Panama residency.

Under the rules effective in September 2026, qualifying new or first-sale real estate starts at USD 300,000, while resale property requires USD 500,000. Other routes include at least USD 500,000 in qualifying securities, a USD 500,000 fixed-term deposit with Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, and other bank-deposit structures subject to the decree's conditions. The selected investment and required holding period must be verified before funds are committed.

Yes. The main applicant can include their spouse, unmarried children under 18, unmarried children aged 18 to 25 who are financially dependent and enrolled full-time in an accredited institution, children of any age with a certified disability, and parents with no strict age requirement. In-laws are not eligible as dependents under this program.

Applications may be processed in approximately 30 business days after submission. The whole process, including preparing documents, completing the investment and attending biometrics in Panama, typically takes around three months.

Nationality, sanctions, banking access and enhanced due-diligence restrictions can change. Eligibility must be checked against current Panamanian law, authority policy and the receiving institution's compliance rules before an application or transfer is started.

Not by itself. The Qualified Investor permit is a residence-by-investment permit, not a work authorization. Investors may own and manage Panamanian companies and receive profits or dividends, but employment or professional activity requires a separate work permit.

No language test is required to obtain residency under the Qualified Investor Program. A Spanish-language and civics exam is only required later, at the naturalization (citizenship) stage.

No. The program requires minimal physical presence — investors are generally expected to enter Panama only once every two years to maintain their status, allowing residency to be held while living primarily elsewhere.

Yes. After five years of continuous permanent residence, holders of the Qualified Investor visa may apply for citizenship through naturalization. This requires demonstrating general knowledge of Spanish, passing a civics exam on Panamanian history and government, providing updated criminal record certificates, and formally renouncing prior nationality. The exam must be taken in person in Panama and cannot be completed remotely or at an embassy.

In practice, yes. Panamanian nationality acquired through naturalization requires a formal, declarative renunciation of prior nationality before a Panamanian notary, but this declaration has no effect under foreign law and does not by itself cause loss of the original nationality — that outcome depends entirely on the laws of the other country.

No. The Qualified Investor permit gives you the right to live in Panama, but it does not change the visa-free access of the passport you already hold. A Panamanian passport only becomes possible if you later qualify for citizenship through naturalization after five years of permanent residence.