Work and professional mobility
Panama-Italy Treaty Visa
Based on the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between Panama and Italy. It grants permanent residency to Italian citizens and allows them to carry out economic or professional activities without a prior job offer.
What it involves
What this category is
It grants permanent residency to Italian citizens under the bilateral treaty, allowing them to carry out economic or professional activities without a prior job offer.
An economic link to Panama must be shown -a company, titled real estate or a job offer- along with economic solvency.
Legal basisTreaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between Panama and Italy, 1966, Law 15
Who it is for
- Italian citizens who wish to live and carry out an economic activity in Panama.
- Italian professionals without a prior job offer in the country.
- Italian families including a spouse, children under 25 and parents.
Key figures
The numbers and timelines that matter
- Nationality
- Italian, for the principal applicant
- Economic link
- A company, titled real estate or a job offer in Panama
- Fee
- Certified check for US$250 payable to the National Treasury
- Estimated timeline
- Permanent residency in approximately 6 months
- Work permit
- May be requested without a prior job offer
- Dependents
- Spouse, children under 25 and parents, who need not hold Italian nationality
Documentation
Required documents
Every foreign document must be submitted translated into Spanish and legalized through an apostille or Panamanian consular authentication.
- Enter Panama with a valid Italian passport, with a minimum of 6 months' validity after entry.
- Five passport-size photographs.
- Notarized copy of the passport.
- Apostilled or authenticated criminal record certificate, valid for 6 months.
- Certificate of good health issued by a qualified Panamanian physician.
- Certified check for US$250 payable to the National Treasury.
- Letter of responsibility and residency forms, plus a sworn background statement.
- Evidence of the economic link to Panama and of economic solvency.
- For each dependent: passport, photographs, criminal record certificate and marriage certificate where applicable, all valid for 6 months.
How we work
The process, stage by stage
Verifying the economic link
We define which link to Panama applies -a company, titled real estate or a job offer- and how to evidence it.
Preparing the file
Apostilled documents, the Panamanian health certificate and the certified National Treasury check are gathered.
Filing
The permanent residency application is filed for the principal applicant and dependents.
Decision
The file is followed through to permanent residency, roughly 6 months from the initial application.
Additional considerations
- It allows applying for a Panamanian driver's license from temporary residency onwards.
- It exempts the holder from the obligation to enter the country every two years.
The amounts, timelines and requirements on this page summarize the immigration rules in force at the time of review and may change by decree. This information is general, does not constitute legal advice and does not guarantee approval of any application: each case must be assessed individually.
Content reviewed in July 2026
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