🇵🇾Import Korean Food to Paraguay
Registration, labelling, duties and freight — what a distributor needs to bring Korean noodles, snacks, sauces and beverages into Paraguay, with vetted Korean suppliers at 0% commission and one logistics partner from factory to shelf.
Why Paraguay
Paraguay is a compact market with an outsized trading role: low taxes, Mercosur membership and Ciudad del Este as a re-export gateway. Korean noodles and snacks reach shelves both through Asunción supermarkets and through the border trade, so first orders are small but repeat cycles are quick.
Product registration in Paraguay
Establishment registration (RE)
The importing company registers its establishment with INAN first — this is the licence that lets it bring food products into the country at all, and it comes before any product filing.
Product registration (RSPA)
Each packaged food product needs its own sanitary registration before it can be sold, filed on composition and brand with the Korean manufacturer’s documents. Sell only what is registered — the registration is product-specific, not category-wide.
Spanish labelling to Mercosur rules
Mandatory label information follows the Mercosur food labelling regulation and must appear in Spanish — product name, ingredients, allergens, net contents, lot, expiry, importer and registration number. Korean-only packaging is corrected with a compliant sticker before retail.
Typical lead time: Registration runs in parallel with the ocean leg, and the ocean leg is long: budget around eight weeks from Busan via Montevideo. Start the RSPA filing when you book the container, not when it arrives.
Duties & taxes
No Korea–Mercosur FTA, so the common external tariff applies, with Paraguayan national exception lists on some lines. Duty on processed foods is generally moderate by regional standards — the bigger cost driver is the inland leg from the coast.
IVA is 10% generally, with a reduced 5% rate on part of the basic food basket. Confirm which rate your product falls under, since it changes shelf pricing more than the duty does.
Estimate your landed cost per HS code with our free import duty calculator. Open the import duty calculator
Regulations, duty and tax information is general guidance and may change. We confirm the exact requirements for your product and HS code before every shipment.
Shipping from Korea to Paraguay
We consolidate LCL and FCL cargo from Busan every week. Below are indicative LCL rates from our internal tariff — the same data our freight team quotes from.
| Destination port | LCL rate | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| ASUNCION (VIA MONTEVIDEO) | $185 / CBM | 57 days |
Indicative LCL ocean rates from Busan, Korea — from TY's internal tariff, updated regularly. Ocean freight portion only; your final door-to-door quote covers the full cost.
How importing with TY works
Tell us your product
Send your category, target price and market — the matching form takes 3 minutes.
Supplier match + all-in quote
Within one business day we propose a vetted Korean supplier and a total landed-cost quote.
Samples & first order
We arrange sample shipping and consolidate small first orders with weekly LCL departures.
Ship, clear, deliver
TY handles export docs, ocean or air freight, customs coordination and final delivery — tracked on our portal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need product registration to import Korean food to Paraguay?
Yes. The importer needs an INAN establishment registration, and each packaged food needs its own RSPA sanitary registration before sale, with Spanish Mercosur labelling. Paraguay is landlocked, so plan around an eight-week transit via Montevideo and the river route. We ship DAP and your importer clears with the documents we prepare.
How long does shipping from Korea to Paraguay take?
LCL from Busan to ASUNCION (VIA MONTEVIDEO) takes about 57 days port-to-port. Add customs clearance and inland delivery for the full door-to-door timeline. We consolidate weekly, so small first orders move fast.
What does DAP shipping mean for my order?
DAP (Delivered at Place) means TY delivers to the agreed place in Paraguay — pickup in Korea, export clearance, ocean or air freight and final delivery are all on us. Import clearance, duty and taxes are settled by the importer of record, because only a locally registered importer may clear customs there. We prepare the clearance documents and quote our side in full up front, so the only open variable is the duty your HS code attracts.
More import guides for Paraguay
Ready to source and ship from Korea?
Tell us your product and market — we reply with a matched Korean supplier and an all-in landed-cost quote within one business day. 0% commission: we make money on shipping, not on you.