Tourist visa to change from 180 to 90 days

[NewsLady]

The following is a machine translation provided by James Bondeaux. The law will take effect as soon as it's published in the National Gazette.

NATIONAL IMMIGRATION SERVICE
Resolution #22068 of September 1, 2021
That as provided in Article 6 of Decree Law 3 of 2008, the National Immigration Service
has among its functions to implement immigration policy and ensure strict compliance
with current immigration legislation; organize, direct, register, monitor and provide
immigration services to foreigners and ensure effective control of their stay in the
country, within the limits established by the Decree Law; to receive and resolve visa
applications from non-resident aliens; to create the integrated system of procedures,
general, functional and administrative protocols, to establish the rules of institutional
management and its regulations; among others.
That Article 11 of Decree Law 3 of 2008 states, among others, as functions of the
Director General of the National Immigration Service to oversee, approve or disapprove
the guidelines of the integrated system of procedures, general, functional and
administrative protocols, to establish the rules of institutional management and its
regulations; adopt administrative practices that promote security criteria, transparency,
speed and fairness.
That according to the provisions of Article 16 of Decree Law 3 of 2008, a non-resident
person is a foreigner who occasionally enters the national territory, who does not have
the intention of establishing his residence therein or to leave his residence of origin
while in Panama and who must have his own economic resources and adequate to
maintain himself for the duration of his stay and to leave the country at the expiration of
the authorized period.
That Articles 17 and 17-A of the Executive Decree No. 320 of 2008 establish the
requirements with which the applicants of a tourist visa must comply, for its approval by
the National Immigration Service.
That by means of an integral memo of the National Immigration Service, dated April 26,
2010, the period of tourism for the nationals of countries that have an agreement of
suppression or do not require visa for their entrance to Panama was extended to one
hundred eighty days, contravening the period legally established by Article 16 of the
Decree Law 3 of 2008 and Article 16 of the Executive Decree 320 of 2008.
In view of the foregoing, the Director General of the National Immigration Service, in use
of her legal powers,
RESOLVES:
FIRST: Those foreigners who occasionally enter the national territory without the
intention of establishing their residence therein or abandoning their residence of origin
while in Panama are considered tourists, provided that they enter with the exclusive
purpose of recreation, shopping, business, medical tourism, visit, among other
analogous purposes; and, likewise, they have their own economic resources and
adequate to maintain themselves for the duration of their stay and that they comply with
the exit of the Panamanian territory, at the expiration of the authorized period.
SECOND: As of October 1, 2021, the legal term authorized for the stay of foreign
tourists in Panama is reestablished, which may not be longer than three months,
counted from the moment the foreign tourist enters the national territory, in compliance
with the provisions of Article 16, numeral 1 of Decree Law 3 of 2008, Article 16 of
Executive Decree 320 of 2008 and other concordant norms.
numeral 1 of Article 16 of the Decree Law 3 of 2008, Article 16 of the Executive Decree
320 of 2008 and other concordant norms.
THIRD: The nationals of countries that have signed visa waiver agreements or that do
not require a visa, shall enjoy the term of up to three months of tourism, counted from
the moment of their entry into the country. For their entry, they must present the
following requirements at the immigration control point:
1. Present original passport or travel document, with a minimum of 3 months of validity.
2. Proven reservation of departure from the country, within the established period.
3. Proof of economic solvency for their maintenance and sustenance according to the
term of stay in the country, which must be consistent with the terms declared for their
stay and that in no case may be less than five hundred balboas (B/.500.00).
4. Comply with the norms and sanitary measures established by the Ministry of Health.
The foreign person who wishes to enter the country as a tourist, in addition to the
indicated requirements, must comply with the interview carried out by the National
Immigration Service at the control point and the corresponding security verifications;
likewise, his requirements, travel document and information provided, shall be subject to
the verifications of rigor on the part of the immigration and national security authority to
allow or reject the entry.
FOURTH: When the foreign national of a country that has a visa waiver agreement with
Panama or who is a national of a country that does not require a visa, wishes to enter
the national territory as a tourist and does so through the invitation of a Panamanian
person; foreign temporary, provisional or permanent resident, prior to the date of travel
to the country, the inviting party must submit to the National Immigration Service, the
following requirements:
1. Copy of the generals of the applicant's passport.
2. Letter of invitation, in which the person who invites declares the reasons on which
he/she bases his/her invitation and the purposes of entry to the country of the guest,
commits to be responsible for the guest, to assume his/her economic support and the
expenses of repatriation, in case of being necessary; as established in Article 244 of the
Executive Decree No. 320 of 2008.
3. When the inviting person is a natural person, copy of the identity card or of the
residence card of the person who invites; and, when this one is a juridical person, copy
of the certificate of Public Registry and of the Notice of Operation, Key of Operation or
license that allows him/her to operate.
4. The inviting party must prove its economic solvency consistent with the period of stay
of the guest and with the activities to be carried out, by means of the presentation of at
least one of the following options:
a. Bank certification or bank statement of the last month reflecting the available
balances, not less than four low digits.
b. Credit card with the last month's statement reflecting the available balances.
c. Work letter accompanied by the Social Security card, where it is proven that the
applicant earns a monthly salary of not less than one thousand balboas (B/. 1,000.00).
d. Document that proves the pension or retirement earned not less than one thousand
balboas (B/. 1,000.00), with its payment receipt, in case of a pensioned or retired
person.
e. Affidavit of income of the previous fiscal year.
f. Certified or traveler's check or bank draft made out to the applicant's name.
g. Any other option that proves your income and that is acceptable to the National
Immigration Service.
The National Immigration Service may reject the request for invitations for tourism,
when there is a notorious and unjustified recurrence of invitations made by a single
inviting party or related inviting parties.
FIFTH: When the person who wishes to enter as a tourist is not a national of a State
that has a visa waiver agreement with Panama or does not require a visa, the applicant
must comply with Articles 17 and 17-A of Executive Decree No. 320.
SIXTH. The persons who at the moment of their entry are granted by the migratory
authority a period of less than three months for their stay as tourists, may choose to
request before the National Immigration Service, an extension of their period of tourism
that must be carried out during the validity of their status as tourists.
In no case, the total term of the tourist period may exceed three months, counted from
the entry of the tourist to Panama, according to the provisions of Articles 21 and 22 of
Executive Decree No. 320 of 2008.
SEVENTH. The persons who enter the country as tourists may change their migratory
status, as long as they comply with the requirements established for the particular
migratory category. This change may be announced by means of the invitation issued
for the entry of the foreigner, if applicable.
EIGHTH. Applications for tourist visas by invitation and for extension of the tourist
period may be submitted through a legal representative and must comply with the
provisions of Articles 242, 243, 245, 247, 248 and concordant articles of Executive
Decree No. 320 of 2008.
NINTH: All foreigners entering the national territory under the category of tourism are
obliged to fill out the corresponding form of the Registro Unico de Extranjeria (RUEX).
TENTH: This resolution shall become effective as of its promulgation.