PANAMA IMMIGRATION

The Panamanian government has created several laws which, depending on the particular type of visa applied for, enable foreigners to obtain legal temporary or permanent residency, work permits, and in some cases citizenship and / or passports in the Republic of Panama. Most of these laws have been created to promote foreign investment in the country which benefits the local environment or local economy of Panama.

Below we have listed several immigration programs. Some of these programs offer temporary or permanent residency, citizenship, and passports and others may not. Some of these programs only offer temporary resident visas, or work permits.

Please read through the programs and determine which is the best for you:

Programs offering Immediate Panamanian Passport:

- Immediate Passport Program

Programs offering Permanent Residency & Passport:

- Self Economic Solvency Visa
- Agricultural Investor Program
- Small Business Investor Program
- Tax Free Processing Zone Investor Program
- Reforestation Visa (New)

Programs offering Permanent Residency only:

- Retired or Pensioned Program

Programs offering Temporary Work Visa only:

- City of Knowledge Work Visa

Programs offering Temporary Immigrant Visa only:

- Missionary Visa
- Student Visa

Multiple Entry & Exit Visa (Optional):

Multiple Entry and Exit Visa - Many international investors and companies find Panama to be an excellent location for investing in reforestation, manufacturing plants, assembly plants, distribution facilities for import/export, software creation facilities, call centers, and a variety of other business activities. Many times, investors find that legal residency qualification is just an "extra benefit" to the investments that they are making in Panama.

Obtaining a second residency in Panama is useful for those who wish to:

- Have a second home overseas in a tropical country where they can live at or visit.

- Have a "safe haven" to escape to in the event of war or any type of civil unrest that may threaten their family.

- Actually live in Panama permanently, perhaps after retirement.

- Relocate to a tropical, stable, safe country where it is very economical to live in comparison with most other developed countries such as the US, Canada, Europe, etc.

- Relocate to a more "tax friendly" country where foreign earned income, capital gains, and interest income is not taxed.

- Relocate to a country where frivolous lawsuits are not recognized by courts, and assets can be truly protected through a corporate shield, without the risks of "piercing the corporate veil".

- Relocate to a country where one can begin business operations economically, and without heavy restrictions, regulations, or taxes that hinder the growth of the business.

- Relocate to a country where real estate is still affordable for purchasing homes in the city or land at the beaches, mountains, lakes, etc.

Panama Immigration Statistics

According to the National Immigration Directory, 1,118 retiring foreigners (pensionado visas) immigrated to Panama between January 2002 and April 2005. The trend is accelerating rapidly, showing a 29% increase in 2003 over 2002, and 99% in 2004 over 2003. The 2004 increase was over 400%. In 2005 already 2500 new immigration visas have been issued. The largest group are US nationals, making up 67% of the total.

Click Here to view a list of all of the countries that holders of Panamanian passports may travel to Visa Free.

Click here to view all the Panamanian Consulates in the World.

If you are interested in relocating to Panama, or obtaining legal residency in Panama, please contact us for a personal consultation.

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