Families
Marc and Sophie agreed to share their advice with Francophone families (especially Belgians) considering the same move:
- "Take a reconnaissance trip as a family" — "Come with the children, visit the school, experience daily life, talk to other expat families. Without this preliminary trip, it's impossible to make an informed decision."
- "Don't underestimate the adaptation period" — "Allow 6 to 9 months for the family to truly adapt. The first 3 months are tough for everyone. Plan for a generous transition budget and don't put pressure on yourselves to perform during this period."
- "Invest in Spanish from the start" — "Parents need to get serious about it, not just the children. Without Spanish, you remain trapped in the Francophone expat bubble, which severely limits the experience."
- "Find your community" — "Lycée Marcel Pagnol is an excellent anchor point, but you need to go beyond that. Join Francophone WhatsApp groups, participate in community events, invite families for dinner. Social integration accounts for 50% of a successful family expatriation."
- "Maintain strong ties with family back in Europe" — "Plan visits in advance, call regularly, share your daily life through photos and videos. Don't let distance create a gap."
- "Get support" — "We could have tried to do everything ourselves. We would have paid dearly in stress and mistakes. Investing in quality Paraguayan support (residency, bank account, LLC, school) from the start frees up your energy for what's essential — your family's adaptation."
Their Assessment 20 Months Later
"Do we regret it? No, never. Not a single day," Marc concludes. "We had difficult moments — the first few months of adjustment, the summer heat, family separation. But the overall assessment is unambiguous: we live better, we earn more, we save more, our children are more open and thriving, our relationship has strengthened."
"The only regret is what we often hear from expats: we should have left sooner," Sophie smiles. "If I had a message to convey to Belgian families who are hesitating: don't wait until the tax pressure becomes unbearable, until the political atmosphere deteriorates further, until your children are too old to adapt. The window to act is now."
Belgian Specifics That Aided Their Transition
Marc and Sophie highlight several specific elements for Belgians that facilitated their departure, detailed in our specific guide for Belgians:
- Absence of an equivalent France-Paraguay tax treaty (fewer interpretive complications with the Belgian administration)
- Relatively clear Belgian tax residency rules (center of vital interests + economic interests criterion)
- No exit tax equivalent to the French system for holders of SRL shares
- Voluntary liquidation of a Belgian SRL is technically simple compared to French structures
- Easy recognition of European diplomas at Lycée Marcel Pagnol
The Ecosystem That Enabled This Success
- Paraguayan tax residency (€2,500 × 2 adults = €5,000): the family foundation
- Bi-currency bank account: daily management and USD reserve
- US LLC: billing structure for Marc's consulting and Sophie's marketing
- Mercury Bank: US business account for the LLC
- Paraguayan accounting (€30/month): tax compliance
- Paraguayan driving license (€150 × 2): family mobility
- Lycée français Marcel Pagnol: quality educational continuity for the children
- Francophone community of Asunción: social and professional network
Conclusion: A Family Transformed by Paraguay
The testimony of Marc, Sophie, Louis, and Chloé illustrates what Paraguayan expatriation can become for a well-prepared and supported Francophone family: a global transformation — financial, educational, relational, mental — that goes far beyond simple tax optimization.
The net savings of ~€310,000 accumulated in 20 months for this Belgian family is not an exceptional case. It is representative of what we observe among most Francophone families who seriously settle in Paraguay. And these savings are only the quantifiable dimension of change — the qualitative benefits (family quality of life, children's flourishing, couple's balance, stress reduction) are often the most cited by our clients after a few years.
If you are a Belgian, French, Swiss, or Quebec family still hesitating to take the plunge, Marc and Sophie's journey can serve as a guide. Everything is achievable, provided you prepare seriously, surround yourself with the right partners, accept a reasonable adaptation period, and invest in aspects that make expatriation sustainable (school, housing, community, Spanish).
Paraguay will not magically transform your life. But if you do the work seriously, it will create the conditions for a possible transformation — which Marc, Sophie, Louis, and Chloé have been experiencing every day since November 2023.
Are you a family considering expatriation to Paraguay in 2026? Contact our team for comprehensive support: tax residency for adults and children, school enrollment, housing search, bank account opening, creation of legal structures. Our experience with many Francophone families allows us to anticipate all aspects of your transition.