What do I need to buy a house or land in Paraguay?

The parties' documents

• Paraguayan ID card (cédula de identidad) or passport of the buyer and of the seller.
• The seller's title of ownership, that is, their previous deed.
• If the seller is married and the property is marital property (bien ganancial), their spouse also signs.
• If someone signs on behalf of another person, the power of attorney that authorizes them.

The certificates the notary requests

Before the signing, the notary requests certificates to confirm that the seller is the owner and that the property is free of problems:

• Ownership status (condiciones de dominio) from the Public Registry office (Dirección General de los Registros Públicos): who the owner is and whether there are mortgages, court liens (embargos) or restrictions on disposal (inhibiciones).
• Account statement from the municipality, to verify that the property tax (impuesto inmobiliario) is up to date.
• Cadastral data from the National Cadastre Service (Servicio Nacional de Catastro).

Signing and registration

With the certificates in order, the deed of sale is signed at the notary's office. Afterwards, the notary files the deed with the Public Registry to have it registered. Registration is what records the buyer as the owner in the registry, which is why this step is as important as the signing.

If you pay in installments or with a loan

If payment is in installments, a preliminary purchase agreement (boleto de compraventa) with certified signatures can be signed first. If you buy with a bank loan, the sale and the mortgage in favor of the bank are usually signed in the same act.

This answer is general information about Paraguayan law and is not a substitute for advice on your specific case.