Yes, foreigners can generally vote in municipal elections in Paraguay. However, simply living in Paraguay is not enough. The Paraguayan Constitution explicitly refers to foreigners with radicación definitiva (permanent residency). You must also meet the legal requirements and be registered in the Registro Cívico Permanente (RCP) (permanent voter register).
The legal basis is Article 120 of the Paraguayan Constitution ↗.
What do voters elect in municipal elections?#
In the Elecciones municipales (municipal elections), eligible voters elect the Intendente Municipal (municipal mayor) and the members of the Junta Municipal (roughly, the municipal council).
The Intendente is responsible for the general administration of the Municipalidad. The Junta Municipal, by contrast, is the municipality’s regulatory, oversight, and deliberative body. Both are part of the municipal government, but they have different responsibilities.
The voting rights of foreign residents apply to these municipal elections – they do not provide a general right to vote in all elections in Paraguay.
What requirements apply to foreigners?#
The first important requirement is radicación definitiva. According to the Justicia Electoral, temporary residency alone is not enough.
You must also be at least 18 years old, legally eligible to vote, and registered in the Registro Cívico Permanente. You vote in the electoral district where you are registered.
However, the rule is not as simple as “permanent residency = voting rights.” The Paraguayan Código Electoral (Electoral Code) contains an additional provision concerning foreigners who are eligible to exercise voting rights in another country.
You can find this rule in Article 122 of the Paraguayan Electoral Code ↗. Whether this restriction applies in an individual case should therefore be checked against your own registration status and, if necessary, directly with the Justicia Electoral.
What about the 2026 municipal elections?#
The municipal elections will take place on October 4, 2026. For this election, RCP registrations and updates completed by December 30, 2025 are taken into account.
So if you only registered in the RCP during 2026, you can no longer use that registration to participate in the October 2026 municipal elections. These new registrations will apply to later elections.
You can check whether you are registered for the current election and find your polling place through the official RCP lookup provided by the Justicia Electoral ↗ using your Paraguayan Cédula number and date of birth.
Note: This article provides general information and is not a substitute for individual legal advice. Whether you are eligible to vote in a specific election depends on your personal status, your registration in the RCP, and the applicable Paraguayan electoral law. For binding information, contact the Justicia Electoral.
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