Visa in Panama for foreign hired employees by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama

Panama Immigration | Permanent Residence Permits in Panama

Benefits and Requirements of the Investor Visa for Panama Self Solvency Visa

With Decree-Law No. 3 of 2008, Panama grants permanent residency to foreign applicants and their first degree relatives by descent who work in a Panamanian company which has 10 or more Panamanian workers and requires employing foreign personnel.

How is the Visa in Panama for foreign hired employees by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel?

This residence permit in Panama is intended for private companies willing to hire foreign personnel for trust work within the contracting company.

One way to obtain a permanent residence visa in Panama is by applying for the Provisional Permanent Resident Permit for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel at the National Immigration Service of Panama, where a provisional permit will be granted for 2 years, once this time has elapsed the foreigner may apply for a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Panama.

In this post we will explain all the requirements and benefits of this process and are detailed at the end of this post.

How long does it take to obtain permanent residency for the Visa for foreign hired employees by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama?

According to the immigration laws of Panama, to obtain the definitive permanent residency once the requirements of the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama have been fulfilled, 2 years will be required to obtain the permanent residency card in Panama from the initial date of the procedure before the national immigration service.

Or if you prefer priority attention then

What are the requirements to obtain a Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama?

This permit may be requested by the foreigner hired by a company as an expert or technician, earning a salary of not less than eight hundred and fifty balboas (B/.850.00) per month.

As stated in Decree Law No. 3 of February 22, 2008 in section 5 article 82:

REQUIREMENTS:

• Must present a power of attorney through a Panamanian attorney and the application drafted by the lawyer (both documents must be notarized).
• Five (5) passport size photographs on white background are required.
• Duly verified copy of the complete passport including front and back cover, must be verified by a Panamanian Notary Public or corresponding Authority.
• Police Record or Criminal Record Verification from the country for the last 5 years of residence. This document must be “original”, “official”, “updated” and “authenticated” (see explanation of these terms below).
• Health certificate with at least 3 months of validity (Issued by a Panamanian doctor or health center in Panama, available at private clinics in Panama).
• Certified check for B/250.00 payable to the National Treasury (To be purchased directly from the bank).
• Certified check for B/800.00 payable to the National Immigration Service (To be bought directly at the bank).
• Personal Background Affidavit Form (to be provided by us).
• Employment contract countersigned by the Ministry of Labor.
• Letter of Employment on company letterhead, signed by the company’s legal representative stating position and salary.
• Company’s Notice of Operation simple copy.
• Simple copy of the Certificate of validity of the company issued by the Public Registry of Panama.
• Work Permit.
• Proof of enrollment in the Social Security Fund and copy of the card.
• National Income Tax Return of the company.

Can children or spouses also obtain a residence permit with the main applicant?

It is important to note that the application for a residence permit through the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama may include dependents, which are those persons of first degree of consanguinity (parents, children, spouses) to the applicant, who will also be able to obtain a permanent residence permit in Panama based on the permit of the main applicant.
Dependent children may only apply if they are unmarried and under 25 years of age. Those over 18 years of age must be studying in Panama.

It is important to note that the application for a residence permit through the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama may include dependents, which are those persons of first degree of consanguinity (parents, children, spouses) to the applicant, who will also be able to obtain a permanent residence permit in Panama based on the permit of the main applicant.

NOTE:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements for applying to an immigration visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama each of the dependents must also provide the following for each one:

• Responsibility letter (it is a document written by our lawyer specialized in immigration procedures in Panama).
• Evidence of Relationship:
• For children of the applicant, a birth certificate for each child must be provided as required, and this document must be apostilled.
• In case of children over 18 years of age, a certificate of single status and proof of certified studies must be presented.
• If dependent child is under 18 years of age, he/she will not need to present the criminal record certificate, but if he/she is over 18 years of age, he/she will need to present it.
• In the case of requesting a parent as a dependent, the applicant must provide his/her own apostilled birth certificate showing the name of his/her parents.
• In case the dependent is a spouse, the applicant must provide an apostilled marriage certificate.

The benefits of having permanent residency through the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama are the following:

1. Applicant may request a permanent residency permit in Panama in a few stages (this permit will grant him/her the “CEDULA E”).
2. Applicants may also opt for a Panamanian passport through naturalization (once they obtain the “CEDULA E” and comply with the requirements).
3. Applicant will be able to obtain the work permit under the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama.
4. The Applicant will be able to enjoy all the benefits enjoyed by Panamanian nationals in banks, businesses and governmental

What are the steps to obtain permanent residency with the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama?

PHASE 1: Submission and review of requirements grouped by e-mail.

Day 1: Interview with attorney

Meeting with the lawyer for the review of the requirements and payment of the fees to initiate the immigration process.

The foreign applicant and the legal representative or his assistant appear before the offices of the National Service of migration of Panama to present the request for the processing of the Visa of foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama.

That same day the foreign applicant will be given the first provisional residence card, valid for 6 months, and will also be granted a multiple entry and exit visa stamped in the passport that will allow him/her to enter and leave Panama without any problems and without paying any exit tax.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THIS?

Normally the immigration agents will tell you to wait from 3 to 5 months while the officers in charge of document review in immigration issue the resolution of approval of the resident permit through the Visa of foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama.

At the moment the immigration resolution is ready, the lawyer is notified by the national immigration service of panama that the resolution has been issued and from that moment on they can and must attend the immigration offices in panama to obtain a new provisional residency permit through the Visa for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama.

This new card is a provisional permit through the foreign professional visa, it is valid for 2 years and has a cost of 50 dollars.

PHASE 2: Application for the Permanent Residence Permit for the Visa of foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama.

After 23 months the foreigner can apply for the permanent residence permit.

To apply for the permanent residence permit for the Visa of foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama, the applicant must provide all the requirements that were provided the first time (except the certified checks and the police record) and must add the applicant’s national Paz y Salvo.
This time the complete process of DAY 1 and DAY 2 of PHASE 1 is done again.

That same day the foreign applicant will be given a provisional residency card, valid for 6 months.
Once the immigration resolution is approved, the lawyer is notified by the national immigration service of panama that the resolution has been issued and from that moment on they can and must attend the immigration offices in panama to obtain a new permanent residency card.

COST OF THE PERMANENT RESIDENT CARNET BY VISA for foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama.

This new card is a permanent permit for the Visa of foreign personnel hired by private companies within the 10% of the ordinary personnel in Panama, it has a cost of 100 dollars.

One month later migration issues a note called “Nota de Cédula”, with this note the foreigner must make an appointment before the electoral tribunal, this appointment is generally granted for a few working days after requesting it.

On the day of the appointment the foreigner must go to the electoral court of Panama to make the fingerprint and facial registry and a week later he/she can pick up the “E” Cedula which will be his/her new legal identity document to circulate in Panama.

Image gallery