Panama is one of the most popular touristic destinations in Latin America, welcoming thousands of tourists every year, who come to visit the Panama Canal, to enjoy beaches and highlands, or for shopping. But Panama is also internationally recognized as one of the easiest countries to obtain Permanent Residency, whether you apply as a single person, as a family group, or as a dependent of an existing Panamanian resident.
Besides, certain Permanent Residency programs have the options to obtain a Work Permit, and many programs also provide a path to obtain Citizenship. If you plan to visit, immigrate, work, and eventually become a citizen, this simple guide will help you navigate the different options available to you.
If you wish to visit Panama, you will fall into one of three cases. Depending on the country issuing your passport, you may need an authorized visa, a tourist visa, or nothing but a passport valid for at least 6 months to visit Panama.
Keep in mind that once you arrive to the country, immigration officers may require proof of economic solvency not lower than USD $500 or its equivalent in instruments such as cash, credit card, or traveler’s checks.
Typically, tourists are granted entry to Panama for 6 months, but this period can be extended an additional 90 days upon written request presented before the Immigration Office.
This requires the assistance of a lawyer, and it’s up to the Immigration Office to approve or deny the request.
Learn more about Visiting Panama as a Tourist, or contact us with your question.
You may require a visa to visit Panama as a tourist
This visa must be requested at the local Panamanian Consulate in the tourist’s country of residency. The Consul determines the duration of stay granted to the foreigner and stamps the visa into the passport. Only then the person may enter Panama. Learn more about the countries that apply to the Stamped Visa.
The countries listed in this category have signed agreements with Panama under which they are mutually exempt from any visa requirements to enter the country. Also, no visas are required for nationals of countries due to a unilateral decision adopted by the Panamanian Government. See the list of countries that require no visa to visit Panama as a tourist.
Panama immigration law provides multiple programs to receive permanent residency. The Friendly Nations Visa and the Panamanian Retirees & Pensioner Visa are two of the most popular.
One of the advantages of Panama permanent residency is you simply need to visit the country at least once every two years to maintain your status as permanent resident.
As a rule of thumb, all documents originated abroad and used in a Panama Residency Program must be either apostilled (at the Secretary of State Office), or authenticated at the Panamanian Consulate in the country of origin. Visit this page for more details about the apostille or authentication process.
Also, any immgiration process requires the services of a Panamanian lawyer. Contact us for any question.
Options for Panama Permanent Residency
The Panama Retirees and Pensioners Visa was created back in the eighties, to promote the residential tourism in the country, which got its peak in the last decade, keeping up to the present.
Under this residency program, the applicant is only required to present evidence of a monthly income for life, of at least USD $1,000 per month, or its equivalent in another currency.
This income must be in the form of a pension or retirement, from a government agency or from an authorized and regulated retirement agency or private company, for which additional documentation shall be required.
Learn more about requirements, documentation, process, and costs.
The Friendly Nations Visa was created in 2012, with the objective to develop further economic relationships with citizens of specific countries, including Canada, USA, Belguim, Germany, Great Britain, France, Hong Kong, Portugal, Netherlands, South Africa, and more.
The documentation required varies according to the circumstances of each applicant. For instance, if the application includes a spouse, Marriage Certificate must be included. Likewise, if the application includes dependent children, birth certificate for each child must be included.
Learn more about requirements, documentation, process, and costs.
This program is designed for investors interested in reforestation projects, and offers permanent residency with an investment of at least USD $80,000 in land certified by MiAmbiente (Environment Ministry) of 5 hectares (about 12 Acres) or more. If the investor plans to include dependents (e.g. spouse, children, parents) in the application, this investment must increase by $2,000 for each dependent.
It is also possible to use a Corporation or a Company as an investment vehicle. In those cases, the residency application can include up to two (2) applicants as long as it can be proved that each applicant invested at least USD $80,000.
Learn more about requirements, documentation, and process.
Created in 1966 and called Friendship, Business, and Navigation treaty between the Republics of Panama and Italy, this program has the objective to encourage Italian citizens to establish economic and professional activities in Panama.
This visa carries many benefits for Italian citizens. For instance, the applicant’s spouse and dependents do NOT have to be Italian citizens to be included in the application. Besides, this Visa does NOT require neither an initial investment nor purchasing a property in Panama.
Learn more about requirements, documentation, process, and costs.
This program is designed for high net-worth individuals who can invest a minimum of three hundred thousand dollars (USD $300,000). If the applicant plans to include dependents (e.g. spouse, children, parents), this investment must increase by $2,000 for each dependent.
The applicant receives a temporary residency, valid for two (2) years. Afterwards, the applicant will be eligible to apply for permanent residency. This program gives the applicant the option to invest in Panamanian Real Estate, in a Certificate of Deposit (CD) in a Panamanian bank, or a combination of both.
Learn more about requirements, documentation, and process.
Created in 1987, this program is tailored for foreigners who open a Certificate of Deposit (CD) with sufficient resources to generate interest income of USD $850 monthly. The CD must be opened at Panama National Bank (Banco Nacional de Panama) or the Savings Bank (Caja de Ahorro), both government-owned banks. This CD must be the only source of interest income for the purposes of this immigration program. Interests must be net of taxes and must have no liability or mortgage for at least five (5) years.
The Panama Traveller Passport is an outstanding benefit of the Private Income Retiree Visa. This passport is similar to a marine or diplomatic passport. Althought it DOES NOT grant Panamanian citizenship, it looks like a regular Panamanian passport, indicating the holder’s country of origing and citizenship. The Traveller Passport is internationally valid and recognized like any other Panamanian passport, and enables the holder to visit locations where Panamanians require no visa (e.g. Europe, UK, Russia, South Korea, and more), and also enables holders to apply for visitor’s visa to countries where Panamanians require a tourist visa (e.g. U.S. and Canada).
Learn more about requirements, documentation, and process.
Foreigners married to a Panamanian, and living together in stability and continuity, are eligible for the Married to Panamanian Visa. However, the fact that a foreigner is married to a Panamanian DOES NOT GRANT the right to obtain permanent residency in Panama. The National Immigration Service could deny entry or residency on grounds of hygiene, morality, public safety, or social needs.
Applicants will receive a temporary residency permit upon application. Two years later, the applicant can apply for permanent residency. Learn more about requirements, documentation, and process.
Non-residents who have one or more children born in Panama, and who are at least 5 years old, are eligible to apply for Panamanian permanent residency.
When the application is approved, the applicant receives a two-year temporary residency permit. After this period, the the resident will be able to request permanent residency. Learn more about requirements, documentation, and process.
Under Panamanian Law, a citizen, permanent resident, or temporary resident for two (2) or more years may request residency for dependents, defined as spouse, children under 18 year of age, relatives with disability, or parents. Dependent children between the ages of 18 and 25 may qualify for this Visa, provided that they are full time students and under economic dependence of the Panamanian resident.
When the application is approved, the applicant receives a two-year temporary residency permit. After this period, the the resident will be able to request permanent residency. Learn more about requirements, documentation, and process.
Any foreigner who plans to work in Panama requires an immigration visa that enables him to request a work permit. The process to establish residency and the process to obtain a work permit are different and independent.
Having permanent residency is a pre-requisite to request a work permit. Consult the information below to understand the process better and get more details.
Like Residency Programs, any work permit process requires the assistance of a Panamanian lawyer. Contact us for any question.
Panama Work Permit Process
The requirements to obtain a work permit vary based on the residency program, but some common general requirements include:
- Application and Power of Attorney
- Panamanian permanent residency confirmation from the National Immigration Service
- Immigration status confirmation from the National Immigration Service
- Applicant’s Residency ID issued by the National Immigration Service
The cost to obtain a work permit ranges from $100 to $600 in government fees, plus legal fees.
Once the Ministry of Work and Labor receives an application, it can take 1 to 3 months to obtain a decision, whether approving or denying the application.
When the application is approved, the permanent resident receives an ID authorizing him to work in Panama. The permanent resident may need to show this ID to a hiring employer or to inspectors from the Ministry of Work and Labor when required.
Panamanian law forbids foreigners, even with a work permit, to labor in a number of occupations reserved for Panamanians.
Some of these occupations include:
- Law, Architecture, Engineering, Accounting, Agronomist
- Medicine, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary
- Dentistry, Lab Technician, Radiologist, Medical and Dental Assistant
- Nutrition, Psychology, Social Labor, Physical Therapy
- Barber, Cosmetologist
- Journalist, Public Relations, and Economist.
Panamanian Citizenship, or Naturalization, is granted to permanent residents who have completed the minimum residency requirement (3 to 5 years).
It is important to clarify that immigrants holding a temporary or provisional residency status, or immigrants with the crisol de razas program, are not eligible to apply for citizenship.
Many Permanent Residency programs provide a path to Citizenship. Besides, Panamanian law allows Americans born in the Panama Canal Zone (a.k.a Zonians) to opt-in for Panamanian Citizenship.
Like any Residency Program or Work Permit process, any Citizenship process also requires the assistance of a Panamanian lawyer. Contact us for any question.
Options for Panama Citizenship
Article 10 of the Panamanian Constitution requires a foreigner to be a Permanent Resident for at least 5 years to apply for Panamanian Citizenship (Naturalization). This period is counted from the moment the Panama Immigration Office issues the resolution to certify permanent residency.
The 5-year requirement can be shortened to 3 years if the Permanent Resident is married to a Panamanian or if the Permanent Resident is the parent of a Panamanian child.
There are other cases where the 5-year term can be shortened. Learn more about these cases, the general process, documentation and timeline.
Panama provides citizenship to those born in the former Panama Canal Zone between 1904 and 1979. Zonians, as they are called, need to provide an original copy of the birth certificate issued by the U.S. Department of State, to certify the place and date of birth.
Although the birth certificate requires some steps to obtain, all other documentation is simple. Learn more about the process and documentation.
Choose a Question
Permanent Residency only grants you with the right to reside (live) in Panama legally. In other words, you can stay legally in the country for as long as your residency status allows it. Working is another right yet to be granted, by applying for a work permit. Certain residency programs make you eligible to apply for a work permit, and if so you are intending, then it is important to consider those types of residency options in the first place.
Usually five (5) business days are required, but eight (8) to ten (10) days are recommended.
A Multiple Entry Visa is required by any foreigner who has a Permanent Residency application in process and intends to travel abroad before the application is approved. Leaving Panama without the Multiple Entry visa results in a fine of USD $2,000 per person. Kraemer & Kraemer includes the Multiple Entry Visa in any client application by default.
Those who obtain Panamanian permanent residency, who are over 18 years of age and have a driving license from their home country, can obtain a Panamanian driver’s license.
Any former foreign worker, with more than 5 years in a Multinational Company, can apply for permanent residency.
No one, regardless of their country of origin, can travel to Panama with an expired passport.
Founded in July 2008 Kraemer and Kraemer is a Panamanian law firm with more than 11 years of experience. The firm helps hundreds of clients yearly with many popular immigration processes, including the Panama Friendly Nations Visa and the Panama Retirees and Pensioners Visa.
On top of immigration processes, Kraemer & Kraemer also provides legal services related to industries such as: Business, Tax, Real Estate, and Banking Introduction Services. The firm focus its legal practices in both in Panama City and David, Chiriqui. Do you have questions? Contact Kraemer & Kraemer today.
The information in this website does not constitute legal advice and is only meant to be taken as general, non-specific and non-exhaustive information. Every situation is different. For questions, please contact us.
