Get Panama residency in as little as 30 days.

Panama residency costs depend on which visa program you qualify for:

• Pensionado Visa: $2,500–4,000 in total legal fees. No investment required.
• Friendly Nations Visa: $5,000–7,000 in legal fees + $200,000 minimum investment (real estate or bank deposit).
• Qualified Investor Permit: $8,000–12,000 in legal fees + $300,000 minimum investment (rising to $500,000 in October 2026).
• Reforestation Visa: $6,000–9,000 in legal fees + $100,000 minimum investment in certified forestry projects.

All fees include government filings, document apostille coordination, and immigration appointments. We provide a written quote with no surprises before any engagement.

Processing time depends on the visa type. The Qualified Investor Permit is the fastest at 30 to 45 days. The Friendly Nations Visa typically takes 4 to 6 months for temporary residency. The Pensionado Visa takes 3 to 5 months. The Reforestation Visa takes 6 to 9 months due to the project verification process.

From the moment you sign our service agreement, you can expect a residency card in your hand in under 90 days for QIP and under 180 days for most other programs.

Yes. Panama does not require you to renounce your original citizenship to obtain residency, and Panama recognizes dual nationality. You can hold permanent residency in Panama while retaining your US, Canadian, UK, Australian, or EU citizenship without any conflict.

After 5 years of permanent residency, you become eligible to apply for Panamanian citizenship if you wish to obtain a Panama passport (which gives visa-free access to 144+ countries).

No. Panama has no minimum physical presence requirement to maintain your residency status. You only need to visit Panama once every 2 years (one entry stamp) to keep your permanent residency active and valid.

This makes Panama one of the most flexible residency programs in the world. Many of our clients use Panama as a tax-efficient base while living elsewhere most of the year.

No. Panama operates a strict territorial tax system. As a Panamanian resident, you only pay income tax on income generated within Panama (work performed in Panama, Panama-based rental income, Panama-source dividends).

Income earned outside Panama — including salaries from foreign employers, capital gains from foreign investments, foreign rental income, and foreign pensions — is not taxed in Panama. This is why Panama is one of the most tax-favorable residency jurisdictions in the world.

Note: Your home country tax obligations may still apply. We coordinate with your home-country tax advisor to ensure full compliance.

The Qualified Investor Permit minimum real estate investment is scheduled to increase from $300,000 USD to $500,000 USD on October 15, 2026. Applicants who file their QIP before this date secure the current $300,000 threshold and can complete the entire process under the lower investment requirement.

This makes 2026 the strategic year for QIP filings. We can typically file a complete QIP application within 30-45 days of engagement, which means filings initiated in the first three quarters of 2026 will lock in the current threshold.

For most US citizens, the Friendly Nations Visa is the most popular option. The US is on the approved friendly-nations list, and the $200,000 investment threshold is lower than QIP while still providing direct permanent residency.

For high-net-worth US citizens who want the fastest possible approval, the Qualified Investor Permit delivers a residency card in 30-45 days with a $300,000 investment.

For US retirees with Social Security or pension income of $1,000+/month, the Pensionado Visa is the most cost-effective with no investment required.

In a free consultation we identify which program fits your specific situation in 15 minutes.

Yes. All Panama residency programs allow you to include your spouse and dependent children under 25 (or under 18 in some categories) as dependents on your primary application. The legal fee for dependents is typically $1,500-2,500 per dependent, well below the cost of a separate filing.

Dependent applications are filed simultaneously with the primary applicant and receive the same approval timeline.