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Residency question

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bradinbelize

7/8/2019 23:15 EST

Hello to all,

We are an American couple, currently living in Belize. Thinking of possibility of exploring Panama next.

Can anyone give me a simple, brief outline of the requirements for residency in Panama?

PanamaJackie

7/8/2019 23:19 EST

This article explains the requirements and process for getting a Pensionado Visa or a Friendly Nations Visa, the who most popular and most affordable Visas in Panama

https://panamarelocationtours.com/demystifying-the-panama-residency-visa-process

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Mikxx

7/9/2019 00:00 EST

Set up a bank account, pay in 5k for one or 7k for 2 people.
Set up a Panamanian corporation. Than you apply for residency.

You need following documents for the whole process:

- Apostilled police record from federal police
- Bank reference letter(s)
- Bank statement
- Utility bill
- Valid passport with a least one year remaining
- Second ID like drivers license

Easy process, takes ~2 weeks if you have a good lawyer. Than they issue you a temporary residency and you can stay.
Idk yet how long they will need for the final document to procude. My lawyer told me max 6 months.

Mikxx

7/9/2019 00:18 EST

I forgot: You will need some more documents like a health certificate or certified translations of some of the documents but those you must get in Panama.

jonoyakker

7/9/2019 04:22 EST

IMO, one of the main requirements to reside in Panama is resourcefulness; the ability to come up with solutions, I suggest trying Google search if you need a large body of information. It is a powerful tool.

XSMEMORIES

7/9/2019 14:24 EST

Hi you should fist come for a visit to see if you like its; lot different. We stayed in San Pedro for 2 months, then settled in Panama.. I have a studio apt., for rent while you decide before you spend money. Good luck Sheila from the states

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Mikxx

7/9/2019 16:03 EST

I checked and my prc is ready. From start to finally getting the document it was 3 months in my case.

augieman

7/12/2019 22:39 EST

I see so many references to Google one of the biggest offenders of privacy violations and which keeps and sells your search profile.
Yes indeed a powerful tool but to your serious disadvantage.
The superior search engine is duck duck go.
It is as good or better a search engine and its business plan is NEVER to retain your searches and to respect your privacy to the max. A win win situation.
The browser analog for them is FIREFOX which also respects your privacy rights far more than Google.
Google does makes piles of money and is a good stock to own but far far too intrusive into ones privacy.

jonoyakker

7/13/2019 04:21 EST

Augieman, I researched it-thanks-good to know!

JaimeC

7/13/2019 11:26 EST

Me too. I changed the default browser in my various browsers, (chrome, safari, etc.) What is very disturbing in Safari, the default browser is google. Thanks apple!

KeryCruz

7/24/2019 09:51 EST

You can check information about immigration in the following link

https://www.kerycruz.com/en/practice-area/immigration-process-panama

You can also check if your nationality is included in the list of countries that can apply through a friendly country visa.

https://www.kerycruz.com/en/friendly-country-visa

Or, you can apply through a professional foreigner visa, if your bachelor degree, master or ph is not included in the list of exclusive professions for Panamanian. You can check the information here:

https://www.kerycruz.com/en/profesional-worker-visa

You can also check the requirements to validate your diploma in the following link, if you will apply for residence through the professional foreigner visa.

https://www.kerycruz.com/en/news/revalidation-and-homologations-of-foreign-university-degrees

I hope this information help you.

Best Regards,

AnnaMoraes

12/25/2019 10:33 EST

Hello @bradinbelize

I did my residency in Panama last year. Getting some of the documents took longer than I would have liked, but once in Panama it was a smooth experience.

This is a resource I found quite helpful https://globalisationguide.org/residency/panama-friendly-nations-visa/

PS: I did the friendly nations visa, but I think there are other visa types as well.

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