Residency Requirements for Panama 2026: Who Qualifies

Reviewed by Jane Katkova, Founder & Licensed CICC Consultant· Last updated: September 2026

A qualifying investment of US$300,000 or more held five years, a clean apostilled police record, lawful source of funds and one trip to Panama. Most US and Canadian files are straightforward; the main work lies in documenting the source of funds and obtaining apostilles.

Panama Qualified Investor Visa requirements: key criteria (2026)

• Investment of US$300,000 in New-Build Property. or US$500,000 resale property or securities, or US$750,000 deposit; held 5 years
• Main Applicant Aged 18 or Over. clean criminal record, lawful source of funds, valid passport
• Spouse, Children Under 18 and Students Under 25. dependent children in full-time study to 25; extra fees per dependant
• Apostilled Police Certificate Under 6 Months Old. from the country of residence for the past five years (FBI or RCMP for most of our clients)
• Health Certificate Issued in Panama. by a licensed Panamanian doctor during your trip
• Filed by a Panamanian Lawyer. the law requires a local attorney under power of attorney; we coordinate
• Government Fees of About US$5,000 per Applicant. plus legal fees, translations and apostilles
• No Published Nationality Ban. restricted-visa nationals face additional screening

Residency requirements for Panama: investor and dependant eligibility

These are the tests Servicio Nacional de Migración applies under Executive Decree 722 of 2020 as amended in September 2026. We screen against every one before any funds are transferred.

Main applicant

• Aged 18 or over with a passport valid for at least six months
• No criminal record, evidenced by an apostilled police certificate from your country of residence over the past five years (and nationality if different)
• Lawful source of funds for the full investment: the money must move from an account in your name through the Panamanian banking system
• Investment made personally or through a Panamanian private-interest foundation or company you control; joint ownership with a spouse is accepted
• Willing to make one trip to Panama for registration, biometrics and the health certificate

The investment

• New-build real estate of at least US$300,000, bought from the developer, title or registered promise of sale in the Public Registry
• Or resale real estate of at least US$500,000 (Executive Decree No. 17 of September 2026)
• Or Panamanian securities of at least US$500,000 through a broker licensed by the Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores
• Or a fixed-term deposit of at least US$750,000 in a Panamanian bank
• Held for five years; sale, redemption or withdrawal earlier cancels the residence
• Free of mortgages for the qualifying amount; a mortgage above the threshold is acceptable

Dependants

• Spouse: marriage certificate apostilled; common-law partners need Panamanian recognition and are harder to include
• Children under 18, or under 25 if in full-time study and financially dependent
• Each dependant files their own police certificate (if 18 or over), health certificate and government fees
• Parents are not dependants under this visa; they file their own investment or a pensionado visa

Documents required for the Panama Qualified Investor Visa

Everything issued outside Panama is apostilled (or legalised at a Panamanian consulate) and anything not in Spanish is translated by a Panamanian certified translator. Police certificates expire six months from issue, so we order them last.

Identity and civil status

• Full passport copy, certified by a Panamanian notary during the trip
• Apostilled police certificate: FBI Identity History Summary for US residents, RCMP certified criminal record check for Canadian residents
• Birth certificates of children and marriage certificate, apostilled
• Passport-size photographs per applicant
• Sworn declaration of personal background, signed in Panama

Investment and funds

• Public Registry certificate of title, or registered promise of sale with proof of full payment, for real estate
• Broker certification and custody statement for securities; bank certification of the fixed-term deposit
• Certification that the funds came from abroad through the Panamanian banking system
• Source-of-funds evidence: bank statements, sale contracts, tax returns or business accounts covering the investment amount
• Bank reference letter from your home bank

Panama-side documents

• Special power of attorney to the Panamanian lawyer, signed before a notary
• Health certificate from a licensed Panamanian doctor
• Proof of payment of government fees to the National Treasury and Servicio Nacional de Migración
• Registration and biometrics record from Migración

Residency in Panama requirements for US and Canadian applicants

For US and Canadian citizens

Your police certificate is an FBI or RCMP check we can order in days, and no nationality issue arises. The main work is the source-of-funds file: Panama's banks apply strict know-your-customer rules and want to see where US$300,000 came from, so tax returns, a sale contract or brokerage statements provide the evidence. Remember that a Panamanian bank account is reported to the IRS under FATCA if you are American, and to the CRA under CRS if you are Canadian; this does not change your tax position, but the account is reported. If US$300,000 is more than you want to commit, ask us about the Friendly Nations visa at US$200,000.

For US and Canada residents on another passport

You file the police certificate from where you have lived, so a US or Canadian check usually suffices, plus one from your home country if you lived there in the past five years. Apostilles from India, Nigeria, Pakistan or Vietnam take longer than the Panamanian side, so we start them first. Bank onboarding is the slow step: a Panamanian bank will ask for your immigration status in North America and the origin of the funds in more detail than it asks an American.

Panama nationality restrictions and common grounds for refusal

Panama publishes no list of banned nationalities for the Qualified Investor Visa. Nationals of countries on Panama's restricted-visa list need a stamped visa to enter for the registration trip, and their files receive extended security review; we tell you at the pre-screen whether that applies to you. The refusals we see come from four causes: a police certificate older than six months at filing; funds that did not pass through a Panamanian bank in the applicant's name; a pre-construction purchase where the price was not fully paid before filing; and a resale property bought after September 2026 at the old US$300,000 threshold. None of these is a judgment on the applicant; all four are avoidable with sequencing, which is the core of our work.

Figures verified 27 September 2026. Thresholds change by executive decree; we confirm the current schedule before you commit.

Request a Panama residency eligibility assessment

Tell us your nationality, where you have lived for five years and how the investment will be funded. We will advise clearly whether Panama will accept the file, and which of the four routes fits. Book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What are the residency requirements for Panama's Qualified Investor Visa?

An investment of at least US$300,000 in new-build real estate (US$500,000 for resale property or Panamanian securities, US$750,000 for a bank deposit) held five years; a clean apostilled police certificate under six months old; proof that the funds are lawful and came through a Panamanian bank; a passport valid six months; and one trip to Panama for registration, biometrics and a local health certificate.

Do I need to speak Spanish or live in Panama?

Not for residence. There is no language test and no minimum stay beyond one visit every two years. Spanish matters only if you later apply for citizenship, which requires exams in Spanish and civics after five years of residence.

Which family members can I include?

Your spouse and children under 18, or under 25 if they are full-time students and financially dependent on you. Each dependant pays their own government fees and, if adult, files a police certificate. Parents are not covered; they need their own qualifying investment or Panama's pensionado visa.

What are the Panama citizenship requirements after residency?

Five years of permanent residence (three if married to a Panamanian or a parent of a Panamanian child), exams in Spanish language and Panamanian history and civics, a clean record, and a discretionary presidential decision. Panama's constitution asks naturalised citizens to renounce their prior nationality. We set out the sequence on the process page.

This guide is part of our Panama Residency by Investment: Golden Visa overview.

Official sources and references

1. Servicio Nacional de Migración, Panama — requirements for qualified investors
2. Executive Decree 722 of 2020 and Executive Decree No. 17 of September 2026 — Gaceta Oficial
3. FBI — Identity History Summary Checks
4. RCMP — Certified criminal record checks