Panama Qualified Investor

Eligibility and legal basis

Decreto Ejecutivo 17, signed 8 September 2026, published 16 September 2026 in Gaceta 30613; supersedes Decreto 722/2020. Articles 2–5, 7–9, 11–12 and 15 govern the requirements below. The signed Gazette date is used, not the erroneous 18 September date in an immigration index. [Gaceta / Panama Digital]

General immigration requirements

1. Appoint a licensed Panamanian lawyer and prepare the application and notarized power of attorney. Confirm the current SNM checklist before signing or travelling. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
2. Provide a complete legible passport copy and the authentication or personal presentation required by SNM; the passport must meet the applicable validity rules. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
3. Obtain a criminal-record certificate from the relevant country of origin or residence, with apostille or consular legalization where required. Ask the lawyer to confirm the accepted issuing jurisdiction and validity period. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
4. Prepare a health certificate issued by an authorized professional in Panama, three passport-style photographs and the sworn personal-background declaration. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
5. Keep originals, certified copies and evidence of lawful immigration status available. Entry permission is not a residence permit and does not itself authorize work. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]

Category-specific checklist

1. Art. 2: invest your own lawful funds originating abroad and substantiate their traceability. The overall base is B/.300,000, but each investment modality has its own threshold. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
2. Art. 3: obtain the MICI investment certification; its validity is three months. Prepare the underlying investment and beneficial-ownership evidence before filing. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
3. Art. 4: a new, unoccupied property bought in a primary sale from a developer must reach B/.300,000. Secondary-market/resale property requires B/.500,000. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
4. Art. 5: prove actual net equity after debt, the applicable appraisals and registration. Where a legal entity holds the investment, establish the applicant’s beneficial ownership. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
5. Art. 7: qualifying preconstruction requires a purchase promise of at least B/.300,000 plus the stipulated fiduciary/bank guarantees and annual supporting evidence. A reservation receipt alone is insufficient. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
6. Art. 8: qualifying regulated securities require B/.500,000 maintained for five years; provide regulated-market and investment-account evidence. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
7. Art. 9: unencumbered fixed-term deposits require B/.750,000 at a private bank, or B/.500,000 at Banco Nacional/Caja de Ahorros; maintain them for five years. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
8. Art. 12: maintain the qualifying investment for five years and satisfy annual verification. Keep statements, registry evidence and the required certifications. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
9. Arts. 2 and 11: gifts, donations and other gratuitous third-party transfers do not count toward the qualifying minimum. Use appropriate bank letters, legalized foreign-bank statements, SWIFT records or bank-certified transfer evidence to prove your own foreign funds. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
10. Art. 6: provide ANATI cadastral/value certification and paid-price evidence. If a commercial appraisal is required, it must be issued within the preceding six months by an eligible independent professional; the applicant bears the cost. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
11. Art. 12: annual evidence is due within the 30 calendar days before the anniversary of the residence resolution. Notify investment cessation or modification within 30 calendar days; any permitted reinvestment window up to 90 days requires official handling. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]

Conditional documents

1. Use the checklist for the chosen modality, not all modalities at once. Corporate ownership, financing and preconstruction require additional evidence; financing cannot replace qualifying net equity. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
2. Art. 7: a licensed-bank/trustee deposit requires notarized purchase-promise and trust agreements dedicating all trust funds to the purchase. If paying 100% directly to the developer, supply an irrevocable unconditional first-demand bank instrument covering the full investment until construction, segregation and registration; renew annual evidence. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
3. Arts. 16–17: filing through counsel before entry is permitted, but biometrics/foreigner registration precede card issuance. Later-born/adopted children or a new civil spouse require current MICI investment certification, civil-status documents, notarized financial responsibility and the dependent payments. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]

Dependents

1. For an eligible spouse or child, provide marriage or birth certificates, relationship evidence, passports and any age, study or financial-dependency evidence required by the chosen category. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
2. Each dependent must meet applicable immigration checks and document formalities. Additional income, investment or government payments differ by category; do not transfer one route’s figures to another. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]

Document formalities and lawful funds

1. Foreign public documents may require apostille or consular legalization; documents not in Spanish require an accepted certified Spanish translation. Confirm treatment of private documents and translator qualifications with counsel. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
2. Validity periods are document- and category-specific. Do not assume every certificate remains valid for six months; obtain current SNM instructions, and for Qualified Investor observe the three-month MICI certification validity. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
3. Prepare bank statements, transfers, tax declarations, sale/inheritance or business-income evidence as relevant. Investment capital and ownership must be traceable; a bank balance alone is not proof of lawful origin. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]

Application process

1. The lawyer checks nationality, family situation, immigration status and the exact investment or pension route before funds are committed. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
2. Collect authenticated documents and financial evidence; complete the investment or pension certification required for the category and submit a complete SNM application. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
3. Respond to official requests for clarification. Approval, residence-card issuance and any separate work authorization depend on the competent authorities. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]
4. Where a two-year provisional stage applies, preserve the qualifying conditions and file the permanent-residence application at the required stage. Qualified Investor maintenance and annual verification remain separate obligations. [SNM / Gaceta / Panama Digital]

Frequently asked questions

Does B/.300,000 qualify every property?

No. Art. 4 distinguishes a new unoccupied primary developer sale at B/.300,000 from a resale at B/.500,000. Debt and ownership must also satisfy art. 5.

Can the investment be withdrawn after approval?

Not freely: the qualifying investment must be maintained for five years with annual verification under art. 12.

Official sources

• https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/storage/gacetas/2026/09/30613/105241.pdf
• https://www.migracion.gob.pa/home/procesosmigratorios/permisosmigratorios/
• https://www.migracion.gob.pa/formularios/