MOVE FROM CHINA
Moving to Paraguay from mainland China
Paraguay is one of the few countries that still recognizes Taiwan and not the People's Republic — so there is no Paraguayan embassy in Beijing. That sounds like a wall, but it is not the one that matters. Here is exactly how a PRC citizen completes the move, document by document, including the two real obstacles: getting money out, and your China tax position.
There are two questions every mainland applicant asks, and both have surprisingly clean answers. First: if Paraguay has no embassy in China, who legalizes my documents? Second: how do I actually pay for any of this when an individual can convert only about US$50,000 a year out of the country? The diplomatic question turns out to be the easy one — since 7 November 2023 both China and Paraguay belong to the Hague Apostille Convention, which works treaty-to-treaty and does not care that Asunción and Beijing have no relations. The money question is the hard one, and this page will not pretend otherwise. Paraguay's own side is genuinely simple: an administrative residency under Ley 6984/2022, roughly US$ 460 in government fees, no investment minimum and no language test on the standard route. The work, and the honesty, is all on the China end.
Step 1
The documents a Chinese citizen assembles
Paraguay's Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) wants a small, specific set of civil documents. For a mainland applicant the two that take real effort are the police certificate and the birth record, because both must pass through a Chinese notary before they can be apostilled. Start these early — the notarization step is what sets your timeline.
- A Chinese passport (普通护照) valid well beyond your planned travel, plus copies of the photo and entry-stamp pages.
- A no-criminal-record certificate — the 无犯罪记录证明, issued by your local Public Security Bureau (PSB / 公安局) or Entry-Exit Administration. The raw police letter cannot be used abroad on its own; it must be turned into a notarial certificate (公证书) by a Chinese notary office, which is the version receiving authorities accept.
- Your birth record, typically issued as a notarized 公证书 (birth notarial certificate) since China does not issue a single lifelong birth certificate the way Western countries do.
- Your marriage certificate (结婚证), again notarized into a 公证书, if you are applying as a couple.
- Every document is then apostilled — see Step 2 — and only afterward translated into Spanish by a sworn translator in Asunción.
Step 2
Apostilles — why no embassy in Beijing doesn't stop you
This is the step where applicants assume they are blocked, and they are not. The Hague Apostille Convention abolished consular legalization between member states and operates purely on treaty membership, not diplomatic recognition. China's accession took effect 7 November 2023; Paraguay is also a member. So a Chinese apostille is valid for use in Paraguay even though the two governments have no relations and Paraguay keeps no consulate in mainland China — there is simply nothing left to legalize at an embassy.
- The competent authority is China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA / 外交部), plus the many provincial and municipal Foreign Affairs Offices (FAO / 外办) the MFA has authorized to issue apostilles for documents from their own region.
- You apostille the notarized 公证书 — the notary's certificate — not the raw police letter or hospital record.
- Each apostille can be checked online at the MFA's verification portal (consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY), which is useful proof for the DNM.
- Sworn translation into Spanish happens after the apostille, in Asunción, by a translator matriculated with Paraguay's Supreme Court. Do not translate in China — Paraguay will not accept it. See the apostille guide for the full chain.
Be honest with yourself
China tax and the money you can't easily move
Two realities every mainland applicant must face before booking anything. Tax: China taxes its tax residents — anyone domiciled in China, or present 183 days or more in a tax year — on their worldwide income. Acquiring Paraguay residency does not, by itself, end that. You only step out of China's worldwide net by genuinely ceasing to be a Chinese tax resident, which means actually leaving and restructuring your domicile — not just holding a foreign cédula. Paraguay's side is gentle (a territorial system under Ley 6380/2019: foreign income taxed at 0%, local personal income (IRP) 8–10%, VAT (IVA) 10%), but that only helps once you are out of China's reach. Money: China's foreign-exchange controls are the real obstacle. SAFE caps individuals at roughly US$50,000 per person per year of forex conversion, and using that quota for capital-account purposes — buying overseas property, funding an offshore company, an immigration investment — is explicitly prohibited. From January 2026 the rules tightened further, with heavier KYC on transfers, longer bank record-keeping and lower reporting thresholds. Be realistic: funding a life abroad out of China is a multi-year, carefully-planned exercise, not a wire transfer. Speak to a cross-border tax adviser before you move a yuan.
Getting there
Flights, timeline, and your first weeks
A realistic picture of the journey and the clock:
- There are no direct flights from China to Asunción. Expect a full ~40-hour-plus journey, almost always via São Paulo (GRU) — either on a direct service such as Beijing–São Paulo, or connecting through a Gulf or European hub like Doha, Dubai or Istanbul — then a short GOL or LATAM hop GRU→ASU.
- Document prep in China typically runs 4 to 10 weeks, paced by your slowest step — usually the police certificate plus its notarization and apostille (the police-certificate chain alone is often 2 to 4 weeks).
- Chinese passport holders generally need a visa for Paraguay; confirm the current entry rules before flying. Because there is no Paraguayan mission in mainland China, any visa must be applied for through the nearest accredited Paraguayan consulate abroad. Residency itself is filed in person at the DNM after arrival.
- Because there is no DNM-equivalent help desk in China, build in extra buffer and bring originals plus apostilled copies of everything. See the residency and timeline pages for the in-country steps.
FAQ
Moving to Paraguay from China — FAQ
Paraguay has no embassy in China and recognizes Taiwan — can I still get my documents accepted?
Yes. This is the most misunderstood part of the move. The Hague Apostille Convention works between member states by treaty, not by diplomatic recognition. Both China (since 7 November 2023) and Paraguay are members, so a Chinese MFA or Foreign Affairs Office apostille is valid in Paraguay even with no relations between the two governments. There is no consular legalization step to be blocked by. See the apostille guide.
How do I get a Chinese police certificate for Paraguay?
Request the 无犯罪记录证明 from your local Public Security Bureau or Entry-Exit Administration, then have a Chinese notary turn it into a notarial certificate (公证书) — the only version foreign authorities accept — and finally have that apostilled by the MFA or an authorized provincial Foreign Affairs Office. Budget about 2 to 4 weeks. Paraguay's standard route does not re-run a separate background check; see residency without a background check.
Will I stop paying Chinese tax once I have Paraguay residency?
Not automatically. China taxes its tax residents — those domiciled in China or present 183+ days a year — on worldwide income. A Paraguay cédula does not end that on its own; you have to genuinely cease being a Chinese tax resident. Paraguay itself is territorial and taxes foreign income at 0%, but that only matters once you are outside China's net. Take cross-border tax advice.
Can I move enough money out of China to relocate?
This is the real constraint. SAFE limits individuals to about US$50,000 per person per year of foreign-exchange conversion, and using it for capital-account purposes like overseas investment is prohibited — with enforcement tightened from January 2026. Plan funding over multiple years and legitimate channels. Paraguay's low cost of living (~US$ 1,082/month for a single person in Asunción) at least keeps the ongoing number small.
Is there an investment requirement to get residency in Paraguay?
No — the standard administrative residency under Ley 6984/2022 has no investment minimum, no language test, and runs roughly US$ 460 in government fees, ending in a cédula. If you do want to invest, the Investor Pass via SUACE offers direct permanent residency for qualifying investors, but it is optional, not required.
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