Living in Paraguay

Welcome back to the forum Kraig

I hope other members will soon contribute to your discussion.

Regards

Hi Kraig,
too many questions!

regarding citizenship, you dont need to become citizen in order to live in Paraguay.  You can get resident permit: temporal for 1 year renewable up to 6 times or permanent.  More info:
http://www.migraciones.gov.py/items-7-r … raria.html

on job: it is required some proof of income *contract as free lance/publisher? or local for resident permit.  For permanent, it is required that or land ownership

regarding monthly expenses, you can live easily on 1,000 USD / month and with 2,000 USD very comfly.  Banks can open accounts in Guarani, USD or EUR.  For deposits (when you or anyone pays in) of more than 10,000 USD you need to sign a form every time for money laundry control.

You can possess (banks, property, etc) as much as you can.  Currently, there is not personal income tax, but apparently will be enforced from 2013 onwards at 10% rate.

It is not possible for anyone to ask too many questions. It however, may be impossible for one person to answer all questions, but the answers exist.

Are you, Capelo in or from Paraguay?

Depending on what that entails, citizenship isn't undesirable. Is citizenship and/or permanent visa or resident permit, possible?

Thank you for providing the link, I notice the .gov, which gov?

I'm thinking a job with a paycheck and all that, might be necessary for documentation of finances.

Though, I think, if one has money, that should be good enough.

Though, freelance write, which is where my inclination is, isn't as easy to document. Perhaps contract with or record thereof, with a publishing company. I may start a magazine, a stable country that is not a super-power is a great place to do that.

The $1000-$2000 a month is very enticing.
And anything in excess would be shared with community.
Are you saying it is illegal to have over $10,000 or transport it?

You must have been referring to transportation through US jurisdiction.
[You can possess (banks, property, etc) as much as you can.  Currently, there is not personal income tax, but apparently will be enforced from 2013 onwards at 10% rate.]

As for income tax, I will say, taxes are often necessary to support a government or society, but there are alternatives to income tax.
Though 10% isn't excessive.

I guess there's not much activity here. I hope that's not a bad sign. A few other questions.
Are there any Spanish language schools
in Paraguay?
As I'm a writer, are there (m)any magazines or publishing companies in Parguay?
Of course there is this publishing "company", the internet, but you may have to get innovative to make it work for you.

I know the economy is going to hell allover. I don't exactly know what that means for people who don't really need or feel a need to, be a millionaire. Think of that statement in terms of US dollars. And in regard to all that I just said, I do see economics going to a bad place in the US, and I don't think many people see this, most think it'll never fail. But I do see economic in the world changing drastically. It can be good and it can be bad, depending on how people react to it. It will very likely be bad for the tycoons. And they will be doomsayers in the media. But, how might economic failure in the US effect life in Paraguay and everywhere else?

For people who can make direct labor and the earth work for them, it will never be the end of the world.

hi Kraig,
I am Paraguayan from Asuncion, the capital city.

There are magazines here eg: www.wild.com.py  others Vos, Zeta, Cartelera and many others.

There is a publishing company called EMG which stands for Entertainment and Media Group.  They organize Asuncion Fashion Week, Wild and Vos magazines, Coyote night Club and other things.

To find work here must be tough at first...

Language schools:  the best option I think it is Centro Paraguayo Japones from the Asuncion City Council.  It is cheap and great teacher staff, small groups (at least for English)
http://www.centroparaguayojapones.blogspot.com/
Spanish (Castellano we called) course information:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wcPkKsVR2Dw/S … idioma.JPG

for Mo-Friday classes (6 moths course) it is 5 USD for inscription and 43 USD per month in fees.

Regarding Economy / US crise etc, fortunately Paraguay and all South America actually is not facing problems thanks to our increasing trade with Asia (China and others).  Paraguay exports soybeans (4th global exporter), beef (7th globally), and other commodities and Brazil, Argentina, Chile (copper) likewise mainly to China.  Latin America in general is increasing GDP for 2010 at 5.5% rate. 

Paraguay is growing at 14.5% GDP in 2010 thanks to an spectacular increase in agricultural output (102% in soybeans thanks to adequate climate conditions), 36% share of growth, industry 15% up, construction sector 15% up, etc.

Only Quatar 16% increase in GDP in 2010 and Indonesia 15% increase are topping Paraguay in terms of GDP growth this year.

That said, there is still 36% poverty rate and the GDP per capita is about 2,800 USD nominal and 4,500 USD per head at Purchasing parity power.  Eg: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay got more than 8,000 USD per capita.

So there is still long way to decent quality of life for everyone but we are on the right path I'd say.

.gov is government and .py is Paraguay eg: United Kingdom uses .uk the United States .us so a website with .gov.py means it is a site from a public institution in Paraguay

The options regarding long stays in Paraguay are resident permit.  It could be temporal (up to 1 year renewable) or permanent (you need to buy a land or proof work contracts, funds, etc).

Citizenship is only available if you married a Paraguayan?? or it is another application when you already have resident permit.  Someone might have more insight on this...

Regarding illegality of carrying 10,000 USD plus, it is not illegal at all.  I am only saying that if you need to pay in into someone's account more than 10,000 USD equivalent in local money you need to sign a form that states "I declare it is not from illegal operations or laundry money" something like that.

You or anyone can pay in whatever money as long as they sign that form as requested by cashiers at banks.

Few days ago I went to a bank for deposit of more than that money and they did not request so.. but they can and you need to know and comply with that.

On tax, I totally agree.  We desperately need income tax, and I just was explaining the context here where we still dont have...

Greets!

Thanks for the magazines.  Reason I ask about magazines and publishing companies is because, my aptitude is writing.  Though, one of my dreams is to start a magazine.  And outside of the US actually, is the best place for a writer.  How would you describe Paraguay's freedom of speech and press?
The internet can make people more financially mobile.
I'll check into those publishing companies, thank you.

I had/am contemplating going to a Spanish language school in Spain. Actually, that same school has a campus in Paraguay. Hmmm….
Couldn't find much on the one school you gave.  The one that had a blogspot site. Though, it had contact info. So, you say, it's about US$48.00 per month. What is inscription?  Though, I think I could learn Spanish in less than 6 months in a Spanish speaking country.

www.centroparaguayojapones.blogspot.com only had information in Spanish. Japones means, Japanese, right?
How much does that school cost? Is it good for one to be an ESL teacher in Paraguay. My Spaniard friend,  has recommended I try to become an ESL teacher.  It is a good job for a writer to have, and I could love that kind of job.
Regarding the economy, the world seems to be undergoing an economic shift. Originally it was Britain and Spain, then they lost it, then the USA and the other US, and the other US collapsed, leaving the USA. Though, the USA does have a $20 trillion debt, and there are tensions. The Soviet system was bad for the Soviet republics and the world, but now, there's a vacuum with 1 unopposed restless superpower, the cold war tension did keep the 2 superpowers occupied so they were too busy with that to cause bigger problems. Watch the movie Collapse.  Go here, facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=565184928
I may get in trouble in mentioning this, about revolutions, but here goes, hope it doesn't get me in any big trouble, please bear in mind, I'm no threat, I have no intention of starting a revolution in a country migrated to.  Revolutions make great nations, usher in incredible eras of freedom and prosperity, but that rarely lasts forever.  I agree with Thomas Jefferson when he said there needs to be a revolution every generation.  Almost every revolution, in time, reverses, to become the more controlled and fascistic  than the government they threw off.  But, by that time, few question it, and those who do, are made to feel like ungrateful idiots.  The common belief among Americans is, that, many South American counties are very unstable, and of course, instability is said to be a bad thing. They are said to be instable, because they have frequent revolutions. I'm not so sure this is a bad thing, though, I too, want peace and prosperity. Size is also a thing, as I wrote in an article I published in a magazine, it's not so important that a political or economic system is good or bad, what is true is more important is population. Smaller populations are more manageable, larger populations are not.
Another thing about economics, I have noticed is this, at it's mostly to do with the monetary concept.  Money differs from country to country. I'm not referring to the name of the currency, but the value.  Depending on what country you go to and from, the cost of things are either very high or very expensive.  Like when you go from the US to Mexico or anywhere south and you're used to living in the US economy, things are very cheap or inexpensive, and it you go the other direction the opposite is true; Brits and European coming to the US think things are cheap.  I think the monetary idea will eventually cease to exist, it cannot continue.  There are other ways. Economics will change.
In Paraguay, I am told you can live on $2,000 per month, in the US, in is more like $10,000 to $15,000 a month.
Are there homeless people in Paraguay?
Of course, I believe American and European refugees living in Paraguay should give to the community, beyond taxes, just my opinion.  And don't limit money to giving money, but also teaching and building community.  Don't just give fish, but give fishing lessons.
Are temporary permits usually renewed if you don't cause trouble, or are there other factors in decisions they are renewed or not?
Are there other ways to get citizenship other than marriage, though if I found a woman I loved…
In some countries if you stay on a visa for a certain length of time, one may become eligible for citizenship. In Spain, that is 10 years.
How does one obtain permanent residence?
I agree on taxes. Though, maybe there are better taxes than income tax. Though, it might be bad for Paraguayans to have income tax, but maybe not so bad for North Americans and Europeans.

Are there many communities of North Americans and Europeans?

Salud,
Kraig

I know, in that last message, I touched upon the subject of revolutions. I hope that wasn't a problem, but based on the lack of response to any of the message, maybe...

It was conversational, and not a reference to anything wrong with Paraguay, from what I've heard, there is nothing wrong with Paraguay. I am nearly a pacifist, and the world is big enough, that, if I don't like one place, I can find another that is relatively free and prosperous, its a big world with few empires.
I'm still interested in looking into life in Paraguay.

Salud,
Kraig

Jefferson's Quote

Jefferson called for rebellion by the majority whenever government becomes abusive.

Jefferson would never support the EPP, which by all accounts is a small minority with an agenda.

The recent Tunisian rebellion seems  very Jeffersonian.  It is a popular rebellion by a majority of the people.  And it all started with a guy not having a license to sell produce!

I wouldn't worry about people not posting.  It is not you.  It is just the way this forum is.

I am looking into the particulars of expating Paraguay. And thought I'd erred in touching on the topic of revolution in a forum for the topic of expats in Paraguay. Kind of like an innocent trivial discussion with a friend walking through an airport where 1 out of 1000 words is "bomb" and a crazy incident erupts after a person hears only that one word.

What is the EPP?

I did hear a snippet on the news about Tunisia.

Though, not to fear, I've no intention of starting trouble. I'm not a violent person. And, I do believe the most effective revolution is non-violent.

And I think revolution violent and non-violent won't be the way the next political experiment will happen, it's much easier to make a new country than to subversively take an existing one.

Paraguay is the 104th largest country in the world. Though, do note, that is based on a list in Wikipedia that has mistakes, like listing US territories, British colonies, and places like Hong Kong as "countries". Also according to that list, Paraguay contains .094% of the world population. Though, 90% of the countries in the world contain less than 1% of the world population. I did some math when I discovered this list. I suppose this challenges the assumptions about population and countries that people in the large countries make, based on things they take for granted, that actually aren't true.

In this list are 224 countries, the 18th largest country, Turkey, contains, 1.05%

EPP is the Ejercito del Pueblo Paraguayo.  It is an armed Marxist group.  They were financing their revolution through kidnappings and robbery.  Most of their leadership is dead or in prison.

Marxism and Socialism can be dismissed because of the 'Calculation Problem.'

At econtalk.org there are numerous free MP3 downloads.  They are all economics related. 

Recently there have been two that were tangentially related to the Calculation Problem: the one on Mises, and to a lesser degree, the one on Hayek.

Dear Kraig,
Stay where you are.  There are lots of homeless people in Paraguay.  A lot of Guarani Indians are living on the streets.  Violence is rife.  We live with railings on our windows, and make sure that everything is locked tight before going to sleep, and usually early evening.  My son was robbed at gunpoint at 1.30 pm half a block from home.  I drive looking constantly around taking all the precautions possible.  Prices are higher than in the US, as I found out during my last trip there.  I buy lots of clothes there on every trip.  Supermarket prices are higher here.  Take into account that the minimum wage is +/-US$500 a month, and a lot of people donŽt earn that.  No useful pension funds unless you work for the State.  There are some good things about the country, but it isnŽt a place I would recommend you to emigrate to. Corruption is rife . And there is no need to become a national.  With a permanent resident permit, you can work, buy property, have bank accounts in US dollars or the local currency.  Yes, if you make a deposit of US$10.000 you do have to prove where it comes from due to the new anti laundering laws.  When you receive money from abroad, you must indicate what the reason is e.g. donation.   However, with the next President, I think things may improve.