Is Paraguay Safe to Visit in 2026?
Off the beaten path. Asunción manageable. Jesuit missions interesting. Ciudad del Este border area caution. How we score
What Warnely Is Tracking
Real-time incidents pulled from the Warnely pipeline. The dashboard renders a richer feed.
Official Travel Advisories
Paraguay compared to your home country
Paraguay's composite Warnely risk score is 42/100 (High Risk). Here is how that compares to common home countries for English-speaking travellers. Append ?home=GB (or US, AU, CA, DE) to the URL to pin your home.
Paraguay is noticeably riskier than United Kingdom (1.9× riskier on the Warnely index).
Paraguay is slightly riskier than United States.
Paraguay is materially riskier than Australia (3.0× riskier on the Warnely index).
Paraguay is materially riskier than Canada (2.8× riskier on the Warnely index).
Paraguay is noticeably riskier than Germany (2.1× riskier on the Warnely index).
Lower scores are safer. Each home country's score is its own composite on the same 0-100 scale. See methodology.
Risk Breakdown
This is the static baseline rating across six dimensions. The Warnely dashboard adds a live 30-day signal alongside.
Check FCDO/State Dept for current assessment.
Check local conditions.
Consult travel clinic before departure.
Check current advisories.
Monitor local situation.
Check transport options.
Quick Facts
| Plug type | C |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 220V/50Hz |
| Time zone | UTC-4 |
| Driving side | Right |
| Tap water | Caution |
Essential Phrases Spanish
| Hello | Hola OH-lah |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Gracias GRAH-thyas (Spain) / GRAH-syas (LatAm) |
| Yes / No | Sí / No SEE / NOH |
| Sorry / Excuse me | Perdón pehr-DOHN |
| Help! | ¡Ayuda! ah-YOO-dah |
Visa & Entry
| Type | Visa-free |
|---|---|
| Length | 90 days |
| Cost | Free |
Visa-free 90 days for US/UK/EU/Canada/Australia/NZ.
Verify on IATA Travel Centre →
Summary: 90 days visa-free (UK/US).
Passport: Valid 6+ months.
Customs: Standard; don't import meat/dairy products (biosecurity).
Prohibited: Drug laws strict. Military/border-area photography forbidden.
Practical Tips
- Paraguay is off most tourist maps – cheap, authentic, largely unvisited
- Jesuit Missions (Trinidad and Jesús de Tavarangue) are UNESCO-listed – worth the detour
- Ciudad del Este is a border duty-free town – chaotic but electronics cheap
- Spanish and Guarani are both official – Guarani spoken daily by most
- Terere (cold yerba mate) is the national drink – share a cup (guampa) like locals
Common Scams & Practical Risks
- Distraction theft: Someone spills something on you while accomplice steals bag. Stay alert.
- Fake police: Ask for identification. Offer to go to nearest station.
Solo & Women’s Safety
Solo Travellers
Established backpacker trails. Spanish/Portuguese essential.
Women’s Safety Exercise Caution
Catcalling common but rarely threatening. Standard city precautions.
LGBTQ+ Travellers
| Legal status | Legal, no recognition |
|---|---|
| Social climate |
Legal; constitutional ban on marriage. Asunción tiny scene; conservatism strong.
Drug Laws
| Severity | Strict |
|---|---|
| Cannabis | Illegal |
Possession 6 months–5yrs. Major cannabis production country (export to neighbours).
Emergency Numbers
If you decide to travel to Paraguay
A practical checklist that applies to any trip. Each item links to the part of this guide where the specifics live.
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1Check the live advisory Read the UK FCDO and US State Department pages within a week of departure. Advisories change. View current FCDO advisory →
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2Register your trip US citizens: enrol with STEP. UK citizens: register your itinerary with the nearest British embassy. Both enable consular contact in an emergency.
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3Save the local emergency numbers Police: 911. Ambulance: 141. Pin them in your phone's emergency-contacts screen so they're reachable from a locked phone.
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4Insurance with medical evacuation Travel insurance with a medical-evacuation limit of £10m or more. Cheap policies usually exclude or cap medevac, the single most expensive thing that goes wrong abroad. See the medevac entry in the glossary for what to check.
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5Confirm vaccinations and prescriptions Visit a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for any routine vaccinations and country-specific recommendations. Check any prescription medication against the destination's import rules.
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6Set up a check-in routine before you go Agree a daily or every-other-day check-in time with a contact at home, plus a fallback channel if your primary one fails (WhatsApp goes down in countries that block it). The family communication plan covers the specifics.
Find every foreign embassy and consulate in Paraguay in the Warnely embassy directory →
Medical evacuation cost (pre-insurance)
Paraguay sits in Band B on Warnely's medevac cost dataset. The figures below are typical pre-insurance ranges in USD, calibrated against published bands from Global Rescue, MedJet, Allianz, and insurance-industry whitepapers.
Air ambulance to a regional Western or strong-regional hub is usually achievable in one or two legs. Most major tourist destinations sit in this band.
For the full methodology, the four-band table, and the downloadable CSV, see /methodology/medevac. Sanity-check your travel insurance limit against the high end of this band before booking.
Embed this score
Drop the Paraguay Warnely badge on a blog post, country page, or briefing. The image is served straight from the Warnely API and updates whenever the score changes.
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<a href="https://warnely.com/guides/is-paraguay-safe"><img src="https://warnely.com/embed/paraguay/badge.svg" alt="Paraguay Warnely risk badge" width="360" height="44"></a>
Full embed options including Markdown and iframe variants: /embed/paraguay.
Common questions about Paraguay
Is Paraguay safe for tourists in 2026?
What's the crime risk in Paraguay?
Are there health risks travelling to Paraguay?
Is Paraguay safe for solo female travellers?
When is the best time to visit Paraguay?
What are the drug laws in Paraguay?
Do I need a visa to visit Paraguay?
Is the tap water safe to drink in Paraguay?
What do governments say about travel to Paraguay?
Nearby countries
The closest countries to Paraguay geographically. Same regional travel patterns, often similar advisories.
Is Uruguay Safe?
Progressive laws. Beautiful beaches. Small and easy to navigate.
Bolivia Travel Safety Guide
Affordable and unique. Altitude extreme (La Paz at 3,640m). Road safety poor. Salar de Uyuni spectacular.
Brazil: 2026 Safety Brief
Vibrant culture but significant crime risk in cities. Tourist areas are policed but street crime is common. In…
Travel safety: Argentina
Buenos Aires has petty crime typical of large cities. Beautiful landscapes and culture.
Countries with a similar safety profile
Four countries with the closest Warnely risk score to Paraguay (42/100). Useful as benchmark reads.
Laos (42/100)
Peaceful and welcoming. Infrastructure is basic. UXO risk off marked paths. Petty crime increasing in tourist …
Is Sri Lanka Safe? (42/100)
Beautiful island nation recovering from 2022 economic crisis. Tourism infrastructure rebuilding.
Morocco Safety Brief (42/100)
Medina navigation can be overwhelming. Persistent touts are the main nuisance. Welcoming culture.
Nepal (43/100)
Welcoming for trekkers and tourists. Altitude sickness is a real danger. Infrastructure is basic.
Travel Safety Insights
Long-form playbooks from the Warnely team. Practical, country-agnostic guidance to pair with this country brief.
The First 24 Hours: Crisis Playbook
What to actually do in the first day after something goes wrong abroad. Embassy, comms, money, medical.
Travel Scams in 2026
Field guide to the scams targeting tourists this year, with one-line tells for each.
Hotel & Airbnb Safety
The 60-second routine experienced travellers run on every check-in.
Family Communication Plan
The check-in protocol that turns "are you OK?" panic into a 30-second resolution.