|
| Tourist Visa:granted on arrival for stays of up to 90 days,Renewable for a further 90 days,making a total of 180 days. This is applicable to USA,Canadian and EU passport holders.At the end or prior to the end of this period you must leave the country.Some people take the bus to Costa Rica stay 72 hours,return and start the 180 days over again.For those wanting a more permanent solution there are a range of Residencia visas available. Pensioned Tourist Visa: this visa requires that you prove that you have a pension of a minimum of $500 per month,from any government or corporation/organization (your age
is not a factor , so you can be 34 and still qualify as long as you can prove your pension income). For each dependent , the pension income must be increased by $100. This visa offers you immediate permanent residency,however, you can never obtain a Panamanian passport with this visa. Business Investor Visa: this visa requires that you invest a minimum of $40,000 in any business in Panama,that has hired a minimum of 3 employees, paying those employees social security benefits. This visa offers legal temporary residence for 1 year, then permanent residency and "cedula" (Panamanian resident ID) , but you can only get your passport when you obtain citizenship, which can only be done after 5 years of being a permanent resident.
Self Economic Solvency Visa: this visa requires that you invest in a Panamanian bank (any Panamanian bank) CD with a minimum of US$100,000 for a minimum of 1 year (add $5000 to the CD for each additional dependent). This visa offers legal temporary residency for 1 year, then permanent residency and "cedula" (Panamanian resident ID), but you can only get your passport when you obtain citizenship , which can only be done after 5 years of being a permanent resident. Reforestation Investor Visa: this visa requires that you invest a minimum of $40,000 in any qualified reforesation project in Panama. This visa offers legal temporary residency for 1 year, then permanent residency and "cedula" (Panamanian resident ID), but you can only get your passport when you obtain citizenship, which can only be done after 5 years of being a permanent resident. Retired Visa (Immediate Passport Program): this program offers immediate Panamanian passport. The requirement is that you invest in a 5 year bank CD with the Banco Nacional de Panama (BNP this is the government bank of Panama).You must invest enough in the CD to earn you a minimum of $750 per month in interest income. At current interest rates, the minimum investment would be US$165,000 in a 5 year CD. Please note that the Panamanian passport would still indicate that you are a US (or whatever) citizen, and it is not a permanent passport (it is valid for the 5 year term of the CD). If you want to renew the passport when it expires, you must renew the CD for another 5 years. With this program,
you never become a permanent citizen of Panama. |
