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American Consulate ACS Outreach Meeting

    

Event details

 

Seal with white background

U.S. Embassy Panama City

Message to U.S. Citizens

 

The American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Panama would like to inform U.S. citizens that we will be visiting Boquete, Chiriqui, on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 to provide notarial services and some passport services. You will also have an opportunity to meet and speak with our new Consul General, Adrienne Harchik, during a town hall event immediately preceding our passport and notarial services.

 

Unfortunately, the logistics of meeting you outside of the embassy mean that we can only provide limited services.  We are not able to provide adult passport renewal services (Form DS-82) at the event. In addition, we cannot provide any Federal Benefits services when we come to Boquete.
 
WHERE, WHEN, AND RSVP:

 

Boquete, Hotel Valle del Rio, Los Naranjos Salon (Camino Valle Escondido, Bajo Boquete) on Wednesday, November 29, 2017.

 

The town hall event with Consul General Harchik will be from 9:30-10:30. This event is open to all American citizens, no RSVP necessary.

 

Notarials and passports will be processed from 10:30 am-2pm. Please register below according to the service that you require:

 

For Notarial Services, Register Here

For Passport Services, Register Here

 

HOW TO PAY FOR PASSPORT AND NOTARIAL SERVICES (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)
 
The Embassy will only accept payment by local bank cashier check (known in Spanish as “cheque certificado”) made payable to “U.S. Embassy Panama,” issued within the past five months.  The Embassy CANNOT accept cash or credit card payments.  The notarial fee is $50 per each notarial signature required on a document.  For example, if the officer has to sign the document in two places, the fee is $100.  If we have to sign in three places, the fee is $150. The fee for a children’s passport (for a minor under 16) is $105.  The fee for a first-time adult passport is $135.  The fee to replace a lost or stolen adult passport is $135.
 
WHAT TO BRING FOR PASSPORT AND NOTARIAL SERVICES
 
Passports: For minor passport renewals, in addition to the completed DS-11 application, bring a copy of the photo page of the minor’s passport, a copy of both parents’ passports /cedulas, one recent color photo with a white background that measures 5x5 cm (2X2 inches) and a copy of the minor’s birth certificate, in addition to the original birth certificate and passport/ cedulas.  The fee is currently $105.00 for a minor (under 16) passport renewal. The minor and both parents or guardians must appear in person.  If only one parent is present in Panama, the “Statement of Consent from Absent Parent” Form DS-3053, notarized in the U.S., is required.  Please note that the DS-3053 will not be accepted if notarized in Panama.

 

If you are replacing a lost or stolen passport, you will need to complete Form DS-11. Be sure to complete Item #11 with your name as it appeared in your lost/stolen passport, approximate date of issuance, and the passport number (if known).  Mark the appropriate box for “lost” or “stolen.”  If your passport was expired, write “expired” next to the “Other” box. If your lost or stolen passport is still valid, you will need to complete DS-64 Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport.  Include as much passport information as you can, and answer all of the questions in detail. Finally, obtain a police report from any of the Dirección de Investigación Judicial (DIJ) branches in Panama.

 

NotarizationsHere is a link with further details about notarials. If you are requesting the notarization of your driver’s license, bring a photocopy of the front and back page of your license, as well as your license.  If you are requesting notarization of benefits documents, bring the original and a copy of the document(s) showing the amount of benefits you receive monthly or annually.  The notarial fee is $50.00 for each signature of the Consular Officer.
 
ADULT PASSPORT RENEWAL BY MAIL

We will not be accepting adult passport renewals at this event. You may renew your passport by walk-in at the U.S. Embassy. You may also renew it by mail in most instances. For requirements and instructions, please see:

Renewal by Mail


FEDERAL BENEFITS
We at the U.S. Embassy in Panama may no longer assist you with Social Security services.  For Social Security Services Overseas, if you reside in Panama and have questions regarding Social Security, we must direct you to contact the Social Security Administration’s Regional Office located in San Jose, Costa Rica at SSA Regional San Jose


We will be unable to provide federal benefits services of any kind at the outreach event. For an appointment with the Federal Benefits Unit, please e-mail:  Panama-FBU@state.gov

We look forward to seeing you there!
 
Sincerely,
 
American Citizens Services
 U.S. Embassy Panama
• See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Panama Country Specific Information.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler-Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Contact the U.S. Embassy in Panama, located at Building 783, Demetrio Basilio Lakas Avenue Clayton, Panama, at +507-317-5030, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday.  After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +507-317-5000.
• Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

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U.S. Department of State
panama-acs@state.gov
(202) 483-1407

Recommended Comments

Marcelyn and I attended this outreach meeting at Hotel Valle del Rio today. We had no business transactions to take care of (notarization, passport renewal, etc.) but we did want to meet and hear the Consulate staff's talks. Here are our notes from this meeting. There were two speakers, Bryan Weiler, who is the Assistant Regional Security Officer (part of the Diplomatic Security Service), and Adrienne Harchik, who is the newly arrived (as of late October) Consul General.

The meeting started off a bit late because the staff was delayed as a result of transportation issues. We found both speakers to be well-informed and candid in their remarks and answers to questions.

From our notes taken during this meeting:

Mr. Weiler was the first to talk, and of course his subject was primarily about security matters in Panama.

  • In 2016 there were 416 murders nationwide, and 415 is the projection for 2017.
  • In general, traffic accidents are a major source of deaths in Panama, basically one death per day, which is a number that includes deaths for pedestrians who are hit by a vehicle being included.
  • Most arrests in Panama for violent crime are males aged 18 to 30, and those are related to gun violence associated with gangs and illegal drugs.
  • A normal sentence for a violent crime (meaning resulting in death or the use of lethal weapons) is about 80 months.
  • Lesser crimes (e.g., pickpockets, etc.) have a typical incarceration period of about 5 years.
  • There is no perceived movement by Panamanian authorities to charge minors as an adult when a young person commits a serious crime.
  • October, November, and December are when crimes like pickpockets and rape are at the highest. (No explanation as to why.)

Ms Harchik talked about:

  • driver licenses,
  • US medical prescriptions coming into Panama,
  • the moving of US Social Security Administration matters to the US Embassy in Costa Rica,
  • proof of life forms,
  • getting Panamanian citizenship,
  • the firing of about 5,000 customs agents due to corruption,
  • the role of wardens, and
  • other issues of general interest to American residents here in Panama.

We did not count the number of attendees, but every chair was taken and a few people were standing around the room. Our estimate is perhaps 50 or so attendees being present. The presentations and Q&A session lasted about 45 minutes, and then the staff started processing the individual requests for consular services.

Here are the business cards for the two speakers at today's meeting:

US Consultate cards_Page_1.jpg

 

US Consultate cards_Page_2.jpg

 

And here are some pictures of the two speakers:

Bryan-2.thumb.jpg.3d867eb4912be1eb2285c3c4b80d41de.jpg

Bryan Weiler

 

Bryan-1.thumb.jpg.f8b6ebc415177d104e4cdbf1d6a06c98.jpg

Bryan Weiler

 

Adrienne-and-Bryan.thumb.jpg.c03c8c1cda0161558e9ee24c82cd4f14.jpg

Adrienne Harchik (left) and Bryan Weiler (right)

 

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