Panama Immigration Services

​• ​The immigration and labor laws of Panama provide many options for employers of foreign nationals. Requirements, processing times, employment eligibility and benefits for accompanying family members vary by visa classification.

 

• ​​​​Visa-exempt nationals do not require a visa to enter Panama for business for up to 90 or 180 days (depending on nationality). Visa nationals require either a Consular or Authorized Tourist/Business Visitor Visa for stays up to 30 days with the possibility of in-country extensions. Authorized Visas require special authorization from the National Security Council in Panama.

 

​• Panama has more than 20 specialized visa categories for foreign nationals depending on their nationality, activities, position, the sponsoring company's registrations or location within a special area or regime in Panama (such as the Panama Pacific area or the City of Knowledge Foundation), among other criteria. Companies that are certified as multinational companies by the Secretaría Técnica de la Comisión de Licencias de Sede de Empresas Multinacionales in Panama may use a special visa category (SEM Visa) for their foreign employees and a special processing desk for immigration applications with shorter processing times.

 

​• Panama also offers the Short-Term Visa as Remote Worker​, which ​allows foreign nationals who are employed with a company outside Panama or who own a company operating outside of Panama to reside in and work remotely from Panama for up to nine months without requiring an additional​ work permit.

 

Detailed Immigration Snapshots, Document Lists and Process Guides are available to clients on request.