PERMANENT RESIDENCY FOR NATIONALS OF COUNTRIES FRIENDLY TO PANAMA

This permanent residence option allows foreigners from one of the countries listed below to obtain permanent residence in Panama, provided they will practice economic or professional activities in the Republic of Panama, invest in real estate, or open a time deposit with a local bank.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	Andorra	Argentina	Australia	Austria
Brazil	Belgium	Canada	Chile	The Czech Republic
Croatia,	Republic of Costa Rica	Cyprus	Denmark	Estonia
France	Finland,	Germany	Greece	Hong Kong
Hungary	Israel,	Ireland	Japan	Latvia
Liechtenstein	Lithuania,	Luxembourg	Malta	México
Monaco	Montenegro,	New Zealand	Norway	Paraguay
Poland	Portugal,	Republic of South Africa	San Marino	Serbia
Singapore	Spain	South Korea	Slovakia	Sweden
Switzerland		The Kingdom of the Netherlands (The Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao & Saint Maarten),	Uruguay	USA

TWO YEARS-PROVISIONAL RESIDENCE

A. Main Applicant 

Required documents

1. A photocopy of a complete, valid passport, including the page showing the picture, name, date of birth, passport number, place of issue, and all other pages authenticated by a Panamanian Notary.

Note: The passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of the immigration application.

2. Six (6) passport-sized photographs of the applicant

3.  Criminal record from the country where you lived the last two (2) years. IMMIGRATION WILL NOT APPROVE A VISA TO A PERSON WITH CRIMINAL HISTORY, EVEN THAT THE OFFENSE IS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE. The police report must contain the following premises to have validity at the moment of application:

1. The criminal history cannot be older than six months since issuance.
2. The NIS requires that the criminal history covers the entire country.
3. The criminal history report must be issued by a “federal,” “central,” or “national” police force or criminal investigation authority. 
4. The Criminal History must be authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate in the country of its issuance or must be duly Apostille.
5. If not in Spanish, must translate it.
6. If you submitted a criminal record from a country where you are a resident but not a citizen, an apostilled copy of the residence card must also be provided. If there is no apostilled, the copy must be authenticated by the Consulate or Embassy of Panama in the country of issuance. 
7. If you have been living in Panama for the last two years, you must submit a Panamanian Police Record issued by the Directorate of Investigations and Prosecutions (DIJ)

Note: If the applicant leaves Panama after the police report has been issued and before the residence petition is submitted, the Criminal History loses validity for immigration purposes.

4. Certificate of Good Health, issued by a licensed Panamanian hospital or clinic, signed by a registered, licensed physician, indicating that the applicant has no contagious diseases and is in good mental and physical condition.

5.  Two Certified Checks:

1. USD 250 on behalf of the National Treasury (Tesoro Nacional) for immigration fee
2. USD 800 on behalf of the NIS (Servicio Nacional de Migración) for repatriation purposes (deportation).

NOTE: The applicant will have 70 calendar days to desist of the process. If you do not, the NIS will not return the checks.

6. Criminal Affidavit. This document is provided by the National Immigration Services (NIS). 

7. Documentation showing the reason for requiring a permanent residency in Panama based on economic, investment, or professional activity:

a. Through an Operative Company Offering a Job:

1. A letter from a company offering work referring to the job title, salary, and brief job description on the company letterhead.
2. Certificate of the Public Registry of the company offering the position. 
3. Notice of Operation of the company offering the position. 
4. POA and Petition submitted to the Ministry of Labor applying for a work permit.

b. Through the purchase of a USD 200,000 real estate in Panama:

1. Certification of the Public Registry showing ownership in a) the applicant’s name, b) a corporation in which the applicant is the shareholder, c) a Private Interest Foundation in which the applicant is the beneficiary.

c.  Through a USD 200,000 Fixed Term Deposit free of encumbrance with a validity of 3 years:

1. Certificate from a general license bank operating in the national territory in which it states the existence of the fixed term deposit for a value of USD 200,000 that the same is free of encumbrance with a validity of 3 years. This investment may be made a) personally by the applicant, b) by a legal entity in which the applicant is the final beneficiary of the shares, contributions, or social quotas of the company, or founder and final beneficiary of a private interest foundation.

8. Proof of your address in Panamá:

1. If the property is in your name, an authenticated copy by a Panamanian Notary of the utility bill with validity up to three months from its issuance at the moment of the application.
2. If you are renting, an authenticated copy by a Panamanian Notary of the rental agreement with the corresponding utility bill with validity up to three (3) months from its issuance at the moment of application.
3. A certification of address issued by a local authority.

B. Dependent (Wife, Son/Daughter under 25 years who are still full-time students)

Requirement Documents

General Requirements:

• Photocopy of the passport of the applicant, including the page that shows the picture, name, date of birth, passport number, place of issue, etc., and all other pages authenticated by a Panamanian Notary
• Criminal record from the country of last two (2) years of residency for any dependent over 18 years old apostilled or authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate in the country of its issuance
• Certificate of Good Health, issued by a licensed Panamanian hospital or clinic, signed by a registered, licensed physician, indicating that the applicant has no contagious diseases and is in good mental and physical condition.
• Six (6) passport-sized photographs of the applicant
• Two Certified Checks:
  • USD 250 on behalf of the National Treasury for immigration fee
  • USD 800 on behalf of Immigration for repatriation purposes (deportation).

Exemption for paying Repatriation Deposit: The following applicants are not obligated to pay for the repatriation deposit:

1. The religious (priests, ministers, nuns).
2. The students.
3. The person that applies for the visa of married with Panamanian.
4. The minors of 12 years.
5. Another person establishes by special laws.

Specific Requirements:

1. Responsibility letter of the principal applicant assuming responsibility for all the dependents’ expenses, including repatriation expenses. 
2. Recently issued marriage certificate Apostille or authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate in the country of its issuance
3. Translation of the marriage certificate by an official Panamanian translator
4. Recently issued birth certificate duly Apostille or authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate in the country of its issuance
5. Translation of the birth certificate
6. Applicants over 18 years old and under twenty-five (25) years of age must provide: 
   1. Certification from an educational institution in Panamá attesting to his or her status as a full-time, regular student.
   2. Affidavit of bachelorhood.
7. Proof that the principal has enough economic solvency to be responsible for the dependents. This can be proved with:
1. A bank reference letter, with a balance of no less than four figure plus USD 2000 for each additional dependent.
2. A Copy of the income declaration or tax returns, with its tax clearance certificate, showing a minimum income of USD 1000 monthly, plus USD 100, additional for each dependent.
3. Work letter with the proof of payment of Social Security and a copy of the work permit

1. The documents issued in a foreign country must be apostilled. 
2. Apostille is an internationally recognized government agency authentication of its issued documents by attaching a seal to the paper. Otherwise, you can authenticate the criminal history report through any Panamanian Consulate. 
3. In some nations, the Criminal Record Certificate can be apostilled if requested when applying.

C. Process Stages

First Visit to Panama:  Please plan a trip for ten business days.

Day 1: Meeting at our office

• The applicant must present all the original documents for the visa application to our office.
• Submit the application for a bank account if you will open an account to prove financial solvency. 
• If the revision of the papers is in compliance with immigration law, we will process your passport registration at the Immigration Office.

Day 2: Passport Registration 

We will register your passport at the NIS. 

Requirements:

• two passport pictures,
• a copy of the passport, a copy of the seal of entry to Panamá, 
• a copy of the boarding pass, 
• If a student, a copy of the registration receipts in a Panamanian education center is required.

Day 3: Visa Application Submission

• Once the application is submitted, Immigration will grant the applicant a temporary card valid for six months and multiple entries and exit visa. 
• This card allows you to live in Panama while your visa is processing, and the Multiple Entry and Exit Permit will enable the applicant to enter and exit Panama. 
• If you do not stay in Panama, you can leave after you have obtained the Multiple Entry and Exit Permit. 

Note:

• §  If you stay abroad and overdue your six-month multiple entry and exit visa, the government will charge you a USD 2000 fine.
•  If you will drive in Panama, you must apply for a Panamanian driver license http://www.sertracen.com.pa/. We can assist you with this. This is billed separately.

Second Visit to Panama - Approximately six (6) months after the application is submitted.

Please plan a seven-business days trip.

If your visa has been approved, the NIS will issue a two-year temporary Resident Resolution.

NOTE: Once you become a resident of Panama, you cannot be abroad for more than two years. If so, your residence might be canceled. 

PERMANENT RESIDENCE APPLICATION

After one year and 11 months of obtaining your two-years temporary approval resolution from the NIS, you can apply for your permanent residence. The process will be as follows:

First Visit – Please plan a trip for ten business days.

Day 1 – Meeting at our office

During this visit, you must present all the required documents for the visa application to our office, plus nine payments to Social Security. Criminal Records and checks are not required.

Note: If you renew your passport, we must transfer your registration seal to the new passport at the NIS

Day 2/3 - Submit your application at the NIS

Once the application is submitted, Immigration will grant you a temporary card valid for six months and the multiple entries and exit permit.  

Second Visit to Panama

Approximately six (6) months after the application is submitted, if your visa has been approved, the NIS will issue a Permanent Resident Resolution granting you a Permanent Resident Card. 

Also, the NIS will notify the Civil Registration (Tribunal Electoral) to issue a Permanent Resident Card.

Third Visit to Panama – Processing your Permanent Resident Card at the Civil Registration.

Within two (2) months since the visa was approved, the applicant must visit the Civil Registration Office to process this card.

Please book a trip for at least seven business days for this visit.

NOTE: Once you become a permanent resident, you cannot stay continuously outside the country for two years or more at a time. Otherwise, your residence will be canceled.

PANAMANIAN CITIZENSHIP AND PASSPORT

Five years after obtaining Permanent Residency, counting from the date of the Permanent Resident Resolution, you can apply for Panamanian citizenship. However, if you are a national of Spain or a Latin American State, and if Panama has a bilateral treaty with those countries, the five-year period could be less. For detailed information about the naturalization process, visit  https://www.kerycruz.com/en/news/panama-naturalizations

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES EXEMPT FROM THIS VISA

According to the Constitution and Laws of the Republic of Panama, the retail trade and the professions listed below may be exercised solely by Panamanians:

Agricultural Sciences	Pharmacy	Dental assistant
Barbering	Cosmetology	Veterinary
Chiropractors	Nutrition	Physiotherapy
Economy	Public Relations	Social Work
Engineering	Architecture	Speech Therapy, therapists and similar
Journalism	Chemical Laboratory Technicians	Chemistry
Medical Assistant	Accounting	Sociology
Medicine	Medical radiology	Psychology
Nursing	Odontology	Law

WORK PERMITS

FOR FRIENDLY COUNTRY VISA APPLICANT

Entity: Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development

Requirements:

1. Pre-registration
2. Application filed by a lawyer,
3. An Authenticated copy of the Resolution issued by the NIS granted the permanent residence,
4. Certificate immigration status issued by the NIS. 
5. Copy of the permanent residence card issued by the NIS duly authenticated by a Public Notary
6. Four (4) passport photographs,
7. Check payable to the National Treasury (Tesoro Nacional) for USD 250.00.

Processing Time: six months

Meaning of terms in this document:

• Original: Original issued documents, not copies.
• Official: Issued directly by the respective Institution/Company, not internet printing nor other external sources.
• Updated: With a recent date, not more than three (3) months since the document was issued. For the passport, six (6) months.
• Authenticated: Notarized and Authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate nearest you (or Authenticate by Apostille)

Legal Fee:

• Two-years provisional residence card – Main Applicant Residence Application - USD 1850.00
• Dependent Two-years provisional residence Application – USD 850.00 each
• Three years-work permission application main applicant: USD 800.00
• Open a bank account for the main applicant: USD 850.00
• Permanent residence card – Main Applicant Residence Application - USD 1850.00
• Dependent permanent residence application – USD 850.00 each

AN ADVICE: Business casual attire is recommended for conducting business during your stay (opening bank accounts and visiting government institutions). You should also wear conservative clothing for immigration appointments. Shorts, sandals, and sleeveless clothes are frowned upon. Furthermore, government offices will bar entrances for anyone wearing such attire.