The Independent Lawyer

We have certainly seen an upward trend in Panama. And Henley & Partners, the firm mentioned in this article, has recently hired staff in Panama where they appear to be opening an office.

Record numbers of wealthy Americans are making plans to leave the U.S. after the election Attorneys and advisors to family offices and high-net-worth families said they’re seeing record demand from clients looking for second passports or long-term residencies abroad.

Did you know that if you are married to a Panamanian, you can qualify for residency in Panama?

Just like Friendly Nations, this visa program initially grants a 2-year residency, which is then renewable for permanent residency. The only difference is that you and your spouse have to sit through a short interview for the immigration office to feel confident that the marriage is legit:

“Do you have curtains in your house? What color are they?”

“What did you guys have for breakfast this morning?”

“Which side of the bed does she sleep on, and which one of you steals the sheets?”

Just a few of the kinds of questions you may be asked!

In all seriousness we love working with clients on this Visa, because it helps families to build a life in Panama. That’s great for the economy, and also for our community ❤️

And we really appreciate the opportunity to help Waseem and Jenny as they build their life in Panama!

🎉Congrats to the Pusics for their lifetime Panama residency! 🥳

A couple of months ago, we posted a video about what to do if the police report you submit for your Panama residency application has a few blemishes on it. We explained how our team can check whether old charges are likely to be a problem before our clients dive head-first into the residency application.

Well, wouldn’t you know it? Since posting that video, the process has changed a bit. Now it is actually more efficient than it was before, but it’s also a little less satisfying.

Check out this short article that explains what I mean!

Have You Got a Few Blemishes on your Police Report? Learn how blemishes on your police report can affect residency applications and how to address them for successful outcomes.

Residency, Real Estate and Relocation.

Most of what we do every day falls into one of the first two categories. Many of our clients initiate contact with us when they are exploring residency Visa options, and then they come back to us when they are ready to invest in real estate.

But we also help our clients with other small projects to help them get comfortably established in Panama. Relocation includes reviewing our clients’ lease agreements, helping them with incorporation or setting up a private interest foundation for their estate, opening bank accounts and obtaining a Panama driver’s licenses.

Along the way, we make a lot of friends and hear a lot about our clients’ experiences getting settled in different parts of the country. So put family is in a unique position to provide tons of insight to other families navigating Panama for the first time.

We got to help Francine and Al with their visa application and their Panama driver’s licenses. Hopefully they had as positive of an experience as we did, and we will get to work with them again the next time we are able to provide some value!

Our business is driven primarily by referrals. So, when we have a satisfied client in a particular geographic area of Panama, we often then get to meet and work with their neighbors.

This year, that has happened for us in Cambutal. It started with one young couple back in February. And since then, we have gotten work with a bunch of investors and families who are making moves in his area of Los Santos.

Our Cambutal clients mostly tend to be active, very cool, and great looking people like the Medlocks pictured here who launched their residency process this morning.

So, from our unique little perspective Cambutal seems to be popping at the moment. We are getting a kick out of being able to be a small part of it, and also for the opportunity to help families like this incorporate Panama into their lives 🤙🏼

With this year’s incoming crew of new teachers at

We met up at their Albrook campus this time and got a quick tour of the building and all the different grade levels. What a refreshing atmosphere, and an impressive growth story for a local Panama business!

If your business is bringing staff from abroad, then let’s talk about how we can provide a residency and relocation package!

With our friend, Bran, getting his Pensionado Visa application started.

And since Bran is a friend, I’ll use this post and picture to point out a couple of interesting things:

First, there is no age requirement for the Pensionado Visa. If you have the right kind of income, then you your youth won’t stop you from qualifying!

Second, when we go to the immigration office, someone from my team should make sure to tell you about their dress code: closed- toed shoes or sandals (no flip flops), long pants or skirt (no shorts), and a shirt with sleeves (no spaghetti straps or tank tops).

Ryan was in charge of delivering this message to Bran, but he did so in a way that induced the client to think he needed to go out and buy a dress shirt for the occasion. In any case, you can see here that he picked up a beautiful new shirt!

Wow wow wow, we are excited about this!

After months of anticipation, Panama's Qualified Investor Visa (AKA the "Golden Visa") was set to change on October 15. Most people who apply for this program will do so based on a minimum USD 300k investment in Panama the real estate market. But as of yesterday, the minimum investment threshold was set to increase to USD 500k!

But at the 11th hour, President Mulino issued Executive Decree No. 193 extending the USD 300k investment threshold!

A ton of people are going to be very happy to read this article. And with the minimum investment requirements for residency visas generally trending upward around the world, this bold move will help to prop up Panama as an even more attractive destination for relocation.

Major Announcement about the Panama Qualified Investor Visa! Explore Panama's recent immigration law changes with insights on the Qualified Investor Visa (AKA Panama's Golden Visa) and real estate investment thresholds.

We have been speaking with Donna for the last few weeks as she prepared for her Panama Relocation Tour.

Actually, her decision making and ex*****on has been really quick compared to our typical pipeline. There are often several months between our first call with a client and when we get to meet them in person.

But Donna is a doer, and it seems like she has been having a fantastic time exploring Panama and creating a network of new friends. Hopefully, her Pensionado Visa application process has contributed to an overall enjoyable experience in Panama. From our perspective I can say that it has been seamless, and we have enjoyed getting to know Donna as she embarks on her Panama adventure 🤙🏼

I’m no economist, but Panama feels like it is just popping right now. Our clients are buying properties and starting businesses - anecdotal evidence that suggests optimism about the future. We also see municipal workers out executing projects just days after we were saying, “They ought to do something about that.” It’s almost as if the mayor was taking notes on our conversations, and it is extremely satisfying.

The streets are also full of visitors, and lots of people are applying for Panama residency. We processed more applications in September than ever before. All of them with unique backgrounds. All of them rightfully concerned about one craziness or another back at home. Individual stories that have led them here, to us, and to our thriving community.

We have been so slammed that we have barely managed to post anything on social media during the last few weeks. And the pictures, illustrations and articles are something we really enjoy. I guess we are going to have to be more deliberate about allocating time to flexing our creative muscles.

If you or someone you care about is looking for a change, then visiting Panama is not a bad idea. And we’d appreciate the opportunity to help you with your Panama residency too.

Pensionado Visa application process officially launched for Los Fuentes!

Super nice people from South Carolina who were able to fill us in on all the updated details about traveling with your dogs to Panama (article coming soon). And Ryan is pumped to have some fellow southerners join our community!

With Nancy, helping her with her Panama work permit!

A lot of people relocate to Panama to enjoy their golden years of retirement. And Panama’s Pensionado Visa is arguably the best retirement visa in the world right now.

But actually more and more of our clients are working age. They come to Panama with their young families and plans to take jobs with existing companies or start their own entrepreneurial ventures here. And if you are going to work with a company here in Panama, you really should get a work permit.

We can answer all your questions and help you navigate this. Let us hear from you!

We just helped Paul and Rose with their Pensionado Visas! They came to us via , which has become a truly phenomenal resource for anyone relocating to Panama.

And while we are always grateful for a recommendation, we are especially happy when we get to work with new neighbors who exude such a positive light as this couple.

Welcome to our Panama community!

We really like Panama’s Self-Economic Solvency Visa.

It isn’t limited to specific passport holders. And unlike the Friendly Nations Visa, it allows you to mix and match real estate investments with a fixed-term deposit at a bank to qualify.

And we think the Self-Economic Solvency Visa is about to get a whole lot more popular when the Qualified Investor (“Golden”) Visa increases the minimum investment to US$ 500k in October,.

This article compares the Self-Economic Solvency Visa against the Friendly Nations Visa and the Golden Visa. And in doing so, we tell you why it offers an attractive solution for many people looking for a path to permanent residency in Panama.

Why You Shouldn't Dismiss Panama's Self-Economic Solvency Visa We love the Self-Economic Solvency Visa and think it deserves more attention than it gets compared to the Friendly Nations Visa and the Golden Visa.

With Dan and Elisea outside of the immigration office.

We have enjoyed working with these two and becoming friends with them since they relocated to Panama. Both are really fun, always entertaining personalities.

And Dan may look familiar to some of you who are from the US. He was a regular on network TV for many years talking about stock and other investments. Ryan remembers seeing “Dan the Money Man” on TV while growing up, so he always looks forward to our meetings with them!

A blemish or two on your FBI or RCMP report?

Pretty much any Panama residency visa will require that you provide a police report from the country where you have been living.

And a lot of people have blemishes on their records from years past. And they wonder if an old charge from 10, 20, or 30 years ago is going to be a problem when they apply for residency in Panama.

This is one of the few parts of the residency qualification process that could be subject to some discretion and interpretation on the part of the immigration office. In this video, we explain the parameters we have seen with many clients who are in this situation. And we explain how to find out if you should expect to have any problems before assuming all the costs of the residency application process.

Enjoy!

Blemishes on your Police Report? Pretty much any Panama residency visa will require you TJ provide a police report from the country where you have been living.And a lot of people have blemis...

With my repeat client, turned family friend, Murray.

Residency, real estate, incorporations, banks accounts… Murray and his wife Elizabeth have been through the full menu of Independent Lawyer services. I am super thankful for their continued business, and even more for their friendship!

Some interesting local news this week for anyone with an eye on Panama citizenship!

On Thursday, presidente José Raúl Mulino called on the director of Panama’s immigration office to eliminate one of the bureaucratic bottlenecks in the naturalization process. He also referenced a general policy of expediting the naturalization process.

Currently, applicants are in for a lengthy wait time after having applied for citizenship, sat for the interview, and passed the exam. The application then goes to the Consejo de Seguridad where it sits…. for an uncertain amount of time, before eventually going to the presidency for signature.

From what president Mulino is saying, it seems that he wants to eliminate that lengthy, uncertain step from the process entirely.

We’ll have to watch and see how this actually materializes. But I am even more excited about what we can read between the lines here. We have been speculating that this new administration will more pragmatic when it comes to effective immigration policy. And this gesture would seem indicate that president José Raúl Mulino sees just how important immigration policy is for Panama.

And for anyone who hoping to eventually get that second passport, this is a very positive sign!

We haven’t seen much about this in the English news, but here is a link to a local article:

https://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/presidente-mulino-anuncia-medidas-carta-naturalizacion-n6001619

With Kevin at the immigration office, getting his provisional residency card. This allows him to stay in Panama, and come and go as he pleases, while his permanent residency is being approved under the Pensioner (“Pensionado”) Visa program.

Panama arguably has the best Pensioner Visa programs in the world right now. A direct path to permanent residency, no investment required, and lots of attractive discounts and benefits on things like travel and health-related services.

It is certainly one of the best values for money of the numerous residency programs in Panama.

Write to us at [email protected] for information about how to qualify.

When a client comes to Panama to apply for Panama residency, we ask them to plan to be here for at least 5 business days just for the application process. And it actually takes quite a bit of planning and coordination to ensure that we are able to accomplish everything within that window.

Something came up, and Mike had to travel earlier than expected. But fortunately, we were able to make some real-time adjustments so that he was able to get his provisional residency card before heading to the airport.

A small win, but not an insignificant one. And it makes me proud of our team!

These days, many of the potential clients who approach us about Panama residency have already done their homework. There is so much information available online and on Facebook groups that a lot of folks join our introductory Zoom calls with a fairly clear idea of the visa program they want to pursue. On those calls, we let them take the lead with their list of specific questions to fill in any gaps in their research.

But we also still meet with many folks who are just starting off in their investigative research. With these future Panama residents, we usually start by asking them some questions to understand a little more about their circumstances and plans in Panama.

And one thing we always try to understand is whether the future Panamanian resident has plans to do any investing in Panama. That’s because Panama offers a number of paths to residency based on investment.

This article provides an overview of some of the most popular investor visa programs in Panama. We will categorize them into 3 groups, listing them in ascending order by the level of required minimum investment amount in USD.

Here is a link to the article:

Panama's Investor Visa Programs Panama also offers numerous investor visa programs for global investors looking to match their residency strategy with business opportunities.

Another awesome, adventurous, global family choosing Panama!

Romain and Carolina are super nice and have children around the same age as our two boys. This trip was part of their Panama due diligence, and we are pretty stoked that they decided to press go on their plans.

If you are considering Panama for your family, then we can help you. In fact, we’d love to help you.

With my friend, Greg, picking up his daughter’s cédula.

We get questions all the time about the E-cédula (“E” is for extranjero). When do you get it? What is it? Do you really need it?

In short, once you obtain permanent residency in Panama you are eligible to get a cédula. You don’t have to get a cédula, but most people choose to get one. One practical reason is that while your regular permanent residency card will have your passport number (which changes each time you renew your passport), your cédula will have a unique ID number that will be your for life.

The cédula also allows you to take advantage of attractive discounts in Panama once you reach a certain age, it makes domestic travel more convenient, and it makes things like opening bank accounts and registering for services generally easier.

There is something symbolic about getting the E-cédula. It signifies that you’ve jumped through all the hoops, and now you are “in”.

Actually, there is at least one scenario when your cédula number does change. If you ever go for Panamanian citizenship, then you will be issued an new cédula number with an “N” instead of an “E”(with the “N” referencing the fact that you are a naturalized citizen). And the N-cédula is the crown jewel!

If you are from the US and applying for Panama residency, then you will need to provide an FBI Background Check.

Our latest article will tell you everything you need to know about fingerprinting, authenticating the report, channelers, and how to get your background check down to Panama.

And if you are already in Panama, then we can help you do everything from here as well.

You’ll find access to the article here:

How to Get your FBI Background Check for a Visa Application If you are from the US and applying for Panama residency, you'll need to submit fingerprints for an FBI background check. Here is everything you need to know.