A 1965 treaty with your name on it
The instrument is the Tratado de Amistad, Comercio y Navegación between Panama and Italy. It was signed at Panama on October 7, 1965. Law 15 of February 1, 1966 approved it. Gaceta Oficial 15564 printed it on February 24, 1966.[2] The signatories were Fernando Eleta, Panama’s foreign minister, and Raffaele Clementi di S. Michele, Italy’s ambassador.[2]
Some firms date the treaty itself to 1966.[6] The text does not support that. The signed text carries the 1965 date. The 1966 law is the act that approved it. The Italian embassy in Panama says the same: a friendship treaty subscribed in 1965.[8]
You will meet three names for this route. The treaty calls itself a tratado. The migration service, SNM, counts it as Convenio Panamá-Italia. Its requirements sheet names the category after the treaty in full. All three names point at one instrument.
What the treaty grants
Article 1 gives citizens of each country the right to enter, remain, settle, travel, and transit in the other’s territory. That right obeys the other country’s laws and its limits on public order, security, and health. The article adds a floor of its own. After five years of legal stay, expulsion is allowed only for state security or grave reasons.[2] The embassy summary is shorter. It calls this the right to move freely in the other state.[8]
Article 2 carries the economic right the route hangs on. Citizens of each side get national treatment for entry to economic or professional work of any kind, and for doing that work. One exception is stated: retail trade. The clause covers companies too.[2][4]
Read that exception before you plan a business. The treaty right covers professional and commercial work in general. It does not open retail trade to Italians.
The legal chain below the treaty
A treaty does not file itself. The SNM sheet prints the chain at its foot, four instruments deep.[3]
- Resolución 4803 of March 30, 2012, which made the category work in practice.
- Law 15 of February 1, 1966, which approved the treaty.
- Decreto Ley 3 of February 22, 2008, which created the modern SNM.
- Decreto Ejecutivo 320 of August 8, 2008, which regulates that law.
NDM lists the same four in the same roles.[6]
Keep the two gazettes apart. Gaceta 15564 of 1966 carries the treaty and its law. Gaceta 26104 carries Decree 320.[4] One catalog page pins 26104 to the wrong instrument, so check dates when a source cites a gazette number at you.
The category sits in the permanent residency family, under special laws. Its code is PRP-CPI. The SNM permits index gives it its own heading, Convenio Panamá Italia.[1][3] The trámite also runs through the state catalog PanamaDigital, under the permanent residency desk.[4]
Italy is not on the Friendly Nations list
The Friendly Nations route is closed to Italians. Italy does not appear on that roster. NDM says so directly in its own comparison of the two routes.[6]
That is not a snub. It is the result of having a treaty that grants Italians more. The same firm’s table: the treaty route is open only to Italians, asks for no investment beyond a bank balance you keep, and grants permanent residency at once. The Friendly Nations route serves dozens of other countries, asks for a far larger economic tie, and runs two temporary years first.[6]
If you hold an Italian passport, the treaty is your path. The country list page on this site carries the roster detail.
The document list, from the live sheet
The SNM sheet is the operative list. It runs thirteen items for the main applicant.[3]
- A notarized power of attorney and the application. The power must state your parents’ names and your nationality.
- A collated copy of your passport.
- A police record certificate.
- A health certificate.
- A certified check of 250 balboas to the National Treasury.
- A sworn statement of personal background.
- A copy of your Italian identity card or residence card.
- Your Italian passport, or a document that records Italian citizenship.
One item conflicts between sources, and you should know it before you visit a photographer. The sheet asks for three photographs.[3] Kraemer lists five for the same filing, and for every dependent class too.[5] NDM sides with the sheet at three.[6] The sheet is the operative list, so plan on three. Confirm the count with your lawyer on filing day.
Papers issued abroad need an apostille or consular legalization, and Spanish translation where needed. Firms report six-month validity windows on the police record and health items, and a doctor in Panama for the health paper.[5][6] Those windows are firm practice, not treaty text.
The economic tie, three ways
Item 8 asks for a document showing the purpose of your residence: the economic or professional work you will do.[3] This is Article 2 turned into filing paper. The sheet names three proofs.
- Company ownership: a certificate of freed and paid nominative shares.
- A work contract endorsed by the labor ministry, the sheet noting a salary floor of 850.00.
- The public registry of the company, in any case.
NDM renders the salary floor as 850 US dollars a month. Both firms read the company route as a stake above half the shares.[5][6]
Kraemer adds a titled-property option and treats a registered job offer as a third path.[5] That is the firm’s reading. It is useful practice color, but the sheet is the safer checklist.
The bank balance that is not an investment
Item 9 asks for proof of solvency. A bank letter or a statement from the last month must show a balance of at least cuatro cifras medias, four middle figures. Other proof of income can work if SNM accepts it.[3] The sheet gives no number.
The firms fill that gap the same way. Kraemer asks for a bank letter from a Panamanian bank showing at least 5,000 US dollars. NDM calls the floor mid four figures, about 5,000 US dollars, and advises that figure for a strong file.[5][6] Both treat the money as yours. It is proof you can withdraw once the card issues, not a fee and not an investment. No minimum investment exists anywhere in this route.[6]
Work runs through a second ministry
Residency does not permit paid work by itself. The work permit is its own instrument: Decreto Ejecutivo 67 of April 17, 2013. You file it at the labor ministry, MITRADEL, after SNM grants your residency.[7]
The ministry’s own page lists the filing.
- A power of attorney through a lawyer.
- An authenticated copy of the SNM resolution that granted your residency.
- A certificate of your migration status, carrying 8 balboas in stamps.
- A notarized copy of your residence card, plus an authenticated cédula.
- Four photos with your name on the back.
Its note on duration is one line: the permit is granted on a permanent basis.[7]
Both firms add the detail that sets this permit apart. No job offer is needed to apply. Kraemer extends that right to dependents. NDM limits it to the main applicant.[5][6] Take that split to your lawyer rather than as a settled rule.
Family, money, and timing
Dependents file inside the same application. The sheet adds a notarized responsibility and repatriation letter, proof of kinship, and proof of domicile. Dependents over 18 add a single-status certificate and proof of studies.[3] Both firms include the spouse, the children, and the parents. NDM states that dependents do not need Italian passports.[5][6] Kraemer has each dependent carry a separate 250 dollar check.[5]
On cost, one figure is primary: the 250 balboa check.[3] All the rest is firm pricing. Kraemer quotes 2,200 US dollars for the main applicant, split as 1,500 legal and 700 government, with dependents at 1,100 and 1,200 by age.[5] NDM quotes 1,250 US dollars in legal fees for the main applicant and 1,000 per dependent, government charges excluded.[6] Two firms, two prices. Treat both as quotes and compare them yourself.
On timing, NDM reports an interim card within days of filing and final approval in about five to six months, with one trip for photos and fingerprints.[6] Kraemer says permanent residency within six months of the initial filing.[5] These are estimates from practice, not deadlines in the text.
The route in numbers
SNM counts this category in its own row, Convenio Panamá-Italia. In 2025 the row recorded 488 decisions: 464 approved, 24 denied. The same report counts Italian nationals across all categories at 491 decisions, 474 approved.[9] Both figures are preliminary and subject to revision by the statistics unit.
January to July 2026 added 243 approved permits in the category. The monthly run was 25, 26, 29, 34, 24, 29, and 76.[10] By country, Italians took 359 approvals across every category in the same period.[10] The 2026 tables count approvals only. The 2025 tables count decisions. Compare the approved columns, not the totals.
The July figures jump. The sheet’s own note flags an administrative spike that month for other categories. Do not read July as a demand signal on its own.
Citizenship runs on the ordinary clock
Italy is not on the SNM reciprocity list for faster naturalization. That list runs one year for El Salvador, two years for Argentina, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Colombia, and three years for Uruguay. Italy does not appear on it.[11]
So Italians naturalize on the general track. NDM states it as five years as a permanent resident, then an exam before the Electoral Tribunal on Spanish and Panamanian history and civics.[6] The treaty gets you to permanent residency fast. It does not shorten the years after that.
Is the treaty still in force
Yes. A currency sweep run on September 10, 2026 found no instrument that ends, replaces, or amends the treaty. Three official pages keep the route alive in practice. The SNM sheet is live. The PanamaDigital trámite entry is live. The MITRADEL work permit page is live, and still lists the permit among its current categories.[3][4][7] The category is still counted in the 2025 and 2026 statistics.[9][10] A treaty sixty years old can still be denounced. A filing lawyer should confirm its status at filing time.
What to verify with counsel
- The treaty and the sheet together: Gaceta 15564 for the 1966 instruments, and the live PRP-CPI sheet for the list you will actually file.
- The photo count on filing day. The sheet says three, one firm says five, and your lawyer sees the live practice.
- The balance your bank letter should show. The sheet’s wording has no number. The 5,000 US dollars reading is firm practice, not text.
- Which economic tie fits you: company shares, an endorsed contract at the 850 floor, or the registry route.
- Work permit timing at MITRADEL if you plan to earn in Panama, and whether dependents share the no-job-offer right.
- The status of the treaty and the 2013 decree at filing time. Put tax questions to a tax adviser working from the tax treaty, not this route.
This page states the position as of September 2026 and quotes the registered instrument text. It is not legal advice. Use a qualified Panamanian immigration attorney before filing anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Italians get permanent residency in Panama?
Yes, and the route is reserved for them. The 1965 friendship treaty gives Italian citizens their own permanent residency category, filed directly at the migration service with no temporary stage first and no investment floor. The permit is indefinite, so it never needs a renewal. No other nationality can file in this category, and it is the reason Italy has never needed a place on the Friendly Nations list.
How much does the Panama Italy visa cost?
The government payment is a certified check of 250 balboas to the National Treasury. Legal fees are separate and set by the firm: Kraemer quotes 2,200 US dollars all-in for the main applicant, while NDM quotes 1,250 US dollars in legal fees plus the government charges. Expect notary, apostille, translation, and company-formation costs on top if you form a Panamanian company. The bank balance you show is your own money and comes back to you.
Do I really need 5,000 US dollars in a Panamanian bank?
The official sheet asks for a bank certification or a last-month statement showing a balance of at least four middle figures, a Spanish phrase with no number in it. Two Panama firms both read that floor as about 5,000 US dollars held in your own account. It is a demonstration of solvency, not a fee and not an investment, and firms report you can generally withdraw it once your card issues. Confirm the current practice with your lawyer before you fund the account.
Can I work in Panama with this residency?
Not on the residency alone. Paid work needs a separate work permit under Executive Decree 67 of April 17, 2013, filed at the labor ministry after your permanent residency is granted. The filing needs your power of attorney, a copy of the migration service resolution, a status certificate, a notarized copy of your card, and four photos. The ministry notes the permit is granted on a permanent basis, and both firms state it needs no job offer.
Why is Italy not on the Panama Friendly Nations list?
Because the treaty already covers Italians with a better deal. The Friendly Nations route runs through a two-year temporary stage and a large economic tie, and its country roster does not include Italy. The treaty route skips the temporary stage, asks for a modest economic or professional tie instead of an investment, and grants permanent residency directly. For an Italian citizen the comparison is not close.
Is the Panama Italy agreement the same as the Panama Italy tax treaty?
No, and mixing them up causes real planning errors. The 1965 friendship treaty carries residency and work rights. The double taxation accord is a separate agreement signed at Rome and Panama on December 30, 2010 and ratified by Panama on May 10, 2011, and it governs which country taxes which income. The Italian embassy lists the two instruments side by side on one page for exactly this reason. Tax questions belong with a tax adviser working from the tax treaty, not from the residency route.
How long does the Panama Italy visa take?
Firms report an interim processing card within days of filing, so you can stay legally while the case runs. Final permanent residency approval takes roughly five to six months by NDM's estimate, and Kraemer says within six months. You need one trip to Panama for biometrics. These are firm estimates, not statutory deadlines, so build slack into any move date.
Can my spouse and children come with me? Do they need Italian passports?
Yes, and no. The sheet adds a notarized responsibility and repatriation letter, proof of kinship, and proof of domicile for dependents, plus a single-status certificate and proof of studies for dependents over 18. Both firms include the spouse, children, and the main applicant's parents, and NDM states plainly that dependents do not need Italian passports. Kraemer has each dependent carry their own 250 dollar certified check, so budget for the family total.
Does the residency ever need renewing, or do I have to keep entering Panama?
No renewal, ever. The sheet states the permit is indefinite in form and needs no extension, and the firms agree there is no renewal cycle. Kraemer adds that the route waives the requirement to enter Panama every two years that keeps some other statuses alive. The treaty route was built for people who split their time, though real time in Panama still helps a later citizenship application.
Last reviewed: