As mentioned in earlier posts, one of the big considerations when looking at places outside the U.S. for retirement has been the ease of obtaining residency and any perks one receives as a resident of that country. There are a number of options for Panama, depending on one’s situation. The most common visa options for residency are the Pensionado (retirement), Friendly Nations, and Professional Visas. In addition, there are several visa options for those investing in Panama (not private investing). One can actually visit Panama from the U.S. and Canada without obtaining a visa for up to 180 days at a time before having to leave for 30 days (strict enforcement of the 30 days rarely happens) before returning. This is predicated by the country from which you are visiting. We actually know of a guy who has been living here for 20 years without ever getting a visa. He owns his home in Panama and travels back to the states for a few weeks every six months. You can only drive legally for 90 days without permanent residency, so that could definitely be a problem for most.
The Friendly Nations Visa is a popular option for those who have not reached retirement age. It requires a monetary investment in Panama as well as other qualifications. Qualifying for a Pensionado Visa is easy if one is receiving lifetime retirement benefits from Social Security or another retirement entity. If you have a college degree and can get a job in Panama, you might qualify for the Professional Visa. However, there are a number of professions in Panama that are only open to Panamanian citizens, so a quick search for those protected professions would be advisable before pursuing that option. You can learn more about various visa options here: https://www.embassyofpanama.org/visas-1
I chose the Pensionado Visa option. Mike did not have to take the visa route, since he was born in the Canal Zone and is able to get Panamanian citizenship. I will outline the processes we both had to go through. For visa or citizenship options, hiring a good immigration attorney is a must. We chose Marianna Lomboglia to handle our cases. We were actually introduced to Marianna on our Panama Relocation Tour. Marianna took care of all our needs so far, responds well to correspondence, and speaks excellent English.
I will start with Mike’s process. Mike was born at Gorgas Hospital in the Panama Canal Zone in 1960. To receive his Panamanian citizenship, he had to acquire a new copy of his birth certificate (even though he already has an original). He requested a copy of his birth certificate from the U.S. State Department via Form DS5542 which he printed off the U.S. State Department website. The site said it takes 4-8 weeks to process, but it was closer to 12 weeks for Mike to receive his. He did request that it be apostilled (there is a box to check on the form). This process cost $50. He notified Marianna when he received everything, and she advised he could just bring it to her office when we arrived in Panama. We could have FedExed it to her, but we were not in a hurry for anything to be done prior to our trip to Panama. Once we met with Marianna when we arrived, she scheduled an interview at the Panama Tribunal Office and arranged for an interpreter for the interview. Mike went for his interview which took approximately an hour and a half (they say to expect up to 3 hours). He is now waiting on the registration of his Panamanian birth and issuance of his cedula (Panamanian ID). He can then choose to receive a Panamanian passport, which will take another week or two. Attorney and processing fees for this process were $900.
Now for my process. I am getting a pensionado visa. In order to qualify for the visa, I need proof of at least $1000.00 a month lifetime pension (it would be $1250.00 for a couple) and an FBI background check. When applying as a couple, an authenticated marriage license is also required, but since it is just me I did not have to provide a marriage license or even a birth certificate. I requested a benefits letter from Social Security. You can not just print one off the website, because it requires the signature of a real person from the Social Security Administration. Luckily, I have the phone number of our local SS office so was able to reach someone with very little wait time. I received my benefits letter within a week. I also went on the FBI website to find their list of approved Channelers. I found the one closest to me (not all of their channelers are available in all states. This process required a bit of research – not hard but a bit time consuming). I scheduled an appointment with the Pack N Ship office in Temple, Texas for the next day, went at my appointment time for fingerprints, and received my FBI report that afternoon via email and was able to print my results. Once both documents were in hand, I typed up an affidavit (I had a sample to use in the guide from our relocation tour) for each document. The affidavit basically says who you are, where you were born and where you reside, your passport number, what information your document contains, and that you swear all the information is true and correct. I then took both documents and had them notarized. The next step was to send the notarized documents to the nearest Panamanian Consulate in Houston, Texas for authentication. An alternative would be to have your documents apostilled, but authentication is much quicker and easier. I included a return postage paid envelope with the documents. I had my documents returned to me since we were going to be in Panama for several months to work on things. I received the authenticated documents back in about a week. It is possible to have your documents forwarded by express mail to your attorney in Panama. This would enable them to do the preliminary work prior to your arrival in order to save time. Here is the cost breakdown for my process: SS benefits letter cost nothing, FBI background check $50 for fingerprinting, letters of affidavit and notarization cost nothing for me, authentication of documents at Panamanian Consulate $60, postage $20, attorney fees in Panama $1500.00.
When we met with Marianna regarding Mike’s citizenship, we also initiated my visa process. I had to leave my passport at the attorney’s office so they would have it in case they needed it. I also had to provide five passport size photos (I still don’t know what those were for), which I had taken the day before at an Arrocha Farmacia for a couple of dollars. My preliminary visa application was completed in about a week. I could have gone to the immigration office at that time to receive my temporary visa, but since we had to return anyway for Mike’s interview, I asked her just to schedule mine for the same day.
While Mile was at the Panama Tribunal Office for his citizenship interview, I was across town at the Immigration Office where I met Antony, Marianna’s assistant. He had my preliminary paperwork, asked for my passport, and instructed me to have a seat where he would find me when he was done. About 20 minutes later, Antony appeared, handed me two pieces of paper and my passport, and escorted me to a long line with another client he was simultaneously working with. The line moved pretty quickly and I soon discovered I would be getting my photo taken. It was much like the DMV at home. When my number came up, I answered a few questions for the young man at the desk, got my photo taken, and sat and waited until my name was called (about 10 minutes), then went to the next desk where I was handed my brand new temporary visa card! I now qualify for certain resident discounts and can show my new card instead of my passport when asked for ID. My permanent card should be ready in a few months. A couple of side notes: I won’t be able to drive until I get my permanent card because I will need a Panamanian drivers license. If I got a license now, I would just have to go through the entire process all over again once I do get my permanent, since my ID number will change. Did I forget to mention that very few people at immigration speak English? Thank goodness I had Antony if I needed him. However, surprisingly I got by just fine.
So, here we are living temporarily in Panama waiting for Mike’s cedula and my permanent residency visa. Once we receive these, we will be getting our Panamanian drivers licenses. I will make sure to post about that process when the time comes. As I wrote this article, it appeared to me that these processes might seem pretty complicated but they truly are not. The most difficult part is adjusting to Panamanian time tables and the waiting. Afterall, they say that manana doesn’t mean tomorrow in Panama. It just means not today.