Panama Employment Residency Visa

The employment residency status requires that the applicant must be hired by a company within the 10% or 15% (technicians) of the Panamanian payroll.

The foreigner must also obtain a work permit before the Ministry of Labor office.

At the time of approval of the Immigrant Visa, the foreigner receives a temporary residency identification card valid for two years and a work permit. Once the 2 years ends, a month before the expiration of the provisional residency Permit the petitioner should file the permanent residency application. The permanent residency permit grants the applicant an additional foreign resident permanent ID Card and the right to apply for Panamanian Nationality after 5 years (which includes the initial 2 years of temporary residency).

Citizens from Asia, Middle East and Africa, kindly note that Panama’s Immigration Office may have your country on a List of Restricted Countries subject to Special Requirements. For more information, please click here.