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Requirements to obtain a Panamanian Cédula and Passport if you are a "zonian."

  1. Be born in the former Panama Canal Zone between 1904 and 1979.
  2. Original of Birth Certificate (valid only for six months), issued by the U.S. Department of State. This document must be apostilled afterward
  3. Spanish translation of the birth certificate, issued by an authorized Panamanian translator
  4. Passport Copy
  5. Second identification, e.g., driver’s license

All documents must be presented to the Office of Foreign Registry and Judicial Acts at the Panama Civil Registry.

Regarding the Birth Certificate:

Between 1904 and 1979, the Government of the Canal Zone (managed by the U.S.) registered all civil acts, births, marriage, and death records. However, in 1979, the Commission of the Panama Canal Zone was responsible for all civil records of the Canal Zone.

The Commission ceased activities in December 1999. As a result, all civil records were transferred to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

The following documents are necessary to obtain a birth certificate from the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C.:

  1. Notarized letter requesting the birth certificate. This letter needs to include: full name at birth, any other names or aliases, date of birth, place of birth, the full name of the parents, current address, and phone number.
  2. Copy of a valid ID in the U.S.
  3. USD 50 Check, payable to the U.S. Department of State

All documents must be sent to:

U.S. Department of State

Passports Vital Records Section

44132 Mercure Cir.

PO Box 1213

Sterling, VA 20166-1213

Process: 

1. Translation of the documents.

2. If the documents were not apostilled, and instead where legalized by the Panamanian Consulate or Embassy, the documents need to certified by the Ministry of the Foreigners Affairs in Panama. This could take up to three days, as they work with appointments. 

3. Revision of the documents at the Civil Registration to verify if you appear in the list and if you have a Panamanian ID. 

4. After revision, If you are not in Panamá, please send us all the original documents to our office to proceed with the petition.

5. Interview. The interview required that you be in Panamá. 

6. Resolution of the government about your case, either approving or denying. 

7. If the government accept and approved your petition, you can proceed to take the picture for our Panamanian ID at the Civil Registration Office.  

8. Ten (10) working days after taking the pictures for your id, you can pick the Panamanian cédula at the Tribunal Electoral. 

9. Once you have a Panamanian ID that recognized you as Panamanian you can required your Panamanian Passport at the National Directorate of Passport. 

Office in charged:

Administrative Office of the Foreign Vital Records and Judicial Acts of the Civil Registrar of Panama (Departamento de Hechos Vitales y Actos Jurídicos Ocurridos en el Exterior, Dirección General del Registro Civil, Ciudad de Panamá).

To assist you in the process email us at lill@kerycruz.com