Panama Qualified Investor Visa
Panama's Qualified Investor Visa grants permanent residence directly, often within about 30 days, through one of three routes: a 300,000 USD property, a 500,000 USD securities portfolio, or a 750,000 USD bank deposit. All three demand a five-year hold, and the real-estate figure is a closing window — it reverts to 500,000 USD around October 2026 under Decree 193-2024. The reward is Panama's territorial tax system, where foreign-source income stays untaxed regardless of residence status, unlike the worldwide bill in Mexico or Colombia. Naturalisation, though, is a distant, discretionary five-year-plus prospect.
Key figures
- From
- $300 000≈ $400 500 for a family of four, fees included
- Processing time
- 1–2 months
- Physical presence
- Applicants must enter Panama to file and collect the residence card. Afterwards there is no minimum annual stay, but permanent residence can lapse if you are absent from Panama for more than two consecutive years.
- Family
- Spouse, dependent children (typically to 18, or to 25 if studying and unmarried), and dependent parents, each adding government fees.
Timeline and status
The programme announces 1–2 months. That is the official figure, not a commitment. Status checked against Gaceta Oficial — décret modifiant le Decreto Ejecutivo 722 (Inversionista Calificado), publié par le MICI on .
Unusually for a residency programme, permanent residence is granted directly and fast — often within about 30 days of a complete filing — rather than after a probationary temporary stage.
Investment routes and what each one really costs
| Route | Official minimum | Real total, family of four | Hold | Recoverable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estateReal estate free of liens, held for five years. This 300,000 USD threshold is a window: under Decree 193-2024 it is set to revert to 500,000 USD around 15 October 2026 unless extended again. Government fees add roughly 10,000 USD plus per-dependant charges. | $300 000 | ≈ $400 500 | 5 yr | No |
| Investment fundInvestment of 500,000 USD in securities through a Panama brokerage, held five years. Redeemable at the end of the term, subject to market value. | $500 000 | ≈ $667 500 | 5 yr | Yes |
| Bank depositFixed-term bank deposit of 750,000 USD in a Panama bank, held five years. The highest entry point of the three routes, but capital-preserving. | $750 000 | ≈ $1 001 250 | 5 yr | Yes |
Limits and drawbacks
- The 300,000 USD real-estate threshold is a closing window: under Decree 193-2024 it is scheduled to return to 500,000 USD around 15 October 2026 unless extended again. Do not assume the low figure will still apply when you file.
- This is residency, not citizenship. Naturalisation is only possible after five years, is discretionary and slow in practice, and Panama’s constitution calls for renouncing your prior nationality — so treat a Panama passport as a distant, uncertain prospect, not a feature of this visa.
- All routes require holding the investment for five years; selling early can cost you the residence.
- A lower-cost path exists for eligible nationals — the Friendly Nations Visa, from a 200,000 USD property purchase — but only for the roughly fifty listed countries, and with its own economic-ties requirements since the 2021 reform.
What it gets you
- Permanent residence granted directly and fast — often within about 30 days
- Territorial tax: foreign-source income is not taxed in Panama
- A refundable securities or deposit route for investors who prefer not to buy property
- A dollarised economy — Panama uses the US dollar
Tax in brief
- Territorial tax: foreign-source income is not taxed in Panama
- Panama-source personal income is taxed progressively, up to 25%
- No tax on foreign capital gains, and no wealth tax
- Indirect tax (ITBMS) is low, at a 7% standard rate
- Residency does not by itself make you a Panama citizen
Who else accepts the same kind of investment
Compare it with another jurisdiction
| — | Portugal | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Official minimum | env. $289 000Identical on this line | env. $289 000Identical on this line |
| Real total, family of 4 (fees included) | ≈ $385 214Identical on this line | ≈ $385 214Identical on this line |
| Announced processing | 12–24 months | 4–6 monthsfaster |
| Presence required | Seven days in the first year, then fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period. | None. |
| Years to citizenship | 10 years | 7 yearsfaster |
| Investment routes | Investment fund, Business, Donation | Real estate |
| A route returns the capital | NoIdentical on this line | NoIdentical on this line |
| Open to Russian applicants | YesIdentical on this line | YesIdentical on this line |
| Region | EuropeIdentical on this line | EuropeIdentical on this line |
Open the country page · PortugalOpen the country page · Greece
Freedom. Anywhere.
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What we do for you
Citizenship or residence, the honest answer often is not the one you arrived with. We take the whole procedure with you — eligibility, the route that fits your situation, the file, the follow-up — with one person on your side throughout.
For Panama specifically, you are talking to someone who already knows the file: who to speak to on the ground, what the unit actually asks for, and the points where applications stall.
- One point of contact, from the first call to the certificate
- Vetted partners on the ground — law firms, licensed agents, banks — introduced, not listed
- It starts with a short qualifying call, and no, it is not a sales call
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