Moving to Panama
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Panama, in one place.
Central America
Navid is a resident hereThinking about moving to Panama?
I'm a permanent resident of Panama, and Panama City is my home base.
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Panama at a glance
How long can you stay in Panama?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 180 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 180 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Panama
Panama has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Short-stay visa as a remote worker – an income of $36,000 a year, for 9 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
These routes don't need a local job either:
- Permanent residence as a Qualified Investor (golden visa (residency by investment)) – US$300,000 in new real estate bought on first sale, or US$500,000 in resale real estate or a fixed-term deposit, and it can lead to permanent residency
- Permanent residence for retirees and pensioners (Pensionado) (retirement visa) – $1,000 a month, and it can lead to permanent residency
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Citizenship in Panama
Naturalization takes about 5 years of residence.
Dual citizenship isn't allowed, so you'd give up your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Panama
Panama taxes only income earned inside the country, not income from abroad.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 27%
- Corporate tax – 25%
- VAT or sales tax – 7%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Panama
Everyday prices in Panama are about 45% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Panama safe?
The US State Department rates Panama Level 2 ("Exercise increased caution", updated 2026-08-19), the same level it gives France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. Levels 1 and 2 are both everyday travel; the US only asks you to reconsider a trip at Level 3. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Panama
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Panama over the last 12 months, half came in above 67 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 138 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (70,878 tests).
By place:
- Panama City – 65 Mbps typical
- Bocas del Toro – 67 Mbps typical
- Boquete – 56 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Panama
- Panama City – my home base
- Bocas del Toro
- Boquete
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Panama: the basics
| What | Panama |
|---|---|
| Capital | Panama City |
| Currency | Panamanian balboa (PAB) |
| Languages | Spanish, English |
| Population | about 4.2 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Panama
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Panama FAQs
Visa-free, for 180 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Short-stay visa as a remote worker.
It asks for an income of $36,000 a year.
Yes: Permanent residence as a Qualified Investor.
US$300,000 in new real estate bought on first sale, or US$500,000 in resale real estate or a fixed-term deposit
Yes, with Permanent residence for retirees and pensioners (Pensionado).
Each asks for a steady income; the section above lists the amounts.
About 5 years of residence.
No.
You'd give up your other passport to naturalize.
Panama taxes only income earned inside the country, not income from abroad.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 45% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 2.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 67 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 138 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Panama City, Bocas del Toro and Boquete.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Panamanian balboa (PAB).
The main languages are Spanish and English.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
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