Buying a car in Paraguay: total cost, papers and checks

To buy a car in Paraguay without surprises, compare the total cost, not the sticker price: add the notary deed, your city's annual vehicle tax, insurance and the repairs the car already needs. And pay nothing until you have the Vehicle Registry certificate, a checked chassis number and, for a used car, an inspection by your own mechanic.

New or used?

• New: you buy from the brand's official dealer. Any warranty has to be in writing, stating what it covers and for how long (Law 1334, art. 11⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). In 2025, 38,611 new vehicles were sold and more than half were SUVs, according to dealers' chamber Cadam (InfoNegocios⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠); popular models mean more stock and more workshops.
• Imported used car: Paraguay imports a lot of used vehicles; in 2019 Cadam estimated about 60,000 used against 35,000 new a year (ABC Color, 2019⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Law 4333/2011 caps used imports at ten years old, but a Supreme Court ruling let older ones keep coming in (ABC Color, 2017⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Check the build year on the papers, not the paint.
• Private seller: often cheaper, but every check is on you. When a business sells a used, rebuilt or defective vehicle, it must say so clearly (art. 12⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

What goes into the total cost?

Build a spreadsheet with these lines for each car you are considering:

1. Price: the law requires prices in guaraníes with taxes included (art. 10⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). If you are quoted in dollars, ask for the guaraní total too.
2. Deed and registration: the transfer is done by public deed before a notary (escribano) (Vehicle Registry, 2023⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Ask the notary for a quote covering fees, certificates and registration.
3. Municipal vehicle tax (patente/habilitación): paid every year to the municipality where the car is registered, and it varies a lot. In 2024 Última Hora reported the same vehicle could pay G. 1 million in one municipality and about G. 100,000 in another; a bill to standardise it passed the lower house but is not law yet (Última Hora, 2024⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Ask your municipality before you buy.
4. Insurance, servicing and tyres: get a quote with the exact chassis and year; a cheap used car with worn tyres and overdue servicing stops being cheap.
5. Financing: if you pay in instalments, compare against a bank loan (see below).

Which papers should the car have?

According to the Vehicle Registry⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠, a used-car transfer needs the deed, a certificate of ownership status and encumbrances, a verification certificate and the municipal tax receipt. A car registered for the first time (new or imported) needs the deed, a nationalisation certificate and the inspection-plant certificate.

• Ownership certificate: the notary requests it. It shows the registered owner and any liens or seizures; it is issued within ten days, is valid for thirty, and no new seizures can be registered while it is valid (Acordada 503/2007⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Timing: the Judiciary says the seller has up to 20 days to sign the deed, and you can do the physical inspection during that time (Poder Judicial⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Vehicle title card (cédula del automotor): the new one in your name is issued against the old one; if the seller lost it, they must file a police report (Acordada 503/2007⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Ask to see it before paying a deposit.
• No Paraguayan ID? Ask the notary, before you pay, which document you will need to put the car in your name.

How do you avoid buying a stolen car?

In July 2026 police warned that vehicles stolen in Brazil are sold in Paraguay with forged papers, repainted and advertised on social media; the most seized were Toyota Fortuners and Hiluxes (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

• Match the chassis number stamped on the car with the title card and the certificate.
• The Registry blocks registration if the chassis is listed as stolen in the National Police or Mercosur databases (Acordada 503/2007⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), so no certificate, no deal.
• If the offer came through social media or it is a high-end pickup, police recommend a check at the Departamento de Control de Automotores, Paz del Chaco corner Urundey, Lambaré, phone (021) 302 820 or 302 229 (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Never wire a deposit for a car you have not seen in person.

Should you finance through the dealer?

It can make sense, but only if you compare the total. In any credit sale the seller must disclose the cash price, the interest amount and rate, the number and frequency of instalments and the total payable, and you may repay early with a proportional interest reduction (Law 1334, arts. 29 and 30⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Get those figures in writing from each seller and put them in the same spreadsheet. Insist on the invoice too: Sedeco, the consumer agency, reminds buyers that every sale requires one (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Buying from Brazil or planning to take it abroad?

Buying and driving a car in Paraguay is one thing; taking it out of the country is another. Brazil, as a rule, does not authorise imports of used consumer goods (Portaria Decex 8/1991, art. 27⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). According to Correio do Estado (2024)⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠, only new cars can be imported into Brazil from Paraguay, with taxes and type approval, and used ones only if over 30 years old, as collector cars. The same paper explains that a Paraguayan-plated car can only be driven in Brazil under tourist status by an owner resident in Paraguay. If you live across the border, talk to a customs broker before paying anything.