PanamaInvestor residence permit

Friendly Nations permanent residence in Panama

Permanent residence for nationals of states that Panama regards as friendly. The applicant chooses the ground: employment with a Panamanian company, the purchase of property or a fixed-term bank deposit. Temporary status is granted first, and the same pack is then used to move to permanent status. The property and the deposit are registered to a legal entity or a foundation in which the applicant remains the ultimate beneficial owner. The list of friendly countries is maintained by the immigration service.

Source: Servicio Nacional de Migración (Panamá) — Permisos Migratorios

Which ground to choose

The applicant has three ways to secure the right to residence — employment, the purchase of property or a fixed-term bank deposit. Below is who each one suits.

Employee of a Panamanian company

The employing company confirms the position, the salary and the repatriation undertaking by letter on its own letterhead
Migración and MITRADEL consider the immigration file and the work permit in parallel
No investment in property or a bank deposit is required

Property buyer

Buys property in Panama worth from 200,000 balboa
The property may be held by a legal entity or a private foundation in which the applicant is the ultimate beneficial owner
Mortgage finance through a Panamanian bank is allowed

Holder of a fixed-term deposit

Opens a fixed-term deposit from 200,000 balboa with a bank holding a general licence
Keeps the deposit free of encumbrances for at least three years
As with property, the account may be held by a legal entity or a foundation in which the applicant is the beneficial owner

When the programme will not suit

The applicant's nationality is not on the list of friendly countries, which Migración Panamá publishes separately

The Solvencia económica categories (property, deposit or a mixed investment) — they are arranged in a similar way but are not tied to a list of countries

There is neither a job offer nor 200,000 balboa for property or a deposit

The Rentista Retirado or Jubilado Pensionado category — for those with a steady annuity or pension rather than substantial capital

The applicant is married to a Panamanian national

The separate Casado con panameño category — a family ground unconnected with investment

You simply need to join a relative who already holds permanent residence in Panama

The Dependiente de Residente Permanente category, with no financial or employment ground of your own

What it costs

Cheque to the National Treasury (Tesoro Nacional)a certified cheque, paid when applying for temporary status (PPT-PE)	250 USD
Cheque to the National Immigration Service (Servicio Nacional de Migración)a certified cheque, paid when applying for temporary status (PPT-PE); not required when moving to permanent status (PPP-PE)	800 USD
Property investment thresholdthe minimum value of the property, held by the applicant, their legal entity or a private foundation	+200 000 USD
Fixed-term bank deposit thresholda deposit with a bank holding a general licence, free of encumbrances, held for at least three years	+200 000 USD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Property investment threshold” adds 200 000 USD; “Fixed-term bank deposit threshold” adds 200 000 USD. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	1,050–401 050 USD

Paid separately

Lawyer's or immigration agent's fees — not part of the government fee; in practice applicants usually engage a Panamanian lawyer to file the pack
Notarisation, apostille and translation of documents — paid separately to the notary or translator, not covered by the Migración cheques
MITRADEL fee for the work permit — a separate charge by the labour ministry on the employment ground, not covered by the Migración cheques

Documents to gather

The basic pack is filed for temporary status (PPT-PE); the amounts of the mandatory cheques are given in the Costs section. Documents for the chosen ground are added to the pack, and for permanent status (PPP-PE) the criminal record certificate and the cheques are no longer needed.

A notarised power of attorney and the application — the power of attorney states the names and nationality of the applicant's parents
Three photographs
A certified copy of the passport (notarised or apostilled)
A certificate of no criminal record
A medical certificate
A sworn declaration of personal details (Declaración Jurada de Antecedentes Personales)
On the employment ground — an employer's letter on company letterhead stating the position, the salary and the repatriation undertaking
On the employment ground — an extract from the Public Registry about the employing company
On the employment ground — a copy of the company's Aviso de Operación (or a justification under the business simplification law if no Aviso has been issued)
On the employment ground — a copy of the work permit application filed with MITRADEL and signed by the employer and the applicant
On the property ground — an extract from the Public Registry confirming ownership by the applicant, their legal entity or a private foundation
On the deposit ground — a certificate from a bank holding a general licence confirming the fixed-term deposit free of encumbrances
For dependants — a letter of undertaking from the resident and proof of the relationship: a marriage certificate, birth certificates of the children or a court custody order
For a dependant aged 18 to 25 — a certificate of full-time study and a sworn statement that they are not married
Proof of the sponsoring resident's income — an income tax return, or an employment certificate together with an extract from the Social Security Fund and a copy of the work permit

How the process runs

The procedure consists of two consecutive filings: temporary status first, then permanent.

1
Assembling the pack of documents and filing for temporary status
The applicant files the notarised power of attorney, the application, the photographs, a copy of the passport, the criminal record and medical certificates, the sworn declaration and the documents for the chosen ground — employment, property or a deposit.
2
Filing for the work permit in parallel
Where the ground is employment, the employer files the work permit application with MITRADEL at the same time; a copy of that application is attached to the immigration file.
3
Review of the file and issue of the temporary permit (PPT-PE)
Servicio Nacional de Migración reviews the pack and, on approval, grants temporary resident status for two years.
4
Filing for permanent status (PPP-PE)
Before the PPT-PE expires the applicant files the same pack of documents, this time without the criminal record certificate and without the cheques.
5
Getting permanent residence (PPP-PE)
Once approved, the applicant becomes a permanent resident; the temporary permit is replaced by an open-ended one on this ground.

Timelines and rights

Work

The employment ground requires a separate work permit: the application goes to MITRADEL in parallel with the immigration file.

Who you can bring with you

A resident may add a spouse and children to the application as dependants.

Spouse and children

The resident files a letter of undertaking and proof of the relationship — a marriage certificate, birth certificates of the children or a court custody order.

Adult children aged 18 to 25

A certificate of full-time study at an educational institution and a sworn statement that the applicant is not married are also required.

The resident sponsoring the dependants

Evidences income from 1,000 balboa a month plus 100 balboa for each dependant — by an income tax return, or by an employment certificate together with an extract from the Social Security Fund and a copy of the work permit.

Renewal and the grace period

A temporary permit (PPT-PE) is issued first, for two years. Before it expires, an application for the permanent permit (PPP-PE) is filed — the same pack of documents, but without the criminal record certificate and without the cheques. Once the PPP-PE is approved, permanent resident status has no expiry.

Frequently asked questions about Friendly Nations permanent residence

Which countries count as friendly for this programme?

The list itself is not set out in the programme requirements — they only refer to countries maintaining friendly, professional and economic-investment relations with Panama. Servicio Nacional de Migración publishes the current list as a separate document and may revise it, so it is worth checking the up-to-date version on the department's website before filing.

Can the property or the deposit be held by a company rather than by me personally?

Yes. Both financial grounds — the purchase of property and the fixed-term deposit — may be held by a legal entity in which the applicant is the ultimate beneficial owner of the shares or interests, or by a private foundation in which the applicant is the founder and ultimate beneficial owner.

Is a separate work permit needed where the ground is employment?

Yes. On the employment ground the applicant files a work permit application with the Ministry of Labour (MITRADEL) at the same time; a copy of that application, signed by the employer and the applicant, is attached to the immigration file at Migración.

How does temporary PPT-PE status differ from permanent PPP-PE?

PPT-PE is temporary resident status granted for two years after the first filing. PPP-PE is permanent status: the application is filed with the same pack of documents, but without the criminal record certificate and without the cheques for 250 and 800 balboa.

What if the applicant's country is not on the friendly list, or there is no 200,000 balboa?

The friendly countries programme is not the only route. On the Migración Panamá website, residence through property, a deposit or a mixed investment without any tie to a list of countries is set out under separate Solvencia económica categories, and there are also grounds for pensioners, people married to Panamanians and other circumstances.

Other ways to move to Panama

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Panama.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.