Property
Escritura pública and Dirección General de Registros Públicos inscription
Real property transfers require a public deed before a notary and inscription in the Dirección General de Registros Públicos, which perfects the right against third parties. Foreigners face restrictions on rural land within 50 kilometres of the border under Ley 2532. Land tenure disputes and informal occupation of rural land remain significant practical issues.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National civil law with a centralised public registry
- Deadline — Ordinary acquisitive prescription: 10 years; extraordinary: 20 years
- Deadline — Priority runs from inscription in the registry
Governing law
- Código Civil Paraguayo (arts. 1966 and following)
- Ley 879/1981 - Código de Organización Judicialregistries
- Ley 2532/2005 - Zona de Seguridad Fronteriza
In practice
The border security zone restriction bars foreign nationals of neighbouring countries from owning rural land within 50 kilometres of the frontier, a rule aimed principally at Brazilian ownership in the eastern border region and subject to executive exemption. Title verification should also check the cadastral records of the Servicio Nacional de Catastro, since discrepancies between registry and cadastre are common in rural areas.