Visas & Citizenship
Reforestation Visa
To qualify for the Reforestation Visa, you can invest directly by purchasing land for reforestation, or invest indirectly by investing in a certified reforestation project. With this visa, you will become eligible for a permanent residency visa and eventual naturalization.
This is the perfect visa for the investor buying cash wood crops such as teak plantations; however, your investment must be made for a minimum of 10 years. There are some additional tax incentives in place for Reforestation Investors.
Incentives provided by the Panamanian government for Reforestation Investors:
- 100% of the investment into reforestation is income tax deductible
- Income tax exemption on all revenues derived from the commercialization of forest products
- Import tax exemption on all goods and materials used for reforestation / forest plantations
- Real estate tax exemption & transfer tax exemption for farms with half of total area dedicated to reforestation (minimum 200 hectares)
- Preferential loans
There are two types of Visas that Qualify for this program, the Reforestation Micro-Investor ($40,000) and the Reforestation Macro-Investor ($80,000)
Reforestation Micro-Investor
To qualify as a Reforestation Micro-Investor, you must directly or indirectly invest a minimum of $40,000 USD (plus $4000 for each dependent) for at least 10 years in an certified reforestation project. Certification is granted by the Ministry of the Environment's Forestry Department.
If you are approved, you will be issued a one-year, provisional residency visa, which can be renewed three times; after the fourth year, applicants can apply for permanent residency and eventual naturalization.
Reforestation Macro-Investor
To qualify as a Reforestation Macro-Investor, you must directly or indirectly invest a minimum of $80,000 USD (plus $4000 for each dependent) for at least 10 years in a certified reforestation project. Certification is granted by the Ministry of the Environment's Forestry Department.
Upon approval of the application, applicants will be issued a one-year, provisional residency visa, after which they can apply for permanent residency and eventual naturalization.
Please note there are many documents required. We recommend working with a law firm to help you through this process. This is often a very affordable and hassle free way of obtaining your residency.
Visas & Citizenship cont...
Business Investor Programme
Qualifying for a permanent residence visa under the business investor program: this is the visa for those who wish to invest in commercial, financial and industrial activities (excluding retail) in Panama. There are two programs; the Micro Enterprise Investor ($40,000) and the Macro Enterprise Investor ($150,000)
Micro Enterprise Investor
To qualify you must:
Invest a minimum of $40,000 (plus an additional $4,000 for each dependent) in a registered Panamanian Company in which you are a director or officer. This company must employ at least three Panamanian Residence full-time.
Once your application is approved, you will be issued a one-year, provisional residency visa which can be renewed up to three times. After the fourth year you can apply for a permanent residency.
Macro Enterprise Investor
To qualify you must:
Invest a minimum of $150,000 (plus $4000 for each dependent) in a registered Panamanian company in which you are a director or officer. This company must employ at least three Panamanian citizens full-time.
Once your application is approved, you will be issued a one-year, provisional residency visa, after which you can apply for permanent residency.
Please note there are many documents required. We recommend working with a law firm to help you through this process. This is often a very affordable and hassle free way of obtaining your residency.
Pensionado Program
To qualify for the Pensionado program, you need to provide proof of retirement with a monthly pension of at least $500 from a foreign government, international organization or private entity, plus an additional $100 for each dependent including spouse.
If you qualify, you and your dependents are granted legal residency in Panama, which remains valid as long as you continue to meet the pension income requirements. Under this visa, you may not apply for a Panama passport or naturalization.
Please note there are many documents required. We recommend working with a law firm to help you through this process. This is often a very affordable and hassle free way of obtaining your residency.
Visas & Citizenship cont...
Rentista Visa
This visa is perfect for the private income retiree, or those individuals who were self-employed, own their own business or have received a retirement sum instead of a monthly pension payment.
Applicants must make a five year term deposit at Panama's Banco National (the national bank) that generates a minimum of $750 dollars a month in interest. In return you and any of your dependents are granted a renewable temporary residence permit of five years. The interest earned monthly is deposited directly into your savings account and you can withdraw the funds at any time.
This Visa allows you to receive a limited Panamanian passport for travel purposes. It is renewable every five years. You cannot apply for a full passport or naturalization, but you can come and go as you like. You are not required to reside in Panama.
Please note there are many documents required. We recommend working with a law firm to help you through this process. This is often a very affordable and hassle free way of obtaining your residency.
Multiple Re-Entry Visas
If you do not have a full Panamanian passport, you will need a Multiple Re-Entry Visa (MRV) if you want to travel in and out of Panama.
This visa allows you to come and go as many times as you like, until the expiration date and/or as long as you are legally allowed to reside in Panama.
It takes approximately five (5) business days to process the MRV at the Immigration office.