Benjamin M. · Founder & editor
Showing only the good side of a country would be dishonest, and contrary to the method of this site. Here are 100 real points of attention, from the most structural (bureaucracy, infrastructure) to the most everyday, to decide with full knowledge. They do not cancel out the 100 reasons to go (see Also read): they complement them.
The 100 Reasons to Hesitate
- 1A public administration with a reputation for slowness, even for simple procedures.
- 2Processing times for residence applications that can far exceed official announcements.
- 3Bureaucracy that often requires apostilled, translated and legalised documents in several copies.
- 4Administration opening hours sometimes unpredictable, especially in rural areas.
- 5Partial digitalisation of public services, with many procedures done in person.
- 6Frequent use of intermediaries (gestores) to expedite a file.
- 7Changes to administrative rules not always well communicated, nor translated.
- 8A justice system whose slowness is regularly noted by international bodies.
- 9Local taxes that, although low, remain complex to calculate without accounting help.
- 10A considerable amount of paperwork to import personal goods (move, vehicle).
- 11Forms often available only in Spanish, without a simplified version for foreigners.
- 12A tax administration that may request documents difficult to obtain from abroad.
- 13A decent road network in the eastern region, but very limited in the Chaco.
- 14Chaco tracks impassable in the rainy season (October-April).
- 15A virtually non-existent passenger railway network.
- 16Very few domestic flights, requiring everything to be organised by road.
- 17A generally reliable electricity grid in the city, but subject to cuts in rural areas.
- 18Mobile coverage that disappears quickly outside main routes.
- 19Access to drinkable tap water not guaranteed in most regions.
- 20Public hospital infrastructure limited outside Asuncion.
- 21Sanitation network still incomplete in several medium-sized cities.
- 22Few bike lanes or infrastructure for active mobility, even in Asuncion.
- 23Secondary airports poorly developed, limiting direct regional connections.
- 24Decent WiFi and 4G in the city, but patchy elsewhere.
- 25Consistently low ranking in international corruption perception indices.
- 26Widespread distrust towards certain public institutions, even among Paraguayans themselves.
- 27Informal practices that can accelerate or block a procedure depending on the case.
- 28Less-than-perfect transparency in public tenders and major infrastructure contracts.
- 29An informal economy representing a significant portion of the country's real activity.
- 30Uneven application of rules depending on regions and local administrations.
- 31Documented cases of smuggling around Ciudad del Este, particularly on the border side.
- 32Institutional trust that remains a pending challenge, according to several international reports.
- 33Risks of conflicts of interest in certain economic sectors dominated by a few families.
- 34Slowness of anti-corruption reforms despite repeated international commitments.
- 35An extreme Chaco: up to 45 C in summer, nights near 0 C in winter.
- 36A wet season (December-March) marked by heat that some find hard to bear.
- 37Violent and frequent storms in the warm season, sometimes with local flooding.
- 38Constant humidity that favours mosquitoes and diseases like dengue in the rainy season.
- 39Sudden temperature variations during the passage of cold fronts (friagem).
- 40A climate that complicates the preservation of certain electronic or wooden equipment.
- 41Occasional droughts affecting agriculture and rural water supply.
- 42A landlocked country, without sea access, which makes trade and certain flights more expensive.
- 43International flight tickets often more expensive or less direct than to other South American capitals.
- 44Limited direct flight offer from Europe, with an almost systematic connection.
- 45A feeling of cultural distance from Europe, due to lack of flights and directly accessible means.
- 46International postal times and costs higher than in neighbouring countries.
- 47A Paraguayan diaspora more oriented towards Argentina and Spain than towards Europe.
- 48Local salaries that remain low compared to the Western cost of living.
- 49A narrow skilled labour market, concentrated in Asuncion and a few sectors (agribusiness, border trade).
- 50Recognition of foreign qualifications that can be long and uncertain.
- 51A formal employment sector that struggles to absorb the entire working population.
- 52Access to local credit sometimes complex for a foreigner, despite real business opportunities.
- 53An economy heavily dependent on agricultural exports (soy, beef), therefore sensitive to world prices.
- 54A marked development gap between Asuncion and the rest of the country.
- 55A local SME fabric still young, with less density of opportunities than in regional hubs (Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires).
- 56An under-resourced public health system in rural areas.
- 57Long waiting times in public hospitals, even in Asuncion.
- 58Local health insurance cover often limited without private top-up.
- 59Access to specialists often requiring travel to the capital.
- 60Pharmacovigilance and drug traceability less than perfect outside major cities.
- 61Medical evacuations abroad sometimes necessary for serious cases, an expense to anticipate.
- 62Prevention (vaccination, screening) less systematic than in Europe.
- 63A private medical sector of a good standard, but expensive for local incomes.
- 64A cultural offer (museums, concert halls, cinemas) limited compared to major European capitals.
- 65Little visible international arts scene outside Asuncion.
- 66Cinema programming essentially oriented towards mass productions.
- 67A book and press market in other languages almost non-existent locally.
- 68Public sports and cultural infrastructure still developing outside the capital.
- 69A modest nightlife compared to Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro.
- 70Limited access to major international music tours.
- 71An internationally recognised higher education offer still restricted.
- 72English very little spoken, even in tourist and administrative areas.
- 73A real need to learn Spanish to live comfortably in daily life.
- 74Guarani omnipresent in oral communication, which can give a feeling of exclusion in informal exchanges.
- 75Official documents available only in Spanish, rarely translated.
- 76Road and urban signage not designed for those who do not speak Spanish.
- 77A different relationship with time and commitment, requiring real cultural adaptation.
- 78Long queues at administrative offices and some banks.
- 79A more flexible relationship with time (now does not always mean now), disconcerting at first.
- 80A limited and expensive range of imported products compared to local products.
- 81Occasional water or electricity cuts, even in the city.
- 82An administrative climate requiring patience for any banking or property procedure.
- 83Sometimes chaotic car traffic, with traffic rules poorly respected.
- 84Limited urban public transport and impractical without your own vehicle.
- 85A leisure offer for children and families less developed than in Europe.
- 86A business climate that still favours personal networks over formal procedures.
- 87Heavy reliance on a car or bus for any travel outside the urban centre.
- 88After-sales service and warranties sometimes difficult to enforce.
- 89A rental market with little formalisation, with often informal contracts.
- 90A digital banking offer less developed than in Europe for certain operations.
- 91An administrative distance from Europe that complicates certain consular procedures.
- 92A climate that can disrupt outdoor plans without warning.
- 93A possible feeling of isolation for an expatriate far from any existing family or friend network.
- 94Social integration that takes time, despite hospitality recognised as warm.
- 95Border areas (northeast) to avoid at night, as a precaution.
- 96An insurance and social protection sector less developed than in Europe.
- 97Increased administrative burden for individual company creation projects.
- 98A regulatory environment that evolves quickly, without always easy access to up-to-date information.
- 99Dependence on personal networks to access certain quality services (health, craftsmen, lawyers).
- 100A country that requires preparation and patience: not a decision to make on impulse.
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This page is written from France, sourced as carefully as possible, but I can be wrong or miss on-the-ground detail. A price that changed, outdated info, a photo to share? Every correction is credited if you want.
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Editorial process: This page was written from verified, cross-checked and dated sources. Last updated 5 July 2026. Our editorial charter