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Last Updated Apr 17, 2019 - by Jackie Lange

What Does It Cost to Get a Residency Visa in Panama?

The two most popular and affordable residency Visas are the Pensionado Visa and the Friendly Nations Visa.

The Pensionado Visa is the most affordable Visa because the Panamanian government waives all their fees for all retirees (a $1050 savings). To qualify for the Pensionado Visa, you must plan to be retired in Panama. You’ll need to prove a lifetime income of $1000 a month for a single person or $1250 for a married couple. You will never be able to get a work in Panama. Which means you cannot sell any products or services in Panama. If you’re living in Panama but doing online work in another country you will not need a work permit.

The Friendly Nations Visa is ideal for those who are not retired and/or cannot prove a lifetime income, like Social Security or a Pension. The only income you will need to prove is putting $5,000 in a Panama bank account. For each additional dependent, you will need to add an extra $2,000 to the bank account. The Friendly Nations Visa allows you to get a work permit so you can sell products or services in Panama.

To get any Visa in Panama, you will need to provide a nationwide criminal report, like an FBI report. If married and applying together, you’ll also need a certified copy of your marriage certificate.

Are you thinking about moving to Panama? Check out our guide to living in panama and learn more about our relocation tours.

Why should you consider getting a Residency Visa?

If you plan to live in Panama, you can only stay six months then you need to leave for at least 30 days before you can come back. If you’re driving, you can only stay for 90 days, then you need to leave before you can come back. To avoid this problem, you will need to get a residency Visa. Once you have a residency Visa, you can live in Panama as long as you want to.

However, you are not required to live in Panama full time. You only need to come back to Panama every two years and stay for a few days.

Five years after getting your permanent Visa and Cedula, you can apply for Panama citizenship and a Panama passport and it only cost $600!

Once you get your permanent Pensionado Visa or a Friendly Nations Visa and you meet the age requirements (55 for women and 60 for men), you will qualify for these discounts:

50% off on recreation and entertainment such as movies, theaters, sports, etc.
50% off hotels Monday through Thursday (30% off on weekends)
50% off passports
50% off movie theaters (about $2 with your discount)
30% off public transportation like buses, trains, and boats
25% off airfare
25% off restaurants (15% off fast food)
25% off electrical, telephone, and water service
20% off doctors and specialists
20% off prosthetics and other personal assistance devices
15% off hospitals and private clinics
15% off dental and optometry services
10% off prescription medications
tax-free importation of household goods, up to $10,000
tax-free importation of a vehicle, or tax-free purchase of a local vehicle

These discounts alone pay for the Visa within a few years!

Getting a Visa is an easy three step process.

The process always starts with talking to your attorney about which Visa is best for your needs. Your attorney will email you a list of documents you need to bring with you to Panama to apply for a Visa. Some of the documents will need to be authenticated. Yes, you do need to be in Panama to apply for a Visa. For the temporary Visa, you can start the process at immigration offices throughout Panama instead of being stuck in Panama City. Initially, you will be issued a temporary Visa card which is good for six months.

To reduce your expenses with multiple trips to Panama, plus hotel & eating out expenses, you may want to wait until you actually move to Panama to apply for a Visa. This will save you a lot of money.

About three months after you get your temporary Visa, your permanent Visa will be ready and requires a trip to Panama City to pick it up. About 30 days later you can get a Cedula and it will require another trip to Panama City. A Cedula is a national ID card. You are not required to get a Cedula but I highly recommend it because it will make your life so much easier when you live in Panama. If you are not already living in Panama, all these trips to Panama can really add up in expenses.

During the time between getting your temporary Visa and your permanent Visa, you are required to stay in Panama UNLESS you get a multi-entry Visa stamp in your passport. The multi-entry Visa stamp allows you to leave the country and come back any time while you are waiting for your permanent Visa. If you leave the country without a multi-entry Visa stamp then attempt to come back in to Panama, there is a $2,000 fine. So you definitely want to get the multi-entry Visa stamp if you plan to leave the country. There is no extra fee to get your multi-entry stamp with our attorney. I recommend getting the multi-entry stamp even if you are already living in Panama because you just don’t know when a situation might come up which requires you to leave Panama for an emergency.

Seems pretty straight forward, right? Wrong!

Unfortunately, the prices that lawyers charge to get a Visa is not regulated in any way. Lawyers can charge whatever they think they can get away with.

Last month I received an email from someone asking if $1250 was a reasonable price to pay for a multi-entry Visa stamp. That’s what his attorney, who frequents the living overseas seminars, was asking. I told him NO WAY, a multi-entry Visa stamp is only $50 and my attorney does not charge anything extra to get it. Big price difference!

That same over-priced attorney above charges $5,000 for one person to get a Pensionado Visa and $7500 for a couple. Our attorney charges $1200 for a Pensionado for one and $1600 for a couple. Our attorney only works with our Tour clients. You can see how the cost of the tour can actually save you money!

Last year someone came on my tour six months AFTER he got a Friendly Nations Visa. He was charged $15,000 for his Visa by a company who advertises all over the place! Yikes!!! The lawyer we use charges about $2600 for a Friendly Nations Visa. You’ll also need to set up a corporation if you don’t own property in Panama. The corporation is an additional $1400 fee however, for our tour clients I can usually find a corporation for sale for less than $500. (more savings)

Another lady was told by her attorney that it would be $500 to get a work permit plus she would need to pay $500 every month to keep it. This is a total rip off! It cost $500 one time to get a work permit.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

Going to the wrong lawyer to get your Visa can cost you a lot more than the cost of a Panama Relocation Tour! Even buying health insurance at the wrong place can easily cost you an extra $4000 per year for a couple.

Hopefully, you can see why coming on a Panama Relocation Tour and getting our verified contact list can actually SAVE you money and help you avoid these costly mistakes!

During a Panama Relocation Tour, you’ll learn the BEST sources for getting an affordable Visa and getting it quickly, how to find a rental and not get a gringo price, how to save 30% on health insurance, how to save on prescriptions, and much more.

During a Panama Relocation Tour, you’ll see a variety of towns by the beach and in the mountains. Well show you some rentals but there are absolutely no sales pitches! You will get to meet with expats who live in these areas every day. You’ll learn everything you need to know to make a smooth move to Panama without any hassles and without getting taken advantage of by unscrupulous lawyers.

Come see how you can live better for less in Panama! Join us for a 6-day, 7-night All-Inclusive Panama Relocation Tour to learn how to save money and avoid costly mistakes when you move to Panama.

We have limited space available for each tour. SEE THE DATES AND REGISTER HERE. We require a $500 per person deposit to reserve your spot. The remainder is not due until 30 days before your tour. If you have questions, email [email protected]

P.S. See what some of our recent tour guests have to save about a Panama Relocation Tour:

THIS TOUR COULD VERY WELL SAVE YOU LITERALLY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, AND A LOT OF HEARTACHE, BY AVOIDING THE MISTAKES THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE MAKE BY NOT BEING PREPARED

I recently participated in Jackie Lange’s Panama Relocation Tour. I would highly recommend that anyone who is considering relocating to Panama, to take one of Jackie’s Tours … the experience was not only very enlightening, but also a lot of fun. You will be interacting with people who share the same interests and objectives as you … that of checking out the various areas of Panama to see if it is somewhere you would like to live in or retire to. Jackie is very knowledgeable not only of the various places & climates of Panama, but of the ‘details’ of exactly what you need to learn about the country, the rules involved with living here, and what pitfalls to look out for.

Taking this tour will provide you with ‘invaluable’ information about the process of moving to Panama, and could very well save you literally tens of thousands of dollars, and a lot of heartache, by avoiding the mistakes that a lot of people make by not being properly prepared before jumping into something like this. You will visit a variety of locations, both by the beach, and in the mountains … and hear first hand from expats and locals who live in each location. They will pull no punches and provide you with both the pros and the cons of each area, to ensure that there are no ‘surprises’.

Jackie will introduce you to speakers who will talk to the group very frankly about their specific areas of expertise, and she will provide you with contacts to advise you in any area, legal, health care, etc. You can rest assured that you will not be given any ‘sales pitches’ … this is ‘not’ what the Tours are about … they are strictly about giving you ‘information’ and ‘experiences’!

Stephen Douglas Stenberg (Doug),
Alberta, Canada
March 2017 Tour

OUTRAGEOUSLY FANTASTIC!

Thank you Melissa and Jackie for the pleasure of experiencing a whole new world for 10 days with Panama Relocation Tours. Outrageously fantastic! Right from the start of the initial planning to arriving and enjoying our relocation tour everything was professionally handled and we were in the best possible hands. Not knowing what to expect we were somewhat apprehensive but once the adventure began that all went out the window. Cannot thank you enough…especially since we found our new home that first day out on the tour bus. The Beach!! This has been a lifelong dream and we are so excited to begin our new adventure. Thank you again.
Best wishes,
Linda and Bruce
March 2017 Tour

SEE MORE TESTIMONIALS HERE
SEE MORE TOUR REVIEWS AT www.Facebook.com/PanamaRelocationTours

Last Updated Jan 1, 2019 - by Panama Relocation Tours

See Panama Before the International Living Fast-Track Panama Conference

The International Living Fast–Track Panama Conference is February 8-10^th. You’ll spend 2 ½ days in a hotel room in Panama City to get an overview of Panama.

But to REALLY get a feel for what your life could be like living in Panama, you need to get out of Panama City to see more of Panama up close and personal. See Panama with a boots on the ground tour!

That’s where Panama Relocation Tours comes in! We offer 6-day all-inclusive tours of Panama. You’ll get to visit Gorgona, Coronado, El Valle, Santa Clara, the Azuero Peninsula, Santiago, David, Boquete, Volcan, Cerro Punta and Puerto ArmuellesPLUS meet with expats who live in many of those areas. No sales pitches.

The week after the International Living Fast–track Panama Conference, our February 9th – 14thth tour is already sold out. However, we have ONE room available for the Panama Relocation Tour February 2nd -8th.

Reserve Your Spot Today.

This is NOT a real estate tour. You will see some rental properties in each area but there will be absolutely no sales pitches to try to get you to buy real estate. We highly recommend that you rent for at least 6 months before you make any buying decisions.

During the Panama Relocation Tour, you’ll learn:

Health insurance companies – little trick to save an extra 30%
Private hospitals, Doctors, Dentists, and specialists
How to find a rental.. and things to watch out for
How to get BIG discounts on many purchases in Panama
CPA’s with expat & Panamanian experience
Meet with Attorney to learn about visa options and business structures
Shipping and moving companies (Tips for saving money, too)
What it takes to start a business in Panama.. and which businesses are off limits.
Pet relocation (my step-by-step guide for a smooth transition)
Trustworthy real estate agents and property managers (they are hard to find)
How to get online orders (Amazon) and mail delivered to you
Selling on Amazon – Without touching products
The best way to take title to a property if you decide to buy
How to send and receive faxes without using a fax machine
We will help you set up an Offshore Bank Account!
Typical budgets in various areas (some or more or less than others)
How to get phone calls to/from your country in Panama… for free
How to bring a gun in to Panama and get a permit (or buy one here)
How to ship precious metals in to Panama.. tax free!
Where to buy precious metals like gold and silver in Panama.
Learn How to Fund Your Life Overseas… Little Ways to Make Big Money
Step-by-step CHECKLIST of things to do BEFORE you move to Panama
Best place to buy or rent a car, and MUCH more.

You’ll meet an immigration attorney who charges less than HALF what the International Living Panama attorney charges for a Visa. This alone could pay for your tour!

No one knows more about relocating to Panama than we do!

We’ve helped hundreds of people relocate to Panama! They made the move without stress because of the information they received during a Panama Relocation Tour plus the ongoing support they receive after the tour.

Panama is the perfect place to live. You have easy access to a cosmopolitan Panama City, 1500 miles of beach, and mountain towns where the weather is spring all like year. The Panama economy is the strongest in the western hemisphere and their government is a stable democracy.

In Panama, it is possible to have breakfast next to the Pacific Ocean, lunch in a quaint mountain town, then dinner at a funky restaurant over the Caribbean Sea… all in one day….without getting on an airplane!

Retirees can take advantage of Panama’s Pensionado Program which is considered the #1 retirement program in the world! You can get discount of 10% to 50% on everything from restaurants, prescriptions, utility bills, airfare and movie theaters plus more.

Not ready to retire yet? You’ll love the opportunities available in Panama and the ease of doing business. Some of our tour clients have been able to get a job working for a multinational company in Panama. Many have reported that they make more money in Panama than they did in the United States because they pay no, or very low, taxes.

During the tour, you’ll learn how to make money online working from home. I have two online businesses which more than cover my living expenses in Panama. You’ll learn how you can do this too!

Tour of Richard Detrich's House — Tour Group at Richard Detrich’s House

You’ll get to meet expats who live in each of the areas we visit. They will share what their living expenses are like so you can get a general idea of what it cost to live in Panama. You’ll be amazed at how affordable it is to live in Panama.

During the Panama Relocation Tour, you’ll get ALL the information you need to make your move to Panama stress-free. You will even receive a checklist of exactly what you need to do and when.

Register now, for the February 20-25^th Panama Relocation Tour which starts the day after the International Living Fast–Track Panama Conference. We only have 10 rooms available.

The tour begins in Panama City. It will end in Boquete. Your tour fee includes a flight back to Panama City.

Even if you are NOT going to the International Living Fast–Track Panama Conference, you are welcome to join us for the Panama Relocation Tour on February 2nd-9th.

To make an informed decision about relocating to Panama, you really need to SEE more of the country than you’ll see sitting in a hotel room in Panama City. By the end of the tour, you’ll know if Panama is right for you and if it is, you’ll be able to pick out your ideal location.

Learn more here and register for a Panama Relocation Tour. If you have any questions, email [email protected]

To a BETTER Life in Panama,

Jackie Lange
Boquete, Panama
PanamaRelocationTours.com

EXTRA BONUS: When you register for a Panama Relocation Tour, you can take advantage of our super special discount of $84 at our preferred hotel in Panama City instead of spending $130 of dollars for a room where the International Living conference will be held. Even if you arrive in Panama several days early you can get our special rate. Plus, our bi-lingual driver will pick you up at Tocumen International airport.

Here’s what some of our previous tour clients have to say:

STRESS-FREE ITINERARY WHICH TOTALLY SURPASSED OUR EXPECTATIONS

Thanks Panama Relocation Tours for putting together a stress-free itinerary which totally surpassed our expectations.

For anyone considering an exploratory trip to Panama, Jackie Lange’s Panama Relocation Tour is a must! The 6 day trip took us through so many different living environments from expat communities in Coronado, to homes in Las Tablas and David to our final stopping point in Boquete and Volcan.

On the trip you get a chance to experience what to expect living in different regions of Panama sampling weather, costs and variety of food, typical shopping experiences and housing offerings. The tour is comprehensive encompassing everything from the nuts-and-bolts to moving to Panama, tax considerations, how and why to hire an attorney, insurance considerations, opportunities for expats and so much, much more. Tour recipients leave with plenty of great documentation to refer to after the trip.

This is so much more than a bus trip with stops in different parts Panama. It’s an experience that convinced us that the people and the country of Panama is a place that my wife and I will return to again for a much longer stay (if not permanently)!

I wouldn’t hesitate recommending this trip to anyone who’d like to explore the possibility of relocating to Panama.Panama Relocation Tours has it all and more!

David and Rhonda Grover
Austin, Texas
April 2014 Tour

MEETING THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE TOUR WAS SUCH FUN!

Bob and I would like to say THANK YOU for a wonderful tour. We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing the different parts of the country. From what we saw, we feel that the Boquete area would be the spot for us.

Although we have some “moving parts” that will have to be worked out, we do hope that it is going to be possible for us to relocate in the next year or so.

Meeting the other people on the tour was such fun. We feel like we have made some new friends, and – hopefully – we will be seeing them again in Panama!!

Jackie, your knowledge of most things Panamanian is invaluable. Melissa — I so appreciated your assistance with all of my questions, and your amazing coordination. All of our before and after plans went smoothly!

Carol and Bob Hanft
October 2016 Tour

ON A SCALE OF 1-10 OUR EXPERIENCE WAS AN ABSOLUTE 10 AND WORTH EVERY PENNY

Patti and I went on the Panama Relocation Tour with an open mind, but hoping everything we read about the tour was true.

The tour with Jackie Lange was more then we could hope for, it was informative and comfortable. Jackie was an excellent host and a wealth of information. We got a realistic view of what to expect if we decide to work or retire in Panama. We stayed in very good hotels and had more then enough to eat (the meals were very good and plentiful).

We had the opportunity to see how fellow expats live and hear them share their experiences.

Me and my wife have decided to take the plunge and give Panama a try after my retirement and are in the process of applying for the Friendly Nations VISA (416 VISA).

We were looking for a place to live with cooler temperatures then we are currently suffering in Tampa, Florida. And we believe that Boguete would be a great place to start this adventure in our new life and explore the surrounding areas.

I must not to forget to acknowledge Melissa Lange as well, she guided us through the process so that the experience was pleasant and enjoyable.

On a scale of 1 to 10 our experience was an absolute 10 and worth every penny.

Frank and Patti Major

Tampa Florida
August 2016 Tour

JACKIE’S ADVICE ALLOWED US TO ACCOMPLISH IN A FEW DAYS WHAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN MONTHS OR MAYBE YEARS ON OUR OWN

PanamaRelocationTours.com — Warren and Kim

My husband and I just returned from a visit to our future home in Boquete, Panama. It has been our intention for years to spend retirement overseas and have thoroughly researched many countries. When we narrowed our search to Panama we discovered Jackie Lange’s PRT. Our Panama adventure began in Panama City and ended in Boquete. We were able to sample life on the coast , mountains and everything In between. We were introduced to expats currently living their dream in Panama as well as journey with others like us beginning their pursuit. We met an attorney who will help us with legal issues in regard to our move, we opened a bank account and enrolled with a shipping company. Jackie’s experience and advice allowed us to accomplish in a few days what would have taken months or maybe years on our own. We returned back to Mississippi to find a buyer for our home, cars and other possessions in order for us to begin our new life in Boquete, Panama sometime in 2017, if not before. If cool breezes, milder temperatures and an affordable way of living sounds enticing to you, contact Jackie and plan to be a part of one of her future tours.

Warren and Kim Doherty
McComb, Mississippi

September 2016 Tour

I’M SO HAPPY I TOOK THIS TOUR…

I’m so happy I took this tour, my first ever! I met a lot of nice people and fellow solo travelers too. Thank you Jackie & Melissa for the invaluable information provided in six days that would take me months if not years to gather.

Loved the down to earth, no hustle approach. I felt Jackie wanted to show me why and what she loves about her adopted country, “if you like what you see, welcome neighbor and if it’s not for you, that’s okay too”.

You’ve got a great team Jackie. Melissa was always there with a quick response to my questions and requests. Your attorney was so helpful, reasonable and accommodating. Jorge is a pro driver; I felt safe and Luis took care of wherever I needed to go in Panama City.

Muchas gracias,
Dawnette
Thailand
July 2016 Tour

HAD A BLAST

First, I would like to thank you Melissa for doing such a fantastic job getting my wife and I set up for the tour. You were so thorough and fun to work with for the process of generating all the paperwork required to make the trip. And Jackie, you were such a pleasure to spend 6 days with. Everything was amazingly orchestrated for visiting the different cities. From the housing tours to the lunch breaks and the hotels. I especially appreciated your candid conversations about life in Panama and what to expect moving there. Everything was Fabulous!

John & Maria Litland
July 2016 Tours

A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!

Our July 2016 Panama Relocation Tour was wonderful from the beginning to the end.

Every step was planned for and well organized. Each day in Panama was a treasure. It was like opening up a gift each morning.

Jackie and Melissa could not have been any more terrific. Jackie shared her years of experience gained living in Panama.

She gave us invaluable, boots on the ground information. We got the good and the bad. Jackie is a walking encyclopedia of all things Panama. If she doesn’t know it, she will find out.

We are planning a return trip very soon.

Hopefully a new life in Panama is in our future.

Shawn and Virginia
Las Vegas, NV
July 2016 Tour

WATCH VIDEOS and Read more testimonials here

Last Updated Aug 15, 2019 - by Panama Relocation Tours

How to Be a Good Expat in Panama

I asked one of my Panamanian friends. Mimi Stewart, to share her advice about how you can be a good expat in Panama. Mimi was a Panamanian expat living in the United States for awhile so she has a unique perspective about being an expat. Getting advice about how to adapt to living in Panama from Panamanians is just as important as getting advice from other expats.

by Mimi Stewart

Greeting from beautiful Boquete, a small town in Chiriqui, Panama. I am originally from Panama, but from the age of 23, I joined the US Army. I spent 5 years in the service, living in Germany for 2 years and another 14 in the United States.

As a Panamanian living in the United States I knew that if I wanted to make it there, I had to go by their rules, that meant learning the language and respecting the culture. At first it was difficult coming from a Latino culture, you know.. where you do as you´ve seen and you behave as you´ve learned. So being a foreigner in a strange country is not unfamiliar to me.

I learned all I needed to, and beyond that; I fell in love with the North American systems. So believe me when I tell you that I understand 100% what you are going through and the challenges it represent to you and your family to adapt to other country and culture completely strange to you. I know the frustration of not being able to communicate your needs to the pharmacist or the cashier at the supermarket, but I also know how important it is to realize that now that you live in Panama, there are changes you must make to have a smoother transition.

For example, making the effort to get to know the locals, how they think, what they eat, and how they behave are few details to take in consideration. Never assume that because you are the foreigner the locals already know how you think as well. Never assume they know what you want and most important never expect to be treated extra-special just because you are from the United States.

Many expats come to Panama with the mentality that things are going to be the same as when they lived in United States, and it is not so, not at all. Understand and expect that some things will be done in a different way in Panama. You may be surprised to find that Panama does some things in a more logical way. But some will experience disappointment because they think they are going to have the same lifestyle as before. Please remember that your decision to move to Panama although is great if you have the willingness to adapt, it can also be challenging and not so easy for some people. Your attitude about your experiences will make all the difference in a pleasant transition or not. Learn to go with the flow. You can’t change things to adapt to the way you want.

You should visit Panama before deciding to move to Panama. Perhaps, before you make the decision to move you will need to spend a few months living in Panama, to get a sense of what is like to live here, make plans of what is it that you wish to accomplish by moving here, ask yourselves if by making this move, your life will improve or if you are so stubborn that making changes is not something you are up to.

If you have children, then pay a visit to potential schools for your kids, look for activities you and your family may enjoy together.

You might just find what you are looking for in Panama; or you might not like what this country has to offer. It all depends of your willingness to take a step beyond your own culture and explore the wonders and privileges that Panama has to offer.

We all know how expensive health care is in the United States, but I can tell you that here in Panama is actually much affordable, that is if you are fairly healthy. You should plan to get health insurance right away if you decide to make the move to Panama. Health insurance is also affordable in Panama.

Boquete, for example, has wonderful organic fruits and vegetables at a very affordable price. Local restaurants have wonderful meals from $2.00 to $3.00. Public transportation is also very affordable. You can take a cab from downtown Boquete to Alto Boquete for 0.60 cents.

Is all relatively affordable if you know where to look. That is why is so important to mingle with the locals, shop where they shop, eat where they eat, this is an advantage to you. Treat them with respect and they´ll do the same, be rude and expect the same. It is all about understanding that you no longer live in the US and that depending of your attitude you either will make it here or you´ll end up going back home.

THE DO´S and DO NOT’S

Learn the Language: This will make things easier for you to communicate, at least learn the basic. It is not necessary to be 100 % fluent but at least enough to get you by with the basics, like how to ask for a pound of onions or what to say to get your check at a restaurant.

Mingle with the locals: I find that many expats prefer to stick with their ´´OWN´´ people, and although this is very understanding, remember that when many times you are the one who needs their help not them yours. Make friends with your fruit lady, be friendly with the pharmacist. Know the taxi drivers .

Participate in charity events: There are so many ways you can make a contribution to the country and one of them is to participate in charitable events and activities. This way you will feel a sense of belonging , and having a purpose.

Be kind to the locals: When you arrive to a restaurant, doctor´s office or supermarket, please be kind. Be respectful of this people, they are here to help you, and they do a great job, but only if you are kind to them.

Get a Residency Visa and Work Permit: If you want to live in Panama get a Residency Visa. The Pensionado or Friendly Nations Visas are easy and affordable to get. Live in Panama legally or don’t come. If you plan to sell a product or service, even part time, you need to get a work permit. It’s the law. Many people don’t like immigrants coming to the United States illegally and working illegally, well guess what, Panamanians don’t like immigrants (you) living and working in Panama illegally either. Show respect for the Panamanian laws by getting a Visa and a work permit.

DON´T

Expect to be treated special: I have seen this so many times, when an expat arrives to the pharmacy, he/she expects to be treated with certain specialty. Remember that you are just another customer they see and have to wait for your turn just as everybody else.

Speak badly about the culture: This is rude and very disrespectful. If you don´t like the system or the way things are done in Panama, then please by all means go back to the US. I’ve heard so many times some expats being rude to the clerk at the coffee shop, and when she doesn’t understand what he/she is trying to say, then all the complaints on how bad things are in Panama start to come up. It is your responsibility to adapt to Panama, because we Panamanians try to do the same with you.

Compare Panama with the US: Really, don´t!! We are from different worlds, upbringing and thinking. Panamanians drive very different here than drivers in the US. I must admit that we are far from being perfect, but as I mentioned before, we also try to accommodate your needs and do our best to make you feel welcome in our country.

It´s an adventure being in Panama! It can be very fun if you are open mind and the right attitude. Things are not always going to be smooth and easy, but remember something, you are here to experience something different. Embrace Panama as it is, it´s people, food and system, because it is you who are making the choice to move here, so it´s your responsibility to adapt. Have a wonderful journey and have fun in Panama!!

Mimi Stewart