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Can it be done?

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sps

From: United States

8/12/2004 01:42 EST

I have the income needed to live quite comfortably in Panama - but can't (prefer not to) prove it. So I had an idea that I would like to know if it will work (and be legal to do).

I understand that representatives of foreign companies can be granted permanent residency so long as the company has less than 10 workers in Panama. So, can I form a company in the US and then move to Panama as a representative? I would not be selling anything, or even need an office, as I would be in the country for research, and marketing (all sales paid to the US office). Yes, it would be a real company - not just a shell for an excuse to live in Panama. But it would be a very small operation with only a single additional employee living in the US to handle payments and other small tasks.

If this is legal, could my family move with me and get permanent residence as well? What paperwork do I need in order to get permanent residency? Now here's the two hard questions to have to ask: I know that a Good health medical certificate and HIV Test might be required and I have herpes - will this cause me to fail the medical requirements? Also, I know that a Good standing report from the police or municipal authorities may be required and I was convicted of a felony (attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle) when I was 18 years old (adult record). I received no jail time, just a fine and community service. I had my rights reinstated. I am 33 years old now, so it was 15 years ago that this happened. Will this cause me to fail the Good Standing Report portion of the entry requirements?

What costs am I looking at with regards to obtaining my permanent residence? Where do I start?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

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JEMILLER

From: none

8/17/2004 03:05 EST

I cannot speak specifically to Panama but I can give you some information I have gathered while pursuing similar situations in other countries. I have been an independent IT consultant and own 3 limited companies so that I may operate globally. In my case I picked countries that required no cash investment for business/investor visa status and I simply show a decent amount of income and commercial agreements in each company.

Usually the Foreign Representative visa requires that you not be a majority shareholder or beneficial owner of the home corporation --- e.g. you need to be an employee. In some cases an owner can be a representative but you must be able to show that the corporate entity has a "life" without you back home to run it. It has to be clear that this is not just a sham way to get a visa. Panama definitely has investor visa type programs but these generally involved sinking a chunk of cash into the country and having a clear business plan.

Take a look at this link regarding Micro enterprise panama investor visas:

http://www.lawyers-abogados.net/en/Services/Immigration/Panama-immigrant-investor.htm

I just plugged "panama investor visa" into google.com and came up with that page. Do you shopping if you are going to use a lawyer or accountancy to help you set up your company and make the application. I have never been burned but I have found that some accountacies were easier to deal with and more responsive over the long haul.

The link I provided also talks about the Good Conduct Police certificate. Panama is only asking for 5 years so you should be ok. Some countries word the requirement as being "have you ever been convicted of any crime whether punished or not, including spent convictions". Spent convictions would generally be older than 10 years in the U.S. These would generally not show up on a standard police report.

I can't speak to the medical requirements. I have had various residence visas in about 10 countries. I am about your age and the medical check if there was ever one involved was a basic examination and questionaire.

Hope this helps

Cheers

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