Well, howdy there! You wanna know about gettin’ yourself a Paraguayan drivin’ license, huh? Let me tell ya, it ain’t like back in the day when you just hopped on a horse and went wherever you pleased. Now they got rules and papers and all sorts of fuss.
First off, you gotta be at least 18 years old. That’s what they tell me, anyways. And seems like you gotta know how to read and write, too. Spanish or Guaraní, they say. Unless you’re some fancy foreigner, then maybe they make an exception.
Now, I ain’t never been one for book learnin’, but I hear tell you gotta pass some tests. Eye test, to make sure you ain’t gonna run into a ditch. And somethin’ about a blood test, too. Don’t ask me why, maybe they wanna make sure you ain’t full of moonshine or somethin’.
- Age: Gotta be 18 or older.
- Literacy: Gotta read and write Spanish or Guaraní, unless you’re a foreigner.
- Tests: Eye test and blood test.
If you’re already got a driver’s license from somewhere else, like them fancy European countries or the US of A, that might help ya. They say you can exchange it, but you still gotta jump through some hoops. Copy of your old license, the tests I mentioned, and probably some paperwork, too. Lord knows how much that’ll cost ya. I hear tell those Norwegians gotta pay a whole heap of money, somethin’ like 3,900 euros! That’s enough to buy a whole herd of cattle!
Now, if you’re a foreigner just visitin’, you might be able to get by with somethin’ called an “international drivin’ permit.” They say you can get one of them in the US for around 30 bucks, lasts for a year. But if you’re plannin’ on stayin’ in Paraguay for a good long while, you’re gonna need the real deal.
Gettin’ a Paraguayan license is a “crucial step” if you wanna really settle down here, whatever that means. Sounds important, though. They say it’s a good thing to have in your “driver’s license portfolio.” Sounds like somethin’ fancy folks would say. Me, I just got one license, and that’s enough for me.
I heard tell some places will help you get a license, for a fee of course. You gotta “place your order,” they say. Sounds like buyin’ a new plow or somethin’. I ain’t sure how I feel about that. Seems to me like gettin’ a license ought to be somethin’ you earn, not somethin’ you buy. But times are changin’, I guess.
And if you do get one of them international permits in Paraguay, it’s only good for a year. Then you gotta renew it, which probably means more paperwork and more money. Seems like they always want somethin’ from ya.
So, there you have it. That’s about all I know about gettin’ a Paraguayan drivin’ license. It ain’t easy, that’s for sure. But if you wanna drive around here legal-like, you gotta do what you gotta do. Just remember to be careful out there on them roads. Folks drive like crazy sometimes, and there ain’t always a lot of rules bein’ followed. You hear?
Just be careful and keep your wits about ya. And don’t forget to say your prayers before you get behind the wheel. You never know what might happen out there. The good Lord’s the only one who can really keep you safe, no matter how many licenses you got.
And one last thing. If you do get yourself a license, don’t go speedin’ around like some young whippersnapper. Take it slow and easy. There ain’t no need to be in a hurry. Enjoy the ride, and appreciate the fact that you got the freedom to go wherever you please. That’s what drivin’s all about, ain’t it?