By means of Law Decree No. 3 of February 22nd, 2008 and the executive decree No. 320 of August 8th, 2008, the Panamanian government approved the new immigration law and its regulation that entered into force as of August 26th, 2008.
The new legislation mainly focuses on:
- Changes to fees and funds required
- Changes to visa regulations
- Simplifying the frame work
- Stricter penalties for illegal permanence within the country
The new rules divide the visas in categories of
non residents,
temporally residents and
permanent residents.
Non Residents Visa
Tourist visa- Citizens of the European Union automatically gets 90 days and do not need a Visa nor a Tourist Card.
- All others visitors up to 90 days depending on immigration officers and country of origin. All needs a Tourist Card (US$ 5.00, can be bought at border or at arrival at the airport).
- Tourist visas can be extended with 90 days, which is done at the immigration office before the first term ends.
Short Stay Visa
Up to 9 months for visitors involved in the following activities:
- Refugees from natural disasters
- Visiting for medical treatments
- Visiting relatives in Panama
- Conducting scientific research
- Potential Investments in certain industries (banking, call centers, film industry etc.)
- Establishing subsidiaries or branches in Panama
Temporally Residence Visa
Employment Visa
Up to 6 years (renewal every year) to foreigners hired or to be hired as:
- Colon Free Zone Executive with a minimum salary of US$ 2,000.00
- Employees (max 10% of total workforce) with a minimum salary of US$ 850.00
- Expert or technical staff (mas 15% of total workforce): with a minimum salary of US$ 850.00
- Workforce hired in accordance to Marrakech Accord with a minimum salary of US$ 1,000.00
Investment visas
Up to 6 years (renewal every 2 years) to foreigners:- Investing in agriculture sector with investment exceeding US$ 60,000.00
- Investing in film making industry by labor contract
- Executive for International Companies (the business activities has to be performed outside of Panamanian territory) with a minimum salary of US$ 1,000.00
- Multinational Regional Headquarter employees with salary paid from abroad
Permanent Residence
Visas of Economic reasons
Allowing foreigners to obtain permanent residence after fulfilling the following requirements:- Filing a residence permit for 2 years
- Filing a permanent residence petition
- Filing a petition for the procurement of citizenship
Programs for visas of Economic reasons
- Investment in Reforestation exceeding US$ 80,000.00
- Large Investor, investment exceeding US$ 160,000.00
- Self Sufficient funds (Person of means). At least US$ 300,000.00 in cash deposit (bank account), invested in real estate or a mix of cash deposit and real estate.
Visas of Special Policies
Allowing foreigners to obtain permanent residence after fulfilling the following requirements:- Filing a residence permit for 2 years
- Filing a permanent residence petition
- Filing a petition for the procurement of citizenship
Programs for Special Policies- Retired Annuitant Visa (2nd Passport):
- Cash deposit (bank account) that accumulated a monthly interest of at least US$ 2,000.00
- Tourist Pensioned with a monthly pension of at least US$ 1,000.00
Other Permanent Residence Programs - Employees hired as permanent staff of Panama Canal Authority with a Labor contract
- Panama Pacific Investor investing at least US$ 250,000.00
- Employees hired as permanent staff of an operator in the special economic area (Panama-Pacific) with a Labor contract
- Export processing zone investor investing at least US$ 250,000.00
- Film making industry investor investing at least US$ 150,000.00
