Stricter Documentary Requirements for Panama Pacifico Work Permit Applications

Panama

Employers are now subject to stricter corporate document requirements when submitting work permit applications at the Panama Pacifico office of the Ministry of Labor.  These new requirements do not impact the pending applications already filed with the Panama Pacifico office.

The new requirements are:

• Immigration authorities are now enforcing the requirement that the receipt showing payment of social security dues must be officially stamped by the authorities receiving the payment and must contain a payment seal, which should be obtained upon receipt of the payment;
• The Certificado de Auditor Externo (certification issued by an external auditor, such as an accountant, that specifies the amount of Panamanians and foreign nationals currently on the company’s payroll) must now include the following:
  • Entry confirmation (Aviso de Entrada) if the foreign national is not included on local company payroll yet. The employer must submit this document to the Social Security office to inform the authorities when a new employee is included in the company’s payroll.
  • Copy of the confirmation of the foreign national’s enrollment in Panamanian social security, if the foreign national is already on local payroll.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Collecting documents that meet the new requirements may delay the application preparation process.

The new requirements do not impact the pending applications already filed with the Panama Pacifico office.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected]

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