Residency in Panama for Friendly Nations

This is one of the most requested immigration programs to obtain permanent residency in Panama for Friendly Nations

Panama’s permanent residency program for Friendly Nations has been in effect since 2012, and was amended in 2021. The Panamanian government allows citizens of 51 nations with whom it has good economic and political relations to apply for this type of residency.

If you are a citizen of one of these friendly nations we can help you throughout the process of applying for permanent residency. Beneficiary countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marino, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay.

Reasons for applying to the Friendly Nations Program

Employment purposes

The Friendly Nations Program was intended, since its inception, to provide immigration status for those foreigners working in Panama. Presently, the Program allows foreigners with labor contracts in companies located in Panama to apply for said Program.

Nevertheless, the Panamanian authorities require several documents that demonstrate the nature and permanence in time of such labor contracts. Among the documents to be presented are:

• Letter of employment, signed by the legal representative of the company, certifying the position, salary and the commitment to assume the repatriation expenses, as applicable.
• Certificate of the Public Registry of Panama from the employer company.
• Notice of Operations of the employer company.

In this last case, the authorities now require that both the applicant and the employer process the Work Permit before the Panamanian Ministry of Labor. They will not approve the Residence Permit without this.

The cost of this option is 3,800 USD. We prepare EVERYTHING.

Investment in real estate

The applicant must demonstrate that he/she is the owner of a real estate property valued at a minimum of US$200,000. This real estate may be in his name or in the name of a legal entity. In this case, the applicant will have to be the founder or final beneficiary of that company.

For the entire process and documents, the cost is 2,500 USD

Time Deposit

The applicant for the Residency in Panama must deposit a minimum of US$200,000 in a bank licensed to operate in Panama. This deposit must have a minimum term of three years. Such time deposit may be made by the applicant acting personally or through a legal entity of which he/she is the founder or final beneficiary.

According to Executive Decree 197 of May 2021, the National Immigration Service now only grants a provisional residence for a period of two years to those who apply to the “Friendly Nations” Program. Once the two years have passed, you may apply for permanent residency with this provisional residency.

Applying for this program must be done through a lawyer and we can help you to make the application process as smooth as possible.

For the entire process and documents, the cost is 2,500 USD

Please contact us for more details.