New Deadline For The Friendly Nations Visa

[Gomez Tomiczek]

Today Panama’s National Immigration Service has published in detail the requirements for the NEW Friendly Nations Visa and additionally August 6th has been set as the new deadline to submit visa applications under the "old" Law. As of August 7, the new Friendly Nations Law will be in effect.

What are the requirements for a residency application under the new Friendly Nations Visa?

There were several pending issues that were not detailed in the executive decree published months ago. In practice we knew that they had to be modified and so it happened. Finally, the National Immigration Service of Panama made its pronouncement. Below, we have made a summary of what the new Law says.

In order to apply for the new Friendly Nations Visa, an investment must be made by  purchasing one (1) real estate property whose cadastral value is at least two hundred thousand US dollars (US$ 200,000). This was already known but it was not clear if the investment should be in the personal name of the main applicant or if it could also be made in the name of a corporation or private interest foundation. Now the National Immigration Service has established that the investment can be made either as natural person or in the name of a corporate body (corporation or foundation) as long as the main applicant is the final beneficiary of said corporation or foundation. This means, by presenting a true copy of the corporate documents of the corporation or the foundation's by-laws. 

There is a NEW option beside real estate investment

Beside investing in real estate in Panama, the National Immigration Service now offers a second investment option which is the following: Investing in a fixed-term deposit (certificate of deposit – CD) with a bank in Panama.

The CD must be a minimum of two hundred thousand U.S. dollars (US$ 200,000) and with a minimum term of three (3) years. It is possible to obtain the CD in one’s personal name or by a Panamanian legal entity (corporation or foundation), as long as it is demonstrated that the main applicant is the final beneficiary of the corporation/foundation that holds the CD. Remember, that in Panama any interests generated by a savings account or a fixed term deposit in a bank according to the current fiscal code of Panama do not pay any taxes in Panama.

The third option to obtain residency under the new Friendly Nations Visa remains the same: for labor reasons. This means, it is necessary to file for a work permit granted by the Ministry of Labor of Panama. The requirements according to the new Law include submitting a letter of employment on letterhead and signed by the employer stating the position, salary and commitment to assume the repatriation expenses, certificate of public registry proving the existence of the company (if applicable) commercial license (if applicable). But there are not any further details given (yet) on how to obtain the work permit and other documents needed.  

The new law will have modifications as it is usual in the legal practice, but we can foresee positive changes. In addition, there is now the possibility of obtaining residency in Panama not only by investing in real estate but also in a CD, which might be a more practical option for many clients.