Panama offers 5 residence routes for foreigners in 2026: the Qualified Investor visa from USD 300,000, the Friendly Nations visa from B/. 200,000 for nationals of 51 listed countries, the Pensionado visa on a pension of B/. 1,000 a month, the Rentista Retirado permit and a treaty route reserved for Italians. None of them sells citizenship.
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Answer and evidence
Panama offers 5 main residence routes in 2026. The Qualified Investor visa grants permanent residence on first approval, from USD 300,000 in new property. Nationals of 51 listed countries can use the Friendly Nations visa with B/. 200,000 in property, a 3-year fixed deposit or a Panamanian job. Retirees qualify through the Pensionado visa on a lifetime pension of B/. 1,000 a month, or the Rentista Retirado permit on B/. 850 a month of state-bank deposit interest. Italians have their own treaty route with no minimum investment. Panama does not offer citizenship by investment.
Which route fits you?
Panama's residency routes sort themselves by four questions: your nationality, your pension or passive income, the capital you are ready to place, and whether you intend to work. Start with the first question that applies to you; it usually settles the route before cost does.
By nationality
Nationals of the 51 Friendly Nations countries can qualify with B/. 200,000 in Panamanian property, a 3-year fixed deposit of the same amount, or a job with a Panamanian company. Italy is not on that list, but Italians have a stronger alternative: the treaty permit, permanent from the day it is granted, with no minimum investment.
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.
By pension or income
A lifetime pension of at least B/. 1,000 a month opens the Pensionado visa: permanent residence with no investment at all, and B/. 750 is enough if you own Panamanian property bought for more than B/. 100,000. Without a pension, the Rentista Retirado permit accepts B/. 850 a month earned exclusively from interest on a fixed deposit held for at least 5 years at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros.
By capital
When no list or pension applies, the Qualified Investor visa qualifies you on capital alone: USD 300,000 in new property bought on first sale, USD 500,000 in resale property, USD 500,000 in securities, or a fixed deposit of USD 750,000, reduced to USD 500,000 at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros. Permanent residence is granted on first approval.
Want to work?
Residence and the right to work are separate questions in Panama. Executive Decree 16 of 2026 states expressly that Friendly Nations residence does not exempt you from a work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour (MITRADEL), nor does it open professions regulated by special laws. Before you accept a job or open a practice on any route, have us confirm what your permit allows.
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Comparison
Panama's 5 routes differ most on who may apply and on whether residence is permanent from the start. Every amount below comes from the Mirabello MCP and matches the official instrument behind it.
Live data via ourMCP · 9 October 2026
| Route | Who qualifies | Minimum | Residence granted | Official time | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualified InvestorInversionista Calificado | Investors placing capital wired from abroad | USD 300,000 new property; USD 500,000 resale; USD 500,000 securities; USD 750,000 fixed deposit | Permanent on first approval | Legal maximum: 15 business days for the investment certificate, then 30 for the decision (Decree 17, art. 15) | Spouse and dependent children under one investment, no cap; B/. 1,000 plus a B/. 1,000 repatriation deposit each |
| Friendly NationsPaíses Amigos | Nationals of the 51 listed countries | B/. 200,000 in property or a 3-year fixed deposit, or a job with a Panamanian company | 2-year provisional permit, then permanent | No official processing time published | Dependants join on proof of relationship; solvency of B/. 1,000 a month plus B/. 100 per dependant |
| Pensionado | Retirees with a lifetime pension | Pension of B/. 1,000 a month; B/. 750 with Panamanian property over B/. 100,000 | Permanent and indefinite, no renewal | No official processing time verified | B/. 250 a month more per dependant; dependent children hold a temporary permit until 25 |
| Rentista Retirado | Holders of a fixed deposit at a Panamanian state bank | B/. 850 a month of interest from a deposit held at least 5 years | Temporary, 5 years, renewable | No official processing time verified | The official sheet sets no extra amount per dependant |
| Italy treatyTratado Panamá Italia | Italian nationals only | No minimum investment; a registered business or a job paying at least B/. 850 a month | Permanent and indefinite from grant | No official processing time verified | Not set out in the treaty sources; confirmed per family |
Amounts in balboas (B/.) equal the same amount in US dollars: the balboa is at par with the dollar. Where no official processing time has been verified, the table says so rather than repeat market estimates. Legal fees, property transfer costs and translations come on top of the government amounts.
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The routes in brief
The Qualified Investor visa is Panama's residence-by-investment route, governed by Executive Decree 17 of 8 September 2026. It grants permanent residence on first approval for an investment of USD 300,000 in new property bought on first sale, USD 500,000 in resale property, USD 500,000 in securities, or a fixed deposit of USD 750,000 (USD 500,000 at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros). Government fees are B/. 5,000 plus a B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit for the main applicant. The file is lodged through a Panamanian lawyer, and biometric registration must be completed in person before the card is issued.
Qualified Investor visa: thresholds, fees and process
The Friendly Nations visa is open only to nationals of the 51 countries listed in Executive Decree 416 of 2012, as amended most recently by Decree 16 of 2026. You show an economic tie to Panama: real estate of at least B/. 200,000 (local bank financing is allowed), a fixed deposit of B/. 200,000 with a 3-year term, or a job with a Panamanian company. Residence starts as a 2-year provisional permit and then becomes permanent. Government cheques are B/. 250 to the National Treasury and B/. 800 to the Servicio Nacional de Migración.
Friendly Nations visa: country list and requirements
The Pensionado visa grants permanent residence to a retiree with a lifetime pension of at least B/. 1,000 a month from a foreign government, an international organisation or a private company, plus B/. 250 a month for each dependant. The floor falls to B/. 750 if you bought Panamanian property in your own name for more than B/. 100,000. The permit is indefinite and needs no renewal; spouses may combine their pensions. No investment is required: the pension is the qualifying test.
Pensionado visa: pension rules and benefits
The Rentista Retirado permit suits someone without a pension who can place savings in Panama. Your monthly income of at least B/. 850 must come exclusively from interest on a fixed deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, free of liens and held for at least 5 years. No deposit amount is fixed: it is whatever yields B/. 850 a month at the bank's rate. The permit is temporary residence for 5 years, renewable for the same term; the official sheet does not convert it to permanent residence.
Rentista Retirado, covered on the Pensionado page
Italian nationals are the only foreigners who can obtain permanent residence in Panama under a bilateral treaty, the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation applied by SNM Resolution 4803 of 2012. The permit is indefinite from the date of grant and needs no renewal. There is no minimum investment: you show an economic or professional purpose, such as fully paid-up shares in a company registered in Panama or a Ministry of Labour endorsed contract paying at least B/. 850 a month, plus a bank balance. Italians are exempt from the repatriation deposit and may apply at a Panamanian consulate in Italy.
Rules for every route
Panama's residence routes differ on entry, but three rules apply to all of them once you hold the permit: how long you may stay away, how you become a citizen, and how your income is taxed.
A permanent residence in Panama may be cancelled after an absence of more than two years, unless the absence is justified and authorised by the Director of the Servicio Nacional de Migración (Decreto Ley 3 of 2008, article 31(3)). The Qualified Investor, Pensionado and Friendly Nations routes set no minimum stay. Qualified Investors attend once in person for biometric registration before the card is issued (Decree 17, article 16). The official Rentista Retirado sheet states no stay rule, which is not proof that none exists.
Panamanian citizenship comes only by naturalisation under article 10 of the Constitution: 5 consecutive years of residence, an express declaration renouncing the nationality of origin, and proof of Spanish and of basic knowledge of Panama's geography, history and political organisation. The period is three years for a foreigner with a Panamanian spouse, or with children born in Panama to a Panamanian parent.
Nationals by birth of Spain or of a Latin American state naturalise on reciprocity terms, counted in years of permanent residence: 1 year for El Salvador; 2 years for Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Spain; 3 years for Uruguay. Every other nationality, Italy included, uses the standard 5 years. How the renunciation declaration affects your existing nationality should be confirmed with counsel.
Panama taxes on a territorial basis: only Panama-source income is taxed, so foreign pensions, dividends, interest and gains generally fall outside its scope. Tax follows tax residence, not the residence permit, and your home country's rules may still reach you.
The balboa (B/.) is at par with the US dollar. Official requirement sheets quote balboas, so we show each amount in the currency its source uses.
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What Panama does not offer
No. Panama does not offer citizenship by investment: no property purchase, deposit or donation buys a Panamanian passport. Every route on this page leads to residence, and citizenship follows only by naturalisation after the residence period the Constitution sets, 5 years as standard.
If a second passport is your aim, compare the programmes that grant citizenship directly in our citizenship by investment overview, or let us design a plan that combines Panamanian residence with a citizenship route.
MCPMira, the AI advisor of Mirabello Immigration Intelligence, answers from the same verified data as this page. Ask in your own words, then bring the answer to a specialist.
Questions
The questions below cover the broad Panama residency questions: which routes exist, what they require, what they cost, whether residence is permanent, work rights, citizenship, absence and tax. Every figure comes from the same verified data as the comparison table.
You can get residency in Panama through 5 main routes in 2026. Invest from USD 300,000 in new property for the Qualified Investor visa, which grants permanent residence on first approval. If you are a national of one of 51 listed countries, use the Friendly Nations visa with B/. 200,000 in property, a deposit or a local job. Retirees qualify on a pension of B/. 1,000 a month (Pensionado) or on B/. 850 a month of state-bank deposit interest (Rentista Retirado). Italians have a treaty route with no minimum investment.
The core requirement depends on the route: capital for the Qualified Investor visa, a listed nationality plus property, a deposit or a job for Friendly Nations, a lifetime pension of B/. 1,000 a month for Pensionado, B/. 850 a month of deposit interest for Rentista Retirado, or Italian nationality for the treaty route. On top come the file documents. For the Qualified Investor visa that means a passport, an apostilled background check, a health certificate, proof of the lawful source of funds and evidence of the investment. Each route has its own official requirement sheet, and we prepare your file against the current one.
Three routes need no investment: Pensionado if you have a lifetime pension of B/. 1,000 a month, the treaty route if you are Italian, and Friendly Nations through a job with a Panamanian company if your nationality is listed. The lowest capital route is Friendly Nations at B/. 200,000 in property or a fixed deposit, with government cheques of B/. 250 and B/. 800. For other nationalities the Qualified Investor visa starts at USD 300,000, with B/. 5,000 in fees plus a B/. 5,000 repatriation deposit.
Yes, on three routes. The Qualified Investor visa grants permanent residence on first approval, and the Pensionado and Italy treaty permits are indefinite from the day they are granted. Friendly Nations starts with a 2-year provisional permit and then becomes permanent. Rentista Retirado is temporary residence for 5 years, renewable, and its official sheet does not convert it to permanent residence.
Not automatically. Residence and the right to work are separate in Panama. Executive Decree 16 of 2026 states that Friendly Nations residence does not exempt you from a work permit from the Ministry of Labour (MITRADEL), and it does not open professions regulated by special laws. Before you take a job or offer professional services on any route, confirm with us what your permit allows.
No. Panama has no citizenship by investment programme, and no investment buys a Panamanian passport. Every investment route leads to residence. Citizenship is possible only by naturalisation under article 10 of the Constitution, after 5 consecutive years of residence as standard.
The standard period is 5 consecutive years of residence, with an express declaration renouncing your nationality of origin and proof of Spanish and of civic knowledge. It is three years with a Panamanian spouse or with children born in Panama to a Panamanian parent. Nationals by birth of Spain or of some Latin American states qualify sooner on reciprocity: 1 year for El Salvador; 2 years for Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and Spain; 3 years for Uruguay.
No minimum stay is set on the Qualified Investor, Pensionado or Friendly Nations routes. A permanent residence may, however, be cancelled after an absence of more than two years unless the absence is justified and authorised by the Servicio Nacional de Migración (Decreto Ley 3 of 2008, article 31(3)). Time spent in Panama still matters separately for naturalisation and for tax residence.
Panama taxes on a territorial basis: only Panama-source income is taxed, so foreign pensions, dividends, interest and gains are generally outside its scope. Tax follows tax residence rather than the permit, and your home country may still tax you. This is information, not tax advice; a qualified tax adviser should confirm your own position.
Book a free, confidential consultation with Mirabello Consultancy. We confirm which Panama route your nationality, income and capital qualify you for, give you an itemised costing for your family, and manage the file with Panamanian counsel from the first document to your residence card.
The primary official sources the Panama figures on this page are verified against. Each route page cites its own instruments in full.
Important. This page summarises Panama's main residence routes as verified against official Panamanian sources, most recently on 9 October 2026, and served by the Mirabello MCP. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Requirements, fees and processing change; the Servicio Nacional de Migración and the Gaceta Oficial are authoritative. The SNM publishes further permit categories that this page does not cover.
One conversation settles which of Panama's 5 routes fits your nationality, income and capital, and what it will cost your family in full.
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