PANAMA PENSIONER VISA PROGRAM

If you meet one of the following conditions, regardless of age, you can apply for the Panamanian Pensioner Program:

1. You earn a USD 1,000 monthly pension for life or its equivalent in foreign currency.
2. You earn a USD 750 pension for life and own a USD 100,000 real estate property in Panama.
3. If you are married, the spouses' combined pension is USD 1,000. 

• If spouses receive a combined pension of USD 1,000, both must provide the documents related to the pension mentioned below.

If you want to include dependents (wife, son, or daughter):

1. Your son and daughter must be full-time students over 18 and under 25. They will get provisional residence until they are 25.
2. The principal applicant's pension amount must be increased by USD 250 monthly for each dependent. 
3. The alternative to the pension increment is for the applicant to provide a Panamanian bank reference letter with at least four high figures.

Notes about dependents:  

• The children dependent shall not be granted permanent residence nor the condition of a pensioner. 

• The exception to the rule is dependent children who suffer from a proven profound physical or mental disability.

• If a dependent does not attend college full-time after 18, their Panama Pensionado Visa will be canceled.

• The student dependent must find another Panamanian Visa to apply for permanent residency.

Main applicant requirements:

1. Power of Attorney and Petition. Our office provides these documents. A Panamanian Notary must authenticate these documents. We will assist you with this.
2. Six (6) passport-size photographs (You can get them in Farmacias Arrochas in Panamá).
3. Copy of each page of the passport duly certified by a Panamanian Notary Public. Our office will do it for you. Passport validity should not be less than six (6) months before processing the Panama immigration application.
4. Health Certificate from a Panamanian medical center. We will assist you with this. 
5. Original Criminal Record Certificate for the country you have lived in for the last two years. 
6. When processing the Criminal Records, indicate that it is for immigration purposes if your country has that option. 
7. This document needs to be apostilled or authenticated by the nearest Panamanian Consulate. 
8. If the Panamanian Consulate authenticates the document, then it needs to be verified in Panama by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Criminal Records validity varies depending on the country of issuance. 
• An original certification letter of your condition as a pensioner. 
  • The letter should be issued either by a foreign government, an international organization, or a private company. 
  • The certification letter must indicate that you receive a lifetime pension and that the pension amount is not less than USD 1,000 monthly or its equivalent in foreign currency. 
  • Verify with the pensioner organization if the amount can be expressed in dollars and the country's currency.
  • If the certification letter or social security does not expressly state that the payment corresponds to a lifetime pension:
    • The applicant must provide a signed Affidavit (sworn declaration) indicating that the payment is for a retirement pension granted for life. 
    • This Affidavit must be authenticated by a Public Notary and Apostilled or authenticated by the nearest Panamanian Consulate. 
• Proof of pension payments for the last three months before your application date. i.e., pension payment checks and bank statements showing deposits.

IF THE PENSION IS FROM A PRIVATE COMPANY:

• A private organization, such as a mutual fund, trust, bank, or insurance company, must be appropriately licensed to qualify. 

• Original Letter from the pension management company, or of trust, or mutual funds, insurance, or banking that certifies that they manage the funds for the applicant.
• Original Certificate of existence and validity of the company that grants the pension and manages the funds.
• Personal Background Affidavit Form. 
• We will assist you if you do not know how to answer a question.

• Please download the Sworn Declaration of Criminal Records at the following link:  https://media.kerycruz.com/forms/Declaracion%20Jurada%20de%20Antecedentes%20Personales%20.pdf 
• Fill out the Sworn Declaration of Criminal Records by computer and send this form by email before your first visit so we can review it.

1.  Proof of address in Panama, which can be proved with:
2. If you are renting, you will need an authenticated copy of the rental agreement and an authenticated copy of the electricity, water, or internet bill in the name of the landlord or the pensioner.
3. If you owned a property with the Public Records Certificate and copy of the electricity, water, or internet bill in the pensioner's name authenticated by a Panamanian Notary. 

IF YOU APPLY THROUGH THE REAL ESTATE OPTION, AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT IS:

1. A certification from the Public Registry of Panama showing ownership and the property value. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPENDENTS:

For spouse: 

1. Apostilled Original marriage certificate. If the country is not a signatory of the Hague Convention (Apostille), the nearest Panamanian Consulate must authenticate the document. 
2. The marriage certificate must have a recent date. 

For son or daughter: 

1. Apostilled or authenticated by the nearest Panamanian Consulate original birth certificate. 
2. The birth certificate must have a recent date. 

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPENDENTS:

1. Copy of each page of the passport duly certified by a Panamanian Notary Public. Our office will do it for you. Passport validity should not be less than six (6) months before processing the Panama immigration application.
2. Original Health Certificate from a Panamanian medical center. We can assist you with this.
3. Letter of Responsibility, whereby the applicant takes responsibility for his/her dependents. Our office provides this.
4. Personal Background Affidavit Form.
5. In the case of a dependent older than 18 but not more than 25 years old: 

The university certification confirming the dependent as a full-time student. 

The certification should be from a university in Panama.

Affidavit of dependent civil status as single.

 

Important notices:

• Each document should be original.

• Each document should be issued within three months of your application. 

• Each document issued in a language other than Spanish must be translated into Spanish by a certified public translator. 

• Each document should be apostilled or authenticated by the nearest Panamanian Consulate. We are unfamiliar with each country's apostille process and are not authorized to advise about other jurisdictions. 

• If the nearest Panamanian Consulate authenticates the document, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must validate it in Panama.

• If your dependent will apply separately, and not in the same petition as yours, they must pay:

• USD 250 to the National Treasurer for the immigration category's request.
• USD 800 to the National Immigration Services as repatriation deposit. 

• The payment is usually made with a certified check. 

• The bank charges a USD 10.70 fee to certify the check.

Process Expense - Main Applicant

Description	Amount in USD	Comment
POA	5	Authentication by a Panamanian Notary
Petition	5	Authentication by a Panamanian Notary
Passport Registration	5	Payable to the Immigration Office
Copy of the Passport	25	Authenticated by a Panamanian Notary
Health Certificate	25	By a Panamanian Practitioner
6 months process cards	50	Payable to the Immigration Office
Permanent Card	100	Payable to the Immigration Office
Panamanian Resident Card – Civil Registration	50	Payable to the Tribunal Electoral
Multiple Entry and Exit Visa	50	Payable to the Immigration Office
Translation fee	150	Usually 12 per page, but may vary
Miscellaneous Expenses	150
Total	615	Expenses are approximate. Additional expenses may apply

Process Expense – 1 Dependent

Description	Amount in USD	Comment
Passport Registration	5	Payable to the Immigration Office
Copy of the Passport	25	Authenticated by a Panamanian Notary
Health Certificate	25	By a Panamanian Practitioner
6 months process cards	50	Payable to Immigration Office
Permanent Card	100	Payable to Immigration Office
Panamanian Permanent Card – Civil Registration	50	Payable to Tribunal Electoral, if the dependent is over 18 years old.
Multiple Entry and Exit Visa	50	Payable to Immigration Office
Translation fee	150	Usually 12 per page, but may vary
Miscellaneous Expenses	150
Total	605	Expenses are approximate. Additional expenses may apply

Process Steps

If you are not planning to move to Panama while processing your residence, you must schedule several trips to our country. We have designed a schedule that helps you plan your trip and understand the different stages of the process.

First Visit to Panama

Day 1: 

Meet at our office to receive the original documents. 

Then, visit the clinic to obtain your health certificate.

Day 2:  Passport registration. After registration, the passport needs to be notarized.

For passport registration, the following is required:

1. Two (2) passport-sized photographs of the applicants.
2. Complete the Panama immigration registration Form.
3. Original passport.
4. One (1) photocopy of passport general data page and your entry seal.
5. Power of Attorney authorizing a lawyer to submit a Pensioner Visa Application on your behalf (our office provides this).

Day 3: Free

Day 4: Free

Day 5: Apply for residence at the Panamanian Immigration Office. 

A personal visit to the Panama Immigration Department is required because you will receive a "Provisional Processing Card" valid for six months and a Multiple Entry and Exit Visa. 

Please remember that if you travel abroad and re-enter Panamá after your six-month process card and multiple-entry visa expire, a USD 2,000 fine may be imposed. 

*If you are not planning to stay in Panama, you can leave the country.

Second Visit

Once we have a resolution from immigration approving your application, we will follow the next steps as follows:

Day 1: Meet at our office to receive your passport. 

Day 2: Visit the Immigration Office to obtain your permanent resident card if approved.

Once you receive your residence card, you can leave the country. However, if you stay outside Panama for more than two years, your residence will be canceled at the National Immigration Services’ discretion. We recommend that our clients visit at least once a year.

Notes: 

If the petition is denied, a reconsideration resource can be submitted within five (5) business days. In this case, a new process card valid for six (6) months will be issued. Then, an additional visit needs to be scheduled. 

Third Visit

Day 1: Apply for your Panamanian Permanent Resident Card at the Civil Registration of Panamá. 

• It takes up to 7 working days to issue the ID. 
• Our office can pick up the Panamanian ID on your behalf.

Legal Fee

• Principal Applicant - USD 1250

• Dependent Visa - USD 750 for each dependent
• The legal fee is 100% once you sign the Power of Attorney. The legal fee is non-reimbursable.
• The fees do not include expenses.

Important Notice

1. The applicant must be physically present at the Panama immigration office at the time of Visa application.
2. Clients should scan all the required documents in advance; this way, we can do a pre-revision and translate the documents before arrival.
3. All the documents used in the process should be issued within three months from the application date to be deemed valid. For example, if you apply at the beginning of December, the documents must be issued at the end of September. Criminal record validity depends on the country. 
4. Please complete the Passport Registration Form that we will provide.
5. Please dress appropriately for the occasion. The Panama Immigration Department will not allow entrance to its office if you wear shorts, t-shirts, or sandals. 
6. Once your visa is approved, please plan to visit Panama for at least seven business days.
7. Once you receive an Immigration Card, you can no longer drive without a Panamanian driver’s license. We can assist you with this.

Apostille of the Social Security in the US. 

At the SSA.gov website, you can: 

• Request a copy of your pension information to your home address. 

• Request an email copy. 

• Download and print a copy. 

After that, 

• Prepare a general Affidavit declaring the information on the Social Security document is true and identifying yourself as the SS recipient. 

• If the document does not mention that your pension is a lifetime pension, you should include in the Affidavit that the payment is for a retirement pension granted for life. 

• This Affidavit must be notarized. 

• Fill out the Secretary of State's simple Apostille Request Form. 

• Attach the notarized document to your SS letter.

• Wrote the check for the fee and mailed it to the Secretary of State's office. Sometimes, mailing is faster than getting an appointment. 

Benefits as a pensioner

As a qualified "Panama Pensioner Visa" holder, you will be entitled to the following discounts:

• 50% off entertainment anywhere in the country (movies, theatres, concerts, sporting events)
• 30% off bus, boat & train fares
• 25% off airline tickets
• 50% off hotel stays from Monday through Thursday
• 30% off hotel stays from Friday through Sunday
• 25% off at restaurants
• 15% off at fast-food restaurants
• 15% off hospital bills (if no insurance applies)
• 10% off prescription medicines
• 20% off medical consultations
• 15% off dental & eye exams
• 20% off professional & technical services
• 50% off closing costs for home loans
• 25% off residential power (electricity bills) up to 600 kW
• 25% off residential phone service charges
• 25% off residential water bills of up to USD 30

As a qualified Panama Pensioner Visa holder, you will be entitled to tax exemptions as follows:

• A one-time exemption of duties taxes on importing household goods up to USD 10,000 in total value.
• 100% duty exemption on importing or purchasing an automobile every two (2) years.

If you want to familiarize yourself with the process of importing household goods as a pensioner, visit:

https://www.kerycruz.com/en/free-info/importing-household-goods,-personal-effects,-pets,-and-vehicles-into-panama-as-a-foreigner-resident