Living in Panama Archives | Page 2 of 69

Last Updated Oct 6, 2019 - by Jackie Lange

Why Get a Panama Passport?

Five years after you get your permanent residency in Panama you can apply for Panamanian citizenship and a Panama passport. To apply, you’ll pay $600, do in interview (in Spanish) to explain why you want to become a Panamanian, then take a history test also in Spanish. Then the President of Panama must sign the authorization. I’ve heard from people who have obtained their Panama citizenship and passport that the whole process can take a year. Panama provides this STUDY GUIDE to help you pass the test.

Panamanian citizens enjoy visa-free access to 118 countries and territories. This article from ANPanama explains why a Panama passport is so great:

(Panama City-ANPanama) The Panamanian passport is the second in Central America that offers more visa-free access to countries in the world, behind that of Costa Rica, according to the Henley Passport Index, the only one endorsed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to this strict ranking, in Central America the best classified is that of Costa Rica, which gives its citizens access without visa to 150 countries, followed by Panama with 140, El Salvador and Honduras are third with 134, Guatemala fourth with 132; Nicaragua fifth with 128 and Belize sixth with 99 countries.

The Dominican Republic, which is part of the Central American Integration System, appears seventh with access to 64 countries.

Panamanians currently enter 48 countries in Europe, 20 Caribbean islands, 18 American countries, 5 countries in Oceania and the same number in Asia and the Middle East and 3 in Africa without a visa.

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Last Updated Sep 20, 2019 - by Jackie Lange

Beach Life in Panama

Panama has 1500 miles of coastline! If you love living at the beach, there is a perfect beach for you somewhere in Panama. The weather is about 90 degrees every day (+/- 5) and most of the time, you'[ll have the whole beach to yourself.

During their Panama Relocation Tour, Greg and Anita found their perfect beach near Las Tablas! In the Azuero Pensinula, on the Pacific side of Panama, there are 10 different beach communities between Chitre and Las Tablas. Both Chitre and Las Tablas are have 24 hour grocery stores, great restaurants, hospitals, hardware stores, doctors, dentists and a thriving expat community. Some other beach communities in Panama are much more isolated and don’t have many amenities.

Initially, Anita and Greg rented a house then purchased a house right on the beach about 10km outside of Las Tablas. They can enjoy the sounds of the waves and amazing sunrises in Panama every day.

As a bonus, during your Panama Relocation Tour, you’ll learn how to buy houses with zero interest seller financing — which is exactly what Greg and Anita did to buy their amazing property on the beach. It was a rainy and overcast day when we shot their video – but every day’s a good day at the beach! Check it out at:

Last Updated Sep 14, 2019 - by Jackie Lange

Taking a Bus in Panama

Public buses are readily available throughout Panama but I’ve only taken the bus to Panama City one time because my daughter’s flight was cancelled and she needed to get to Panama City to catch an international flight. My cost, with a Pensionado discount, was $10.60 to take the bus from David to Panama City. A few times, I’ve also taken the community buses to Boquete for $1. It’s only $1.75 to take the bus from Boquete to David, which is the second largest city in Panama.

Because I have limited knowledge about taking the buses in Panama, I asked my friend Elaine Hayes to write about here experiences. Elaine loves to take the bus. Here’s her article about Taking a Bus in Panama.

Taking the bus all around Panama is a lot easier that you think. And you will be surprised to find that once you get the hang of it, it just might be your preferred method for travel!

Panama has one of the easiest and efficient bus systems in the America’s. All it takes it a few dollars, and a little bit of bravery in the beginning, and it will open up a whole new way to travel independently.

Let’s first begin our journey at Albrook Bus Station in Panama City. Albrook is a huge area that has its own airport, the main bus station for all of Panama, and the largest mall in all of the Americas. From here, it can get you started to go anywhere in the country.

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