Digital nomad visas

Panama remote worker visa

Panama's Short Stay Visa as a Remote Worker lets you live there for nine months, extendable once to 18, while working remotely for a company abroad, including your own. You need B/. 36,000 a year from foreign sources, and you apply in person inside Panama, through a legal representative, in practice a Panamanian lawyer.

At a glance

The visa
Short Stay Visa as a Remote Worker (Visa de Corta Estancia como Trabajador Remoto)
What you need
About $3,000 a month (PAB 36,000 a year); in pounds, about £2,250 a month
What counts as proof
Income from foreign sources, shown by a bank certificate or by a foreign bank statement (or a Panamanian one with the bank's authentication seals) showing the transfer. No statement period is set. Employees also need an employer letter showing at least B/. 3,000 a month. Health insurance valid in Panama for the whole stay.
Who can apply
Employees of a company abroad: yes. Freelancers: unclear (only with a certificate for your own company registered abroad, plus a notarised sworn declaration about your clients. A freelancer with no foreign-registered company appears not to qualify). Owners of a company abroad: yes.
How long
9 months, extendable once for 9 more: 18 months at most
Without a visa
British visitors: up to 3 months; you may be asked for an onward ticket, particularly arriving by land from Costa Rica, and possibly for proof of USD 1,000 or a credit card. American: under 180 days, with an onward ticket strictly enforced

The catch. You apply in person inside Panama, not at a consulate, and through a legal representative, in practice a Panamanian lawyer: the official list starts with a notarised power of attorney. Freelancers need their own company registered abroad; a client list and bank statements are not enough. And the official requirements sheet is undated, so whether the visa is still issued in 2026 is not confirmed.

See where you stand against Panama and every other country. Check your income

How to apply

  1. You apply in Panama, not at a consulate: you must already be in the country.
  2. The application goes in in person at the Department of Special Procedures of the Servicio Nacional de Migracion, through a legal representative. The first item on the official list is a notarised power of attorney, so in practice you need a Panamanian lawyer.
  3. We found no online route and no appointment system.
  4. Once approved, pay B/. 50 for the visa card. No work permit is needed, but you sign a sworn declaration that you won't take work from anyone in Panama.

Fees and timing

Application
B/. 250, paid to Migracion.
Visa card
B/. 50.
Lawyer
Not set by the state. A relocation firm puts it at USD 750 to 1,500, plus USD 100 to 300 for apostilles and translation.
How long it takes
No official figure. Fragomen, a law firm, says up to 30 days; a relocation firm says 30 to 60.

The documents

The main items. Your consulate's own checklist is the one that counts, so check it before you start.

  • A notarised power of attorney and application, naming your parents and their nationalities
  • Three photos
  • A copy of your whole passport, certified by a notary or authenticated
  • A criminal record certificate
  • A health certificate
  • A sworn statement of your background, and the application form, with a commitment to pay repatriation costs
  • Health insurance valid in Panama for the whole stay
  • Employees: proof your employer exists, and a letter on its letterhead giving your role, pay of at least B/. 3,000 a month, its foreign source and the remote-work arrangement
  • Self-employed: proof your own company is registered abroad, and a notarised sworn declaration about your clients
  • Proof of foreign income: a bank certificate, or a foreign bank statement showing the transfers
  • A sworn declaration that you won't work in Panama
  • Foreign documents legalised as the rules require: a law firm and the press say that means an apostille or consular legalisation

Health insurance

A policy covering you in Panama for the whole stay. The sheet doesn't ask for a Panamanian insurer or set a minimum. A relocation firm says travel insurance is generally not accepted.

Nomad policies differ on cover limits, excess and whether they're accepted for a visa. Compare nomad health insurance

Family, renewing and tax

Family
Fragomen, a law firm, and a relocation firm say there's no route for dependants on this visa, and the official sheet doesn't mention family at all. Friendly Nations, a separate residence route, does take dependants.
Renewing
Once, for another nine months, 18 months in all, with the same documents as the first time. The sheet doesn't say where or when to file, or whether the B/. 250 is charged again.
What it leads to
Nowhere found: it is a non-resident stay. Friendly Nations, a separate route, gives 2 years' provisional residence, then permanent residence, and citizenship after 5 years of that
Tax
More than 183 days during the year, with physical presence and income generated in Panama

Worth knowing

  • Migracion's requirements sheet is undated, so we couldn't confirm the visa is still issued in 2026. The Embassy of Panama in Canada still listed it in December 2025.
  • Since 12 November 2025 every foreigner in Panama must carry ID, and Migracion and security officers can ask to see it, La Estrella reports.

Living there

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