Panama Permanent Residence

General entry conditions

• - Valid passport: the travel document, the passport, needs to have a minimum validity of three months;
• - Maximum stay: foreign nationals from countries that are subject to visa entry requirements are permitted to remain in Panama for 30 days under a simple visa;
• - Exemption: the Migration Office can accept the situation in which the individual is exempt from the visa requirement, under Executive Decree no. 521, if the individual presented a valid US permanent residence card; our team can give you more details;
• - Countries without a visa requirement: foreign nationals of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the EU Member States, Vietnam and other countries are allowed to enter Panama without a visa and remain for 6 months; an extension can be obtained from the Office of Immigration in some cases; please keep in mind that this is different from obtaining Panama permanent residence;

Investment programs leading to Panama permanent residence

1. The Panama reforestation visa – first option: for an investment of $40,000 the applicant is granted permanent residency and will also be able to obtain the Panama passport;
2. Panama reforestation visa – second option: when the investment amount is more substantial, at $80,000 the applicant will obtain permanent residency after one year, as opposed to five years for the smaller investment;
3. Investment visa: the conditions for this visa have changed recently and it no longer leads to immediate permanent residency, however, investors who have a minimum investment in real estate of $200,000 can first obtain temporary residence for two years, and then Panama permanent residence;
4. Fees: when you apply for one of these programs, you should also keep in mind that, in addition to the minimum investment, the applicant also needs to pay a fee; for the visa immigration processing, the fees are generally around $250, however, they can be subject to change.