Panama residence and citizenship

The lowest comparable cited investment amount on file for a residence route in Panama is $100,000, for the Forestry Investor — provisional. Ordinary naturalisation in Panama needs 5 years of legal residence.

Last updated: 10 November 2026

Checked — Sources last checked 10 November 2026 by the automated residence and citizenship review.

Residence routes in Panama

Investment, own-income, remote-work and permanent routes. Scroll across the table to see every column.

Route	Kind	Minimum	Processing	To citizenship
Qualified Investor — new or first-sale real estate	Golden visa	$300,000	up to 3 months	5 years
Qualified Investor — secondary-market real estate	Golden visa	$500,000	up to 3 months	5 years
Qualified Investor — Panama securities	Golden visa	$500,000	up to 3 months	5 years
Qualified Investor — state-bank fixed deposit	Golden visa	$500,000	up to 3 months	5 years
Qualified Investor — private-bank fixed deposit	Golden visa	$750,000	up to 3 months	5 years
Forestry Investor — provisional	Residence by investment	$100,000	—	5 years
Friendly Nations — real estate	Residence by investment	$200,000	—	5 years
Friendly Nations — fixed deposit	Residence by investment	$200,000	—	5 years
Own economic solvency — real estate	Residence by investment	$300,000	—	5 years
Own economic solvency — fixed deposit	Residence by investment	$300,000	—	5 years
Forestry Investor — direct permanent residence	Residence by investment	$350,000	—	5 years
Own economic solvency — mixed investment	Residence by investment	—	—	—
Macro-enterprise investor	Investor	$160,000	—	5 years
Jubilado pensionado	Retirement or own income	—	—	5 years
Rentista retirado	Retirement or own income	—	—	—
Remote worker short-stay visa	Remote work	—	—	—
Panama–Italy treaty residence	Permanent residence	—	—	5 years

"Minimum" is a cited investment threshold in its stated currency. A USD figure appears only when a supported conversion is on file; "—" means no supported amount is on file, not that it is free. "To citizenship" counts the years of residence before a naturalisation application. A zero-year entry states no residence wait; citizenship still needs a separate decision.

Work, family, study and other routes (7)

Route	Kind	Minimum	Processing	To citizenship
Researcher, scientist or exceptional-talent professional	Residence permit	—	up to 2 months	5 years
Friendly Nations — local employment	Work	—	—	5 years
Foreign professional	Work	—	—	5 years
Employer-sponsored work residence	Work	—	—	5 years
Family reunification — spouse or dependent of resident	Family	—	—	5 years
Family reunification — Panamanian child	Family	—	—	5 years
Long-term student permanent-residence pathway	Study	—	—	—

Each route's conditions and sources

Qualified Investor — new or first-sale real estate

Direct permanent residence under the September 2026 decree. B/. 5,000 is the application right; a separate B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit is also payable. Investment must be held five years. The conditional 15+30 business-day statutory periods for complete admitted filings total 45 business days; at five business days per week, nine weeks rounds up to three months as the processing maximum. It excludes pre-admission work and legal suspensions. Minimum B/. 300,000 in a qualifying new or first-sale property. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: 2026 qualified investor property thresholds (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), 2026 qualified investor fees (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), 2026 qualified investor statutory resolution periods (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Qualified Investor — secondary-market real estate

Direct permanent residence under the September 2026 decree. B/. 5,000 is the application right; a separate B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit is also payable. Investment must be held five years. The conditional 15+30 business-day statutory periods for complete admitted filings total 45 business days; at five business days per week, nine weeks rounds up to three months as the processing maximum. It excludes pre-admission work and legal suspensions. Minimum B/. 500,000 in a previously commercialized property. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Qualified Investor — Panama securities

Direct permanent residence under the September 2026 decree. B/. 5,000 is the application right; a separate B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit is also payable. Investment must be held five years. The conditional 15+30 business-day statutory periods for complete admitted filings total 45 business days; at five business days per week, nine weeks rounds up to three months as the processing maximum. It excludes pre-admission work and legal suspensions. Minimum B/. 500,000 in eligible regulated securities, including qualifying funds or government debt. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: 2026 qualified investor securities (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), 2026 qualified investor fees (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), 2026 qualified investor statutory resolution periods (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Qualified Investor — state-bank fixed deposit

Direct permanent residence under the September 2026 decree. B/. 5,000 is the application right; a separate B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit is also payable. Investment must be held five years. The conditional 15+30 business-day statutory periods for complete admitted filings total 45 business days; at five business days per week, nine weeks rounds up to three months as the processing maximum. It excludes pre-admission work and legal suspensions. Minimum B/. 500,000 at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: 2026 qualified investor bank deposits (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), 2026 qualified investor fees (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), 2026 qualified investor statutory resolution periods (Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Qualified Investor — private-bank fixed deposit

Direct permanent residence under the September 2026 decree. B/. 5,000 is the application right; a separate B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit is also payable. Investment must be held five years. The conditional 15+30 business-day statutory periods for complete admitted filings total 45 business days; at five business days per week, nine weeks rounds up to three months as the processing maximum. It excludes pre-admission work and legal suspensions. Minimum B/. 750,000 at a qualifying private bank. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Forestry Investor — provisional

Minimum B/. 100,000 in approved reforestation/plantation activity. Provisional permit precedes permanent residence; B/. 250 Treasury charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque. Decision time not stated. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: Forestry investor permit requirements (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency), Panama residence by investment overview (Henley & Partners, summary)

Friendly Nations — real estate

Only for US citizens, Swiss citizens.

Only citizens of listed friendly nations qualify; no broad passport group is assumed, because the list has individual countries and Ecuador was added in 2026. USD 200,000 real estate; two years provisional residence before permanent residence. Government fee and decision time are not quantified in the cited evidence. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship. Passport eligibility is the decree's exact 51-country list.

Sources: 2026 Friendly Nations amendment (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), 2026 Friendly Nations eligibility list (Panama Official Gazette), Panama residence by investment overview (Henley & Partners, summary)

Friendly Nations — fixed deposit

Only for US citizens, Swiss citizens.

Only citizens of listed friendly nations qualify; the individual list is not represented by a broad passport group. USD 200,000 fixed deposit; permanent residence after two years provisional status. Government fee and decision time are unestablished. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship. Passport eligibility is the decree's exact 51-country list.

Own economic solvency — real estate

Separate from Qualified Investor. B/. 300,000 real estate from foreign funds, two-year provisional permit before permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque. Decision time not stated. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: Own-solvency property permit (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Own economic solvency — fixed deposit

Separate from Qualified Investor. B/. 300,000 fixed deposit from foreign funds, held at least three years, with two-year provisional permit before permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque. Decision time not stated. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: Own-solvency deposit permit (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Forestry Investor — direct permanent residence

Minimum B/. 350,000 in approved reforestation/plantation activity; direct permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque. Decision time not stated. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Own economic solvency — mixed investment

The migration service still lists this separate route. Eligibility follows the official economic-solvency category, without a nationality restriction in the accessible index.

Sources: Mixed-investment solvency category (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal)

Macro-enterprise investor

B/. 160,000 paid shares per applicant and at least five Panamanian employees. Two-year provisional permit precedes permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque; processing time not stated. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: Macro-enterprise investor requirements (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Jubilado pensionado

Immediate permanent residence for foreign recipients of a lifetime pension of at least B/. 1,000/month; B/. 750/month may suffice with property exceeding B/. 100,000. These are income/property conditions, not a mandatory investment for the standard route. Application fee and decision time are unestablished. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency), Pensionado income and property exception (Global Citizen Solutions, summary), Panama residence by investment overview (Henley & Partners, summary)

Rentista retirado

Temporary renewable five-year permit requiring B/. 850/month exclusively from interest on a five-year fixed deposit at Banco Nacional or Caja de Ahorros. Deposit principal varies with rate, so minimum investment is unknown; fee and processing time are unestablished. Temporary permit alone is not a documented permanent-residence path, so citizenship timing is unknown.

Sources: Rentista retirado official requirements (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Remote worker short-stay visa

A non-resident nine-month visa renewable once for foreign-employed or self-employed remote workers earning at least B/. 36,000/year from abroad. B/. 250 migration application payment; B/. 50 card is separate. No investment required. This visa itself gives no documented permanent-residence or citizenship path; no processing bound published.

Sources: Short-stay remote worker visa requirements (Panama National Migration Service), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Panama–Italy treaty residence

Italian citizens with a documented economic or professional purpose may receive indefinite permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury application charge. No fixed investment threshold or processing period is stated. Ordinary naturalization requires five consecutive years of residence; eligibility is the treaty's express Italian-nationality restriction.

Sources: Panama–Italy treaty permit (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Researcher, scientist or exceptional-talent professional

The March 2026 decree requires an internationally recognized science or technology record and affiliation with a Panamanian scientific, academic or research institution. Two provisional years precede a permanent-residence application. The statutory 30-business-day resolution maximum is six working weeks, rounded up to two months; no minimum is stated. The ordinary five-year naturalization period requires actual consecutive residence.

Sources: 2026 science and exceptional-talent residence (Panama Official Gazette), 2026 science residence decision period (Panama Official Gazette), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), 2026 science and exceptional-talent residence overview (Fragomen, summary)

Friendly Nations — local employment

Only for US citizens, Swiss citizens.

Only citizens of listed friendly nations with employment by a Panamanian company qualify. This is the non-investment Friendly Nations route, with permanent residence after two years provisional status. No fixed investment; fee and processing time are unestablished. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship. Passport eligibility is the decree's exact 51-country list.

Foreign professional

Qualified foreign professional in a profession not reserved to Panamanians. Two years provisional status precedes permanent residence, with social-security evidence. No mandatory investment identified. Application fee and processing time are unestablished. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: Foreign professional permanent residence, Decree 804 (Panama Official Gazette), 2026 residence permits by category (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal)

Employer-sponsored work residence

Migration statistics list permanent work categories including the 10% contract quota and 15% technical personnel. Eligibility follows employer sponsorship and the relevant quota, not nationality. No common mandatory investment, fee or bounded decision time established. Five years is the ordinary constitutional naturalization eligibility period, requiring five consecutive years of actual residence, Spanish and civic knowledge, and express renunciation. It is not automatic citizenship.

Sources: 2026 residence permits by category (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal)

Family reunification — spouse or dependent of resident

The official sheet covers spouses and qualifying dependent relatives of a provisional or permanent resident or Panamanian national. Two provisional years before permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury application charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque. Naturalization is after three consecutive years only for a Panamanian spouse; otherwise ordinarily five. No fixed investment or processing bound.

Sources: Dependent family residence (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Family reunification — Panamanian child

Foreign parent of at least one Panamanian child aged five or older; two-year provisional permit before permanent residence. B/. 250 Treasury application charge plus B/. 800 migration/repatriation cheque. Article 10 permits naturalization after three consecutive years only where the child was born in Panama of a Panamanian parent; otherwise the ordinary five-year rule applies. No fixed investment or processing bound.

Sources: Parent of Panamanian child residence (Panama National Migration Service), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), Balboa-dollar parity (International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency)

Long-term student permanent-residence pathway

Only foreign students with more than six consecutive years of study in Panama qualify, evidenced by a school certificate or education residence permits. Two provisional years precede a permanent-residence application.

Sources: 2026 long-term student residence decree (Panama Official Gazette), Panama Constitution Article 10 (Panama Electoral Tribunal), 2026 student permanent-residence overview (Fragomen, summary)

Citizenship in Panama

Years of residence before naturalisation: 5 years
Years before permanent residence: not stated
Dual citizenship allowed: No
Language: Spanish and basic knowledge of Panamanian geography, history and political organization.
Residence and presence: Five consecutive years of residence in Panama; three years for a foreigner with a qualifying Panamanian child or spouse.

Constitution Article 10 sets ordinary eligibility after five consecutive years and three years for a qualifying Panamanian child or spouse. Spanish and civic knowledge and express renunciation of prior nationality are required. Spain/Latin America reciprocity may differ. Investment grants residence, not direct citizenship. No single general number of years to permanent residence: direct and two-year routes coexist.

What is the cheapest residence visa in Panama?

The lowest comparable cited investment amount on file for a residence route in Panama is $100,000, for the Forestry Investor — provisional. Routes for people living on their own income or working remotely (Jubilado pensionado; Rentista retirado; Remote worker short-stay visa) ask for proof of income, not an investment.

How many years to citizenship in Panama?

Ordinary naturalisation in Panama needs 5 years of legal residence. Five consecutive years of residence in Panama; three years for a foreigner with a qualifying Panamanian child or spouse.

Does Panama allow dual citizenship?

No. Panama generally asks a new citizen to give up another nationality.

Tax and residence days

A residence permit and tax residence are different tests. See the Panama tax rates, count your days with the Panama day test and see what changed in the data, day by day.

Sources

The Panama profile cites 29 sources, 25 of them from a government or a statute. Data as of 2026-Q4.

2026 qualified investor property thresholds · Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 qualified investor securities · Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 qualified investor bank deposits · Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 qualified investor fees · Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 qualified investor statutory resolution periods · Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 investor naturalization provision · Panama Official Gazette / National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 Friendly Nations amendment · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Forestry investor permit requirements · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Own-solvency property permit · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Own-solvency deposit permit · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Macro-enterprise investor requirements · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Rentista retirado official requirements · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Foreign professional permanent residence, Decree 804 · Panama Official Gazette, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 residence permits by category · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Short-stay remote worker visa requirements · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Panama Constitution Article 10 · Panama Electoral Tribunal, official, read 10 November 2026
Balboa-dollar parity · International Monetary Fund / Panama Banking Superintendency, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 long-term student residence decree · Panama Official Gazette, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 science and exceptional-talent residence · Panama Official Gazette, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 science residence decision period · Panama Official Gazette, official, read 10 November 2026
Panama–Italy treaty permit · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Dependent family residence · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Parent of Panamanian child residence · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
Mixed-investment solvency category · Panama National Migration Service, official, read 10 November 2026
2026 Friendly Nations eligibility list · Panama Official Gazette, official, read 10 November 2026
Panama residence by investment overview · Henley & Partners, summary, read 10 November 2026
Pensionado income and property exception · Global Citizen Solutions, summary, read 10 November 2026
2026 student permanent-residence overview · Fragomen, summary, read 10 November 2026
2026 science and exceptional-talent residence overview · Fragomen, summary, read 10 November 2026

Rules, fees and minimums change, and many routes have conditions not shown here. Did you find an error? Tell us, with the source.

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This page is general information. It is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Check the official source and ask a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply or invest.