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If you mean your pensionado carnet, you have to go to the immigration office in David. It's now located in Chiriqui Mall (next to Price Smart) and very close to the Seractin (spelling?) office where you get your drivers license. Last I heard, it will cost you $100 to replace.

Oh, another thing. You have to file a police report and take the report with you to the immigration office.

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RT, when you get a new card, you may want to consider having a copy made and laminated. I had my carnet copied at Mailboxes, Etc. Carry the copy with you and leave the original at home in a safe place. To me, the copy looks just like the original. I have never had it questioned except when renewing my driver's license. Sertracen wanted the original.

Those cards are easy to lose even if you don't have your wallet stolen. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly lost mine by leaving it in a restaurant, bank, travel agency, etc. And they're an expensive pain to replace.

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If your card had an E on it and said  Republic of Panama, carne de residents permanent, across the top then do not go to immigration, you have a cedula.  You need to go to the tribunal electorate  which is across the street from Daisies art store.(1 block down from Ciudad David hatel)  Go into the building turn left go through the glass door and immediately turn right through a wood door

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11 hours ago, Bonnie said:

RT, when you get a new card, you may want to consider having a copy made and laminated. I had my carnet copied at Mailboxes, Etc. Carry the copy with you and leave the original at home in a safe place. To me, the copy looks just like the original. I have never had it questioned except when renewing my driver's license. Sertracen wanted the original.

Those cards are easy to lose even if you don't have your wallet stolen. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly lost mine by leaving it in a restaurant, bank, travel agency, etc. And they're an expensive pain to replace.

Bonnie

For some legal business and transaction you will be required to show your original document.   Why, I dont know but it is the law.  That applies for all nationals and foreign living in Panama.  Copies are not accepted.  It is possible that in your bank where all the officers and tellers know you as an old and regular customer they wont ask you for the cedula because they already know you and have a good customer relationship.   

I carry with me at my wallet all my documents.  Cedula, Licencia, Seguro Social, etc.   I have to say that I havent been robbed or I have not lost my wallet so I keep my documents until they expired.  Recently I did renew my divers licence and my cedula will expire in a couple of years.   

Authorities have become picky regarding this subject of original documents because in the past five years a gang of colombians, venezuelans and locals were doing fake cedulas and documents and selling them to illegal foreign people and also to nationals involved in dirty business.  It is being supposed that the cedula, license, passports and other legal personal documents comes with some kind of protection like watermarks, etc to make them difficult to reproduce.   Bottom line cedula is a powerful document needed at all time for doing any kind of business with public and private enterprises in Panama.   So I suggest that anytime you may need to do any kind of business in government agencies and private business take them with you.

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I have this great Colombia shirt with a front breast pocket with a hidden zipper.   I can put credit cards, cedula and $$ in there and you can't even see the pocket. You just would not know a pocket was there.   The zipper tab hides beneath the front button placket edge.   I LOVE that shirt for big city shopping etc. 

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4 hours ago, Brundageba said:

I have this great Colombia shirt with a front breast pocket with a hidden zipper.   I can put credit cards, cedula and $$ in there and you can't even see the pocket. You just would not know a pocket was there.   The zipper tab hides beneath the front button placket edge.   I LOVE that shirt for big city shopping etc. 

OK.  My apologies in advance, but I really gotta dink with you, for the fun of it, because of all the comments that are usually attributed to the correct spelling of one country's name.  Did you mean Colombia or Columbia?  Columbia Sportswear is great stuff, but it's name is probably derived from the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest, USA.  

There is always the possibility that you got a great shirt in Colombia with those attributes.  But, I always associate Colombia with Hooters -- and, that's ridiculous because Hooters is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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  • 3 weeks later...

No luck on getting a replacement in David.

A trip to PC will be required, will take about 3-4 hours and costs $100 so show up early.

I ended up asking 3 different agents at the office to include the supervisor all said the same thing. Not sure if they were not suppose to do it or were just out of supplies.

On a side note he mentioned that using a copy for any official function (ie a traffic stop or visit to conduct business at government offices could result in a $400 fine and/or deportation after the 3rd offense. All of the agents were easy to talk to, fast and very polite.

Looks like Air Panama will be getting some of my money soon.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I did it on my own the process was not hard just time consuming, Since it requires a new photo is did have to be done in person. One point if you are not 62+ they will not speed things up and you may have to return in 3 days to pick up the new card. I had to do mine on a Monday so it was busy.

The only paperwork needed is a copy of your current passport (picture page, page with registration ie small blue square with card number), police report, initial resolution, and a form filled out requesting a new cardt hat they provide your at the PC office. Need a of copy of each page and the request form. Copys are made just outside the mainbuilding to the right in a small blue tent and cost 15 cents per copy. If you tip them 50 cents you get faster service in case something has to be re-copied.

Not sure of current attorney cost but they can only be higher the the $25 I paid. If you take a bus to PC at Midnight could possible get it finished and return the same day, just bring a good book to read.

 

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  • 1 month later...

I don't come here often but am finally noticing this post. 

My carnet was lost, probably at the D.L. office where I had foolishly tried to use it to renew my DL 2 or 3 years ago.  I couldn't get the license because my passport had changed several times in the interim since immigracion.  Of course, that office claimed never to have seen it.  On the advice of a prominent lawyer, I did report it stolen to police in PC.  I never needed this report and in fact never even got a copy of it.  I don't remember how much I was charged to do this "required reporting".

Fortunately, I had a high quality PDF of it with which a very well know local photographer who shall remain unnamed (thanks, M) made me two duplicates.  They were ever only questioned once, at PTY, where the immigracons agent showed it to another and said "Copia?"  or maybe it was "Copia!"... and then let me through anyway.  I always carried both the high quality copy of the carnet and my Immigracion Resolucion when flying.  No trouble with either domestic or international travel, including proof of eligibility for Jubilado descuento though a lawyer had assured me they would not let me fly without it. 

But I did feel somewhat insecure so went for my eCedula this year so as to finally be able to drive legally again. 

A transportation specialist known to some of you, Luis Arce (6536-1179---luistaxi777@gmail.com), then undertook to assist with getting my eCedula.  There was never any request to see the original carnet or the oh so necessary police report.  They only wanted a copy, which of course I could provide!  It took a number of months simply because I only live here part time, and two very quick visits for me to the facility at La Tomba (several more very lengthy ones for him), but I finally got it. And the cost, all in, was about $235...compared with about $450 charged by the lawyer for the same service for my spouse. 

 

I could probably have managed the process with my level of Spanish proficiency, but waiting in colas to deal with bored public servants is not my idea of a fun time.  And Luis is an expert at, shall we say, greasing the skids!

Next hoop (DL) maybe next year.  Or maybe now before they decide to add more risible requirements in addition to random blood sugar/HIV...

 

 

 

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