01
Qualifying employment
Employment in Panama
Document employment and the related work-permit filing under the route.
Panama Friendly Nations Residence
Two-Year Provisional Residence Before Permanent Status
Program overview
Panama’s Friendly Nations framework is available only to nationals of countries listed by executive decree who establish qualifying professional, economic or investment ties. The investment routes use a minimum of B/.200,000, equivalent to US$200,000, for qualifying real estate or a three-year fixed deposit.
The route begins with two years of provisional residence before permanent residence may be requested. Eligibility is limited to listed nationalities.
Two-Year Provisional Residence Before Permanent Status
Residency Partners
Current routes and requirements
02
US$200,000+
Real Estate Investment
Own qualifying Panama real estate; approved local-bank financing may be used.
03
US$200,000+
Three-Year Fixed Deposit
Maintain an unencumbered fixed deposit for at least three years with a qualifying Panama bank.
Key eligibility requirements
- Hold nationality from a country listed in the applicable executive decree.
- Establish qualifying employment, real-estate investment or fixed deposit.
- Provide police, health, identity and source-of-funds documents.
- Complete two years of provisional residence before the permanent stage.
Program due diligence
Key facts before you proceed
A concise review of the rules that materially affect eligibility, cost and long-term planning. Expand the detail you need before making a commitment.
Checked against official sources
Last reviewed 2026-09-20
Availability and review status
Open with restrictions
Status checked 2026-09-20
The Friendly Nations route is open only to nationals listed by the applicable decree. It now begins with two years of provisional residence before the permanent stage.
Physical presence
The route does not publish a simple investment-visa minimum day count, but permanent residence and eventual naturalisation require maintaining lawful/genuine residence. Long absences can affect status and citizenship eligibility.
Planning range — editorial estimate
Plan for approximately 4–10+ months for the provisional stage after a complete filing.
Family inclusion
Eligible spouse and dependent children/relatives may apply as dependants with additional financial, civil-status and document evidence.
Government and application costs
Legal, work-permit, bank, property, registry, fixed-deposit, translation, apostille, health-certificate and card costs are additional.
Government/application charges
Each applicant/dependant
Current migration tariff at filing
Non-refundable
The official requirement sheet lists payment items, but a final total depends on route, family and filing stage and must be confirmed immediately before filing.
Eligibility and admissibility
Eligibility is limited to nationals of the officially listed friendly countries. All applicants remain subject to criminal, immigration, security, source-of-funds and document requirements.
Official timing indication
No universal guaranteed end-to-end time is stated in the cited requirement sheet.
Migration appointments, document review, work permits and investment evidence can extend timing.
Investment, holding and exit risk
Holding requirement: The fixed deposit must be maintained for at least three years. Qualifying property/employment must support the provisional and permanent stages under current rules.
Refundability and exit: The fixed deposit is returned only under bank terms after the required term and is exposed to bank/currency conditions. Property is a market asset, not a refundable government payment.
- Only listed nationalities qualify.
- Employment residence depends on genuine employment and separate work authorisation.
- Property title/value or deposit documentation failures can prevent approval.
Residence and practical rights
- Two-year provisional residence followed by a possible permanent-residence application.
- Residence in Panama for qualifying family members.
- Employment requires the applicable work permit; residence approval alone is not universal work authorisation.
- Investment/business ownership remains subject to local licensing and reserved-profession rules.
Long-term residence, citizenship and tax
Renewal or permanent residence: The first permit is provisional for two years. The applicant may then apply for permanent residence if the qualifying basis and compliance requirements continue; it is not immediate PR.
Citizenship path: No direct citizenship. Naturalisation follows constitutional/statutory residence rules, usually requiring multiple years of actual permanent residence, language/civic and renunciation/reciprocity analysis. Permit holding alone is insufficient.
Tax planning: Immigration status and tax residence are separate tests. Residence days, permanent-home, centre-of-interests, controlled-company, estate and source-income rules can create liabilities. Obtain cross-border tax advice before changing residence or investing.
Official sources and review method
Official sources
- Panama National Migration Service — Friendly Nations requirementsChecked 2026-09-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Panama Official Gazette — Executive Decree No. 226 of 2021Checked 2026-09-20T00:00:00.000Z
Editorial source review
Editorially checked against the linked official sources. This is not a local-law opinion; case-specific eligibility, fees and transaction documents must be confirmed by regulated local counsel before engagement.
Reviewed 2026-09-20
Program at a glance
Initial Permit
2 years provisional
Real Estate
US$200,000+
Fixed Deposit
US$200,000+
Frequently asked questions
Does the Friendly Nations route grant immediate permanent residence?
No. The current framework starts with a two-year provisional residence period before an applicant may proceed to the permanent-residence stage.
Can the US$200,000 property purchase be financed?
The official decree permits the acquisition to be financed through a local bank, subject to the documentation and immigration requirements.
Residency Partners
Discuss this program with our team
Request a case-specific assessment before making any investment or application decision.
Request a confidential consultation