What the visa is
The Friendly Nations Visa is Panama’s general-purpose residency route for working-age foreigners. Its official name in the migration system is the PAÍSES ESPECÍFICOS subcategory. The SNM category index lists it under permanent residency.[1] The SNM’s operative sheet titles the two permits PPT-PE, the provisional, and PPP-PE, the permanence.[2] “Friendly Nations Visa” and “Países Amigos” are marketing names. No instrument uses them.
The category has existed since 2012. Its operative base is Decreto Ejecutivo 416 of June 13, 2012. Two 2021 decrees rebuilt its core articles: Decreto 197 of May 7, 2021 and Decreto 226 of July 20, 2021.[4][5][6] Decreto 16 of August 31, 2026 then added Ecuador to the roster.[11] The full instrument story, including the short-lived 2012 decree that started the program, sits on the Decreto 343 page.
The nationality gate: 51 countries
Eligibility turns first on the passport. Decreto 226 lists the countries by name. Its Article 1 opens with a line that leaves no room, “únicamente los nacionales de”. Only nationals of the listed states may apply.[6] The list held 50 countries from August 2021. Decreto 16 of 2026 added Ecuador as the 51st, effective September 1, 2026. That was the first roster change in five years.[11][9]
The roster grew in steps. The 2012 instrument listed 24 countries. The May 2021 reform listed 45, the July 2021 reform 50, and the 2026 decree 51.[4][5][6][9] Some large countries never appear on any version. Venezuela, Russia, and Colombia are the examples readers ask about most.
This page does not restate all 51 names. The verbatim roster, with each country’s status and any dedicated guide, sits on the Friendly Nations countries list. Check a specific nationality there before planning around this visa.
The three economic ties
Nationality alone is not enough. Every applicant must also show one economic or professional tie. The instruments state three.[6][2] The tie documents ride on a common filing set. Article 28 of Decreto Ley 3 of 2008 lists it, and it covers items like the passport and the home-country police certificate.[6][2]
| Tie | What it takes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Property | B/.200,000 or more in real estate | Personal title, or a company or foundation structure; bank financing allowed |
| Bank deposit | B/.200,000 fixed-term CD | Lien-free, three-year minimum, general-license bank |
| Employment | A job with a Panamanian employer | Employer documents plus a MITRADEL work permit process |
Tie 1: property
The property route needs real estate worth at least B/.200,000. A Registro Público certificate proves ownership.[6][2] Title can sit in the applicant’s own name. It can also sit in a company, with the applicant as final beneficiary of the shares. A private-interest foundation works too, with the applicant as founder and final beneficiary.[6] Decreto 226 added those two structures in 2021. The earlier 2021 text allowed personal title only.[6][5]
A local bank may finance the purchase. The instrument permits financing “a través de un banco de la localidad”.[6] The property itself, unlike the deposit below, does not need to be lien-free. One limit matters for pre-construction buyers. The filing needs a Registro Público ownership certificate, and unbuilt property cannot yet evidence one.
Tie 2: the fixed-term deposit
The deposit route needs a certificate of deposit for at least B/.200,000. The bank must hold a general license and operate in Panama.[6][2] The certificate must state the account exists, who holds it, its value, and its term. The CD must be free of liens and run at least three years. A company or foundation structure can hold it as well.
This route is the youngest of the three. Decreto 197 offered labor and property ties only. Decreto 226 created the deposit tie in July 2021.[5][6]
Tie 3: employment
The employment route needs a signed work letter from a Panamanian employer. The letter goes on letterhead and states the position, the salary, and the employer’s pledge to cover repatriation costs.[6][2] The file adds two employer documents. One is a Registro Público certificate for the employing company. The other is its Aviso de Operación, or a justification under Ley 5 of 2007 when no Aviso applies. Applicant and employer must both process the MITRADEL work permit.[6]
Those papers assume a local employer. A foreign company with no Panamanian registration cannot produce them. Remote workers for foreign firms usually qualify through property or the deposit instead.
One claim about this tie circulates widely and is wrong. No instrument requires the employer to have ten Panamanian workers. That number conflates the rule that binds. Article 17 of the Labor Code caps foreign staff at 10 percent of ordinary positions and 15 percent of specialists. The labor ministry applies those caps to Países Amigos permits.[7][8]
What the filing costs
The government cost per filing is two certified cheques. One is B/.250.00 to the Tesoro Nacional. The other is B/.800.00 to the SNM.[2] Kraemer labels the B/.800 the repatriation fee and the B/.250 the application fee.[3] In the law’s own wording the B/.800 is a deposit. Article 28.4 of Decreto Ley 3 of 2008 calls it a depósito de repatriación.[10] No source in the register states when, or whether, that deposit comes back, as of 2026-09.
Legal fees sit on top and vary by firm. Kraemer’s published package prices the provisional stage at USD 3,200 for the main applicant. Of that, USD 1,400 is government cost.[3]
The SNM sheet sets a solvency test in its dependents block. It asks for income of B/.1,000 per month, plus B/.100 per dependent. The sheet’s wording: “mil balboas (B/.1,000.00) mensuales más cien balboas (B/.100.00)”.[2] Proof is a tax declaration with its clearance. An updated work letter with the social-security ficha and a work-permit copy also works.
Family and dependents
A spouse joins the file by marriage certificate. Children join by birth certificate. Minors under tutela, guarda, or crianza join by judicial record.[2] Full-time students aged 18 to 25 also qualify. Their file adds school certification and solvency proof.[2] Foreign papers need an apostille or consular legalization. Papers in another language need a sworn translation into Spanish. The file also carries a carta de responsabilidad, a responsibility letter.[2]
Dependents follow the general rules of Decreto 320 of 2008, by the terms of Decreto 226.[6] The 2012 text carried its own list, and that list included dependent parents. The current sheet names no parents, though the general law keeps the category. Confirm a mixed household with counsel before filing.
Two years provisional, then permanent
Since 2021 the grant runs in two stages. The applicant first receives a two-year provisional residency permit.[5][6][2] Permanent residency comes on a second application, filed before the provisional card expires.
Before the 2021 reforms the program granted permanent residency directly. Older guides still describe that route. Decreto 197 ended it.[5][6]
The permanent application re-files the same package with two exceptions. The SNM sheet gives them in one line. It excepts “el Certificado de Antecedentes Penales y el Cheque”.[2] No new police certificate. No second B/.250 and B/.800 cheques. Decreto 197’s own text excepts only the police certificate. The cheque exception rests on the operative sheet.[5] The tie evidence must be current at conversion. Article 3 of Decreto 197 requires the same tie-specific requirements as the first filing. The reason the applicant first qualified sets which ones apply.[5]
Timeline, presence, and keeping the tie
Kraemer & Kraemer reports on timing in 2026 guidance. The initial filing takes about six months to resolve and issue the provisional permit. Sometimes it runs faster. The permanent stage runs about six months more. The firm’s summary: “In general, it takes three years to obtain permanent residency”.[3] The register holds no stage-by-stage breakdown from any source. Finer timelines published elsewhere have no basis in the instruments.
Residence is flexible. During the provisional stage, uninterrupted stay is not required. The applicant must simply hold provisional residency for two full years before applying for permanence.[3] After permanence, absence matters. The state can cancel the status after more than two years away. Article 31.3 of Decreto Ley 3 of 2008 allows an exception only when the SNM Director authorizes the absence.[10]
The economic tie must survive the two years. Selling the property before conversion is the classic trap. Esquiyas Law states the rule in firm guidance: keep the property through the whole provisional period. A sale before permanence “may result in the cancellation of immigration status” unless another qualifying property replaces it.[12][3] No instrument spells the sanction. Ask counsel before selling during the two provisional years.
Residency is not a work permit
A Friendly Nations resident who wants a job in Panama still needs a work permit from MITRADEL. The ministry’s page lists the filing. It takes three items. One is a power of attorney and request through a lawyer. One is an SNM status certificate with B/.8.00 in stamps. One is a notarized copy of the residence card.[7]
Permits under the Países Amigos category must follow the Labor Code caps. The ministry’s wording is direct. Permits must meet “el porcentaje de ley establecido en el artículo 17 del Código de Trabajo”.[7][8]
Decreto 16 of 2026 restates the point in its reasoning. Friendly Nations status does not exempt the holder from the MITRADEL permit. It also grants no right to practice professions reserved by law, “profesiones reguladas por leyes especiales”.[11]
What to verify with counsel
- The current roster, against your passport, on the countries list page. Then check the gaceta text itself.
- The exact tie documents for your route, against the live SNM sheet. Sheets change without a new decree.
- The MITRADEL work-permit filing and the Article 17 caps, before accepting any job offer.
- Any plan to sell or restructure the tie during the two provisional years.
- Household composition, since the dependent list and the solvency math interact.
This page states the rules as of September 2026. Every rule cites the instrument behind it. It is not legal advice. Use a qualified Panamanian immigration attorney before filing anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for the Panama Friendly Nations Visa?
Three things. First, nationality: the applicant must hold a passport from one of the 51 listed countries. Second, an economic tie: property worth at least B/.200,000, a B/.200,000 fixed-term deposit held three years at a Panamanian bank, or a job with a Panamanian employer. Third, the common filing set under Article 28 of Decreto Ley 3 of 2008, which includes the passport and the home-country police certificate. Approval gives a two-year provisional permit, and a later re-file gives permanent residency.
How do you get a Panama Friendly Nations Visa?
The application files with the Servicio Nacional de Migración, in practice through a Panamanian immigration attorney. The file carries the passport, a police-record certificate from home, proof of the economic tie, two certified cheques for B/.250 and B/.800, and the permit photos and forms. The MITRADEL work-permit filing on the employment route must go through a lawyer. Kraemer & Kraemer reports the initial application resolves in about six months, sometimes less, and issues the provisional card. The permanent stage is a second filing after two years.
Can I get approved with remote work for a foreign employer?
Not through the labor tie. The employment route requires documents only a Panamanian employer can produce: a work letter, a Registro Público certificate for the employing company, and its Aviso de Operación. A foreign employer with no Panamanian registration cannot issue those. Remote workers typically qualify through the property tie or the deposit tie instead, both of which ignore employment.
What are the risks of the job-offer path at the two-year mark?
The tie must still exist when you file for permanent residency. Decreto 197 Article 3 requires the permanent application to meet the same tie-specific requirements as the original filing. If the job ended, or the employer will not re-issue the work letter, the conversion stalls. Firms also advise that dropping the tie mid-provisional can cancel the status. The property and deposit ties avoid employer dependence but lock capital instead.
How long does the Friendly Nations Visa take?
Plan on about six months for the initial application to resolve and issue the provisional permit, then about six more months for the permanent-stage filing, per Kraemer & Kraemer guidance dated 2026. The firm summary is blunt: in general it takes three years to obtain permanent residency. The clock starts at filing, not at arrival.
Can my spouse and children apply with me?
Yes, as dependents. The operative SNM sheet lists a spouse by marriage certificate, children by birth certificate, and minors under tutela, guarda, or crianza by judicial record. Full-time students aged 18 to 25 qualify with school certification and solvency proof. Foreign certificates need an apostille or consular legalization plus a sworn translation into Spanish, and a responsibility letter. The supporting resident shows income of B/.1,000 per month plus B/.100 per dependent.
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