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As a foreigner, you can legally drive in Panama using your foreign license for the first 90 days you are in Panama. Panama does not accept international driver’s licenses.
If you want to drive longer than 90 days, you can leave Panama for a minimum of thirty days. When you return, you’ll get a new entry stamp in your passport so the 90 days will over again.
There are checkpoints throughout Panama. If you get stopped, the police will ask to see your passport and your foreign license. They are looking for your last entry date stamp to verify that you are driving legally in Panama.
For tourists, this is not a problem.
But when you move to Panama, you will need to be able to drive for more than 90 days. The solution is to get a residency visa, then you can get a Panama driver’s license. You will be able to keep your current country’s license also, so you can use it when you visit back home.
Understand that once you get a residency Visa, even a temporary visa, you are REQUIRED to get a Panama driver’s license if you plan to drive in Panama. Once you get a visa, you can no longer drive with your foreign license.
If you leave Panama right after you get your temporary Visa and do not plan to drive in Panama, you can wait until you get your permanent Visa to get your Panama driver’s license.Are you thinking about moving to Panama? Check out our guide to living in Panama and learn more about our relocation tours.
The minimum driving age in Panama is 18 years.
To apply for a Panamanian License, you must have a residency Visa. Initially, you are issued a temporary or processing Pensionado Visa, which is only valid for 6 months. So, your Panama driver’s license will only be valid for 6 months.
Once you get your permanent visa, you will need to renew your Panama driver’s license. Your Panama driver’s license will valid for four years until you reach age 70, then it is only valid for two years.
If you are over age 70, in addition to the steps listed below, you must obtain a doctor’s certification to prove that you are healthy enough to manage a car. This certification has to be from either a Gerontologist or a Doctor of Internal Medicine.
If you do not currently have a driver’s license from your home country or your license is expired, your application process will start from square one (see Plan B below). You will have to attend a driving school class and be certified through an approved driving school, take a practical driving test in a car that you provide, and pass a written exam to demonstrate your knowledge of the laws of the road. Don’t worry, you can request that the test be in English!
THE EASY WAY…
If you already have a valid driver’s license from another country, the process of obtaining a Panamanian license is much easier. It takes about two days because there are several steps.
- In Panama City, visit your country’s embassy to complete a notarized affidavit of your driving history (which usually involves setting up an advance appointment and paying a fee. The US Embassy charges $100). You have to bring your valid passport and driver’s license with you. This takes about 30 minutes. You must make an appointment at the Embassy.
- Go to the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Relations to have your affidavit validated. You will have to pay a small fee for this, $5 paid to a nearby bank. This step can take a day because they will tell you to return later to pick up your documents. The Online Guide lists people who can help you with this process.
- Step three is to document your blood type through a SERTACEN-approved lab. I paid $5 for my blood test.
- Bring your residency visa card, your passport, your current driver’s license, your notarized documents, and your proof of blood type to a SERTRACEN service center. Be sure to bring both the originals of all these documents and a photocopy of each front and back. Vision and hearing tests will be required, along with the payment of a fee of $40. Once you get your permanent visa, if you are a Pensionado, you will get 10% off the cost to renew or get a driver’s license.
- If you authenticate your foreign license at your Embassy, you do not need to take a written or driving test. You will only need to do a vision and hearing test at SERTRACEN after you get your blood type.
- If you are 70+ you will also need to see an internal medicine doctor who will verify that you are mentally fit to be driving.
- If you are 85+, you will also need to do the driving test in addition to the internal medicine doctor certificate. The driving test consists of:
1) pull into the designated parking space
2) parallel park
3) back into the designated parking space
I know it sounds complicated. Don’t worry; we have people who can help you get a Panama Driver’s License while you are in Panama to get your residency Visa.
You can authenticate your foreign license at the Embassy shortly before getting your residency Visa.
In Panama City, you must authenticate your current driver’s license and the authentication at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. But the rest of the process can be done in the province where you live.
PLAN B
Because it could take a while to get an appointment at the Embassy, or perhaps you don’t want to travel to Panama City, you can pay the driving school nearest you $70 to get a certificate and the test questions to study for the written test. The written test comprises 10 multiple-choice questions with only 60 seconds per question….the test can be taken in Spanish or English. THESE ARE THE TEST QUESTIONS IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH
For the driving test, you are required to demonstrate three parking skills:
1) pull into the designated parking space
2) parallel park
3) back into the designated parking space
Once you complete the written test and the driving test and you have your blood type, then you can continue to SERTRACEN to do the vision and hearing test.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT GETTING A PANAMA DRIVER’S LICENSE
Once you get a residency visa, you can no longer drive with your foreign driver’s license. You must obtain a Panama driver’s license.
When you apply for a visa, a stamp on your passport indicates you have applied for a residency Visa. If you are stopped at a checkpoint, the police will ask to see your passport or your Cedula (the national ID card you get after your permanent Visa). If the police notice that you have a stamp on your passport that you applied for a visa but are driving with your foreign driver’s license, they will likely impound your car and get a $150 ticket. Therefore, using a taxi or asking a friend to drive you until you get your Panama driver’s license is better.
RENEWING YOUR PANAMA DRIVER’S LICENSE
You will need to renew your Panama driver’s license every four years unless you are 70 years old then it will need to be renewed every two years. To renew your license, you do not need to go through the authentication process again. You will only need to take a vision and hearing test to renew your license. If you are over 70, you will also need a doctor’s letter that you are mentally fit to drive.
It costs $40 to get a driver’s license initially. Once you have your permanent residency visa, you will get a 10% Pensionado discount, so you can renew for $36.
