About allig565

Currently Lives:

Citizen of:

Some Forum Posts:

Panama: Super 99 in Playa Blanca:

Not at all ready yet.

Panama: October in Coronado:

My first trip to Panama was in October. There was rain in the Coronado area in the afternoon but not everyday. Sunny in the morning, and quite possibly good rain in the afternoon (but it didn't ruin our plans). We traveled to Boquete for four days this past October (we now live in San Carlos area), and it rained one afternoon from 3-5. That is all the rain we saw for those four days. Good luck with traveling dates...you just never know here!

Panama: Return Ticket Necessary?:

Just a reply re: shopping for attorney. I have read a bit on this forum about inexpensive vs expensive lawyers (it depends on what each individual would claim is more costly than the next), and I have found that some attorneys have a bulk fee, and while others charge one fee for the visit, once at immigrations, you have to pay at the window those incurred fees, and also the parking fees or the notary fees or the fees for getting pictures taken or for copies being paid in the kiosk outside the building. We interviewed one attorney, we were given a wealth of information, but once home, one email out of several was ever responded to--and not quickly. We found another one that charged us one fee and once we have our Permanent Visa in hand (next week we will see him), our fee also includes taking us for our cedula. With all of the running around at Immig. office, we never opened up our wallet to pay anything else. All of our emails were answered if not the day we sent them, then the next. We were even called when the assitant was stuck in traffic with our passports (taken from us for 48 hours when getting the multi-entry stamp) letting us know she was stuck but would be at our hotel within minutes. Money well worth spent, in my opinion, for that peace of mind, fast return of emails, and any question whether we feel might be trivial, he has answered and been there for us.

Panama: The Devil in the Details - the realities of making "The Move":

We will be living in Chame in less than two weeks. We did all of the paperwork in the States last fall (Sept-Nov time frame and with govt shutdown!)--fingerprints, FBI background check, bank letters that we will have the means to live there, marriage and birth certificates, etc We then went to Embassy in DC and had it all apostiled and sent to attorney. They translated it. In January, we spent two days or really three hours at Immigr Office (two the first day--PACKED!), and one the next to get picture taken for temp card and hand over passports. Our passports were taken for 48 hours to get the multi-entry stamps since we were leaving Panama. Our attorney delivered them to us at our hotel. Three months later we were notified our permanent visas were ready. We will pick up in two weeks :) Just wanted to fill you in on our time table since we did all of the paperwork prior to ever moving to Panama. Good luck! I have read that many people can now do these things right in David (didn't seem to be the case when I started researching almost three years ago).

Panama: PROOF ONWARD PASSAGE:

There is STRONG agreement to this paragraph coming from Virginia here! We love this attorney, his staff, and family. So far, so great with our experiences! Thanks again for fabulous referral!

Panama: 6-8 months to visit CA does anyone have an itinerary to share ??:

You may be interested in reading a blog by Tricia Lyman. She traveled Central America and Mexico before making her decision to be an expat in one of those countries you have listed (won't spoil it for you!). She writes about what towns she visited, her expenses, the places she stayed, etc (I think she gave three months to each?). Good luck with the planning!

Panama: Any thoughts on the Conference?:

My husband and I considered the conference two years ago. Instead, we downloaded (for a little over $100) the April, 2012 conference after it was held and listened to it in its entirety in the comfort of our own living room. Then we traveled to Panama twice and explored all of the areas we had heard about from the conference and spoke to realtors and newfound friends. Blogs and forums are incredibly valuable as well as some of the recent books being published by expats who have lived in Panama for many years along with you getting there and exploring the entire country. There are also tours that travel the entire country that I feel, in my opinion, would be much better than sitting in a conference room for four days. If you are even remotely considering Panama as a retirement choice, you must have an inkling of adventure and out of the box craziness in you so hit the ground running on your own and explore it at your pace! Good luck!

Panama: Healthcare jobs:

From what I keep reading, healthcare professionals cannot work in Panama. If from a friendly nation (which U.S. is on the list), an American may hold a job, but just not in the healthcare field (and there are others also). Rules change constantly, but I think this rule has stuck for a while.

Panama: Moving to Panama BEFORE SS kicks in:

You need to have a letter stated that you will have pension for life. The following is from Panama Offshore Legal Services: The applicants’ retirement income (or pension income) must be at least be for life, and must be a minimum of one thousand US Dollars (US$1,000) per month. If your lifetime pension income is less than US$1,000 per month, but equal to or more than US$750 per month, you may purchase any Panama real estate property with a value of at least US$100,000, which reduces the lifetime monthly pension income requirement down to a minimum of US$750. The applicants’ pension income must be proven by providing documentation such as a letter from the institution or company that pays the retirement or pension income. This certification must be notarized and authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate nearest you (or by apostile). Best to get a fantastic attorney! Good luck with it! We are working on this right now--lots of paperwork.

Panama: Pensionado Visa Attorney Recommendation:

Does anyone have recommendation for an attorney that handles Pensionado Visa? An attorney that actually returns emails within a week (or even few days perhaps)? We are trying to work on getting our paperwork done now (in the States) and then head to PC for five to seven business days to meet with attorney and go to immigration offices, etc to get temporary one (and process started). Any recommendations would be great!

Date Joined:

10/1/2012

Total Posts:

32

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