Relokato / Destinations / Panamá
🇵🇦 Panamá
Friendly Nations, Pensionado and Qualified Investor routes, the cédula and territorial tax registration — with deadlines and the official source for each step.
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23
Tasks in your Panama playbook
180 d
Visa-free tourist window for most nationalities
2 yr
Provisional → Permanent residency
$0
To start your plan
One-time cost to move
$5,000–$10,000
Relokato planning estimate for a one-time move to Panamá, as of September 2026. Single person moving from the US. One-time relocation costs only — government fees, apostilles, flights, shipping, rental deposits, and any professional help you choose to use. This estimate includes any professional fees you choose to incur; it does not imply representation is required. An estimate, not a quote.
Immigration lawyer fees (effectively mandatory for Friendly Nations and Pensionado), apostilles, flights, shipping, and the first-lease deposit.
Living costs are separate and depend on your lifestyle — see our cost calculator for a full breakdown.
Pick your route
Residence routes
published by Servicio Nacional de Migración.
Friendly Nations Visa
Friendly Nations Visa
Open to nationals of the countries on Migración’s Países Específicos list, 51 jurisdictions since Ecuador was added by Decreto Ejecutivo 16 de 31 de agosto de 2026 to the 50 entries in Decreto 226 (Hong Kong appears separately, hence jurisdictions rather than countries). The list is amended by decree, so read the current sheet. Three qualifying grounds: Panamanian employment, with a job letter and a copy of the MITRADEL work-permit petition bearing its receipt — the residence does not replace the work permit, and professions reserved to Panamanians remain unavailable; Panamanian real estate worth at least $200,000; or a $200,000 fixed-term deposit for 3 years at a general-licence Panamanian bank, free of encumbrances. Owning a Panama-registered company is not itself a ground, though a company or foundation may hold the qualifying property or deposit where you are its ultimate beneficiary. Approval gives two years of provisional residence, followed by a separate permanent-residence application. Charges: $250 to the Tesoro Nacional plus a $800 repatriation deposit to Migración. The legislation says the authority “podrá conceder”: meeting the documentary thresholds is not an automatic entitlement to approval.
Servicio Nacional de Migración — Países Específicos (requisitos, PDF) →Pensionado
Pensionado Visa
A lifetime, guaranteed pension of at least $1,000/month, plus $250/month per dependant. The minimum drops to $750/month where you own Panamanian property valued over $100,000, and two spouses may combine pensions to reach the $1,000 minimum (Decreto Ejecutivo 320 de 2008, arts. 200–203). Permanent residence from approval, plus the statutory jubilado/pensionado discounts under Ley 6 de 1987, as amended.
Servicio Nacional de Migración — Jubilado y Pensionado (requisitos, PDF) →Qualified Investor
Qualified Investor Visa
Permanent residence immediately on approval, unlike Friendly Nations. Qualifying grounds: Panamanian real property of at least $300,000 free of encumbrances — a promise-of-sale contract (contrato de promesa de compraventa) for the same amount is a distinct ground — or $500,000 in securities through a Casa de Valores licensed by the Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores, or a $750,000 fixed deposit in a general-licence Panamanian bank. Funds must originate from a foreign source (art. 2 as amended), and art. 3A permits co-ownership with a spouse or dependants where you are the ultimate beneficiary. Charges: $5,000 to the Tesoro Nacional plus $5,000 to Migración for the principal applicant, and $1,000 to each for a dependant. The legislation says the authority “podrá conceder”: meeting the documentary thresholds is not an automatic entitlement to approval.
Standing condition · hold the investment for 5 years
The qualifying investment must be maintained for a minimum of 5 years. If the investment ceases before that term and is not reinvested in accordance with the decree, it gives rise to ex officio cancellation of the permanent residence. Proof that the investment is maintained must be submitted each year until the 5 years are complete (Decreto 722, art. 5).The real-estate ground is $300,000 under Decreto Ejecutivo 193 de 2024, which replaced the earlier transitional provision. No scheduled increase exists in the current decree.
Decreto Ejecutivo 193 de 15 de octubre de 2024, que modifica el Decreto Ejecutivo 722 de 2020 (Gaceta Oficial 30140-B, PDF) →Short-stay · Remote Worker
Remote Worker Visa
Created by Decreto Ejecutivo 198 de 7 de mayo de 2021 for people working remotely for a foreign company whose effects are produced abroad: foreign-source income of at least $36,000 a year ($3,000/month on the company letter), nine months’ duration, extendable once for a further nine months. Migración also asks for medical insurance covering Panama and a criminal-record certificate, and prohibits accepting work in Panama. Charges: $250 on application plus $50 for the card. This is a non-resident category — it does not create residence.
Servicio Nacional de Migración — Visa de Corta Estancia como Trabajador Remoto (requisitos, PDF) →Why Panamá · Territorial tax
Tax follows where income is produced.
Panama taxes on a territorial basis: income produced from a source within Panamanian territory is taxable here, regardless of where it is received or paid from (Código Fiscal art. 694). Whether a foreign salary, pension, dividend or remote-work income is Panamanian-source is decided under arts. 694–695 and the implementing rules, on the facts — a foreign payer is not by itself proof that income falls outside. US citizens also file US federal tax regardless of residence.
Relokato walks you through cédula registration, opening a bank account, and the filings that follow — with the official source beside each step.
Territorial taxUSD economyCédula + bankingPensionado discounts
CSS (contributory), MINSA (public facilities), or private care
CSS is a contributory social-insurance scheme covering enrolled contributors and registered dependents; MINSA operates public facilities generally accessible to the resident population; private care sits outside both.
Caja de Seguro Social — Afiliación al Asegurado · August 2026
Hospital beds — national total
8,575 hospital beds — national total, urban and rural combinedVerify
Urban 6,650 and rural 1,925, as published.
Mid-year population
4,645,375 residents, mid-year estimate
Projection for 1 July 2026 in the revised series published 26 January 2026, based on the 2023 Census. The District of Panama — not a metropolitan area — is projected at 1,272,688 in the same series.
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents
No official figure is published
INEC publishes the total number of hospital beds and the mid-year population estimate separately, and defines the indicator as beds divided by mid-year population times one thousand, but publishes no computed result. Relokato does not calculate it.
Households without a car
59.9 % of occupied private dwellings with no automobile
Arithmetic complement of the published figure: 637,083 of 1,589,018 occupied dwellings (40.1%) reported an automobile. INEC does not itself publish a 'no car' framing.
INEC — Censo 2023, Cuadro 20 · 2023
Journey-to-work modal split
No official figure is published
Panama's 2023 census questionnaire contains no journey-to-work question, and no modal-split table appears in any INEC census volume.
Checked: https://www.inec.gob.pa/
Where you'll land
Neighbourhoods
most movers choose.
🌆
El Cangrejo
Panama City · Walkable · Expat hub · Mid-range
Young professionals, remote workers, first-timers
Rent: $900–$1,600 USD
Panama City data →🏢
Costa del Este
Panama City · Modern · Family-friendly · Affluent
Families, corporate expats, those wanting new construction
Rent: $1,400–$2,800 USD
Panama City data →🏛️
Casco Viejo
Panama City · Colonial · Bohemian · UNESCO-listed
Creative professionals, culture lovers, boutique hotel feel
Rent: $1,200–$2,200 USD
Panama City data →⛰️
Boquete Town
Boquete · Mountain · Relaxed · Strong expat community
Retirees, nature lovers, remote workers wanting cooler climate
Rent: $600–$1,200 USD
Boquete data →🏝️
Bocas Town
Bocas del Toro · Caribbean · Casual · Off-the-grid energy
Digital nomads, divers, those escaping the city
Rent: $500–$1,000 USD
No data page yet
Panama City — metro lines
2 lines in operation — Línea 1 (15 stations) and Línea 2 (16 stations); Línea 3 under construction
The operator's homepage states Línea 3 is 'En Construcción'; no in-service date is published.
Metro de Panamá — Línea 1 · August 2026
Panama City — single metro fare
$0.35
In effect since 15 June 2014. Students $0.17 on weekdays 05:00–20:00 (max 2 trips/day); seniors, pensioners and people with disabilities $0.24. MiBus: $0.25 troncal, $0.75 corredor.
Metro de Panamá — Tarifa del Metro · August 2026
Panama City — monthly pass
No official figure is published
Neither Metro de Panamá nor MiBus documents a monthly or period pass on its official fare pages; only per-trip fares loaded onto the stored-value Tarjeta Metrobús.
Panama City — nonstop destinations from PTY
84 cities across 34 countriesVerify
The source page carries no publication date; the figure is treated as current-schedule.
Panama City — intercontinental nonstop
YesVerify
Includes Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Frankfurt.
Rent ranges are Relokato estimates as of September 2026, gathered from listing sites — not official figures.
Cost of living · Panama City
What life in Panamá
actually costs.
1BR apartment (Panama City centre)
$900–$1,600/mo
Meal at local restaurant (fondita)
$4–$8 USD
Grocery run (1 week, 2 people)
$60–$100 USD
Monthly transport (Uber / bus card)
$40–$80 USD
Gym membership
$30–$60 USD/mo
Utilities (elec, water — AC-heavy)
$80–$180 USD/mo
Private health insurance
$80–$200 USD/mo
Every figure in this section is a Relokato estimate as of September 2026 — rents, food, transport, utilities and insurance are gathered from listing and provider prices, not published by a Panamanian authority. Treat them as planning ranges and check current prices before you budget.
Common questions
Things people ask
before they commit.
Who qualifies for the Friendly Nations Visa?
Nationals of the countries on Migración’s current Países Específicos list — 51 jurisdictions since Ecuador was added by Decreto Ejecutivo 16 de 31 de agosto de 2026 to the 50 entries in Decreto 226 (Hong Kong appears separately, hence jurisdictions rather than countries), and amended by decree, so check the current sheet. Since 2021 the route qualifies on one of three grounds: Panamanian employment, with a job letter and a copy of the MITRADEL work-permit petition bearing its receipt — the residence does not replace the work permit, and restricted professions remain unavailable; Panamanian real estate worth at least $200,000; or a $200,000 fixed-term deposit for 3 years at a Panamanian general-licence bank, free of encumbrances. Owning a Panama-registered company is not itself a ground, though a company or foundation may hold the qualifying property or deposit where you are its ultimate beneficiary. Approval gives two years of provisional residence first, followed by a separate permanent-residence application. Charges: $250 to the Tesoro Nacional and a $800 repatriation deposit to Migración. The legislation says the authority “podrá conceder”: meeting the documentary thresholds is not an automatic entitlement to approval.
Can I apply from inside Panama?
Most applications are filed by a Panamanian immigration lawyer once you arrive on a tourist stamp (most Western nationalities get 180 days visa-free). You don't need to fly back home to apply — but you do need a registered local lawyer to sign and submit the paperwork at Servicio Nacional de Migración.
How does the Pensionado visa work?
The pension must be lifetime and guaranteed, of at least $1,000/month, plus $250/month per dependant. The minimum drops to $750/month where you own Panamanian property valued over $100,000, and two spouses may combine their pensions to reach the $1,000 minimum. Source: Decreto Ejecutivo 320 de 2008, arts. 200–203. It grants permanent residence, and holders of jubilado/pensionado status qualify for the statutory discount schedule in Ley 6 de 1987, as amended.
How does Panama's territorial tax system work?
Panama taxes on a territorial basis, but the test is where the income is produced, not who pays it. Código Fiscal art. 694 taxes income produced from any source within Panamanian territory, regardless of where it is received or paid from — so a foreign payer is not by itself proof that income is foreign-source. Whether particular income falls inside or outside the Panamanian net is determined under arts. 694–695 and the implementing rules, on the facts. US citizens also file US federal tax regardless of residence. Take the source question to a Panamanian accountant before you move.
Is Relokato a lawyer or notario?
No. Relokato is a planning tool — a personalised playbook with deadlines, official sources, and step-by-step guides. For the visa application itself and tax filings, work with a Panamanian immigration lawyer and a cross-border accountant.
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