Panama Qualified Investor Visa: The US$300,000 Deadline Is Not in the 2024 Decree
PANAMA · VISAS
Key Facts
- —What happened Agencies say Panama’s investor residency jumps to US$500,000 for property on October 15, 2026.
- —How big Property currently needs US$300,000, securities need US$500,000, and a five-year bank deposit needs US$750,000.
- —What it means Buyers are being urged to sign this month to lock in the lower property figure.
- —The catch The 2024 decree removed the old expiry window instead of extending it, so October has no text behind it.
- —Who it hits Foreign buyers in Panama City and the beach towns who are mid-purchase or comparing residency routes.
- —What comes next No new decree had appeared in Panama’s Gaceta Oficial by 13 September 2026.
Agents say the Panama Qualified Investor Visa jumps to US$500,000 on October 15, 2026. The official decree names no such date.
Property agents across Panama are selling a deadline. They say the Panama Qualified Investor Visa costs US$300,000 only until October 15, 2026.
What the visa actually is
Panama runs a residency route for foreign money. In Spanish it is the Residente Permanente en calidad de Inversionista Calificado, or qualified investor permanent resident.
Executive Decree 722 created it in October 2020. Decree 109 adjusted it in 2022, and Decree 193 adjusted it again in October 2024.
It grants permanent residency, not a passport. The money must come from outside Panama, and the applicant must be the real owner of the investment.
The cheapest door is property, at a minimum of 300,000 balboas. Panama’s balboa is fixed one to one against the US dollar, so that is US$300,000.
What the sellers are saying
Since mid-2026 one message has spread through brokerages and advisory blogs. Buy before October 15, 2026, or the property threshold rises to US$500,000.
Symbol Consulting published that framing on 17 July 2026 and updated it in August. Brokerage blogs such as Chord Real Estate repeat the same October date.
The logic is easy to follow. A two-year window opened in October 2024, so it should close in October 2026.
None of those posts is an official Panamanian government notice. They are marketing and advisory content, and they read best that way.
What the 2024 decree says
The rule is public and easy to check. Decree 193 was published in Gaceta Oficial 30140-B on 15 October 2024.
Its text sets the property minimum at 300,000 balboas (about US$300,000). It attaches no end date to that figure.
The closing article is one line long. It says the decree takes effect on promulgation, and says nothing else about timing.
There is no sunset clause and no scheduled step up to US$500,000. The Panamanian outlet Nexo checked the same gazette text on 27 July 2026.
Why both camps sound convincing
The deadline talk is not invented from nothing. The lower property figure really did start life as a temporary discount.
Decree 722 of 2020 set the standing property figure at 500,000 balboas (about US$500,000). A transitional article allowed 300,000 balboas (about US$300,000) for a limited window.
Decree 109 of 2022 stretched that window to forty-eight months from October 2020. On paper it was due to close on 15 October 2024.
Decree 193 did not extend that window. It removed it.
The 2024 text made 300,000 balboas (about US$300,000) the standing minimum for property. The 500,000 figure now survives only for the securities route.
Panama’s immigration law does also contain a two-year clock. Decree Law 3 of 2008 orders the executive to review minimum investment amounts on a two-year cycle.
So October 2026 is a plausible review month. A review duty is still not the same thing as an automatic increase.
That is the entire dispute in one line. One camp reads a review date as a deadline, the other reads the decree text.
The two routes that get less airtime
Property is not the only way in. The decree lists two other options, and both cost more.
The first is securities, at 500,000 balboas (about US$500,000). The money goes through a licensed Panamanian brokerage and must stay put for five years under the rule.
The second is a fixed-term deposit, meaning cash locked in a bank account for a set period. That route needs 750,000 balboas (about US$750,000) held for at least five years under the same rule.
Neither figure is in dispute anywhere. The October argument is only about the property door.
Panama also runs a cheaper Friendly Nations Visa for citizens of listed countries. It added Ecuador to that list on 31 August 2026, and it asks for far less money.
What a buyer should check first
The Rio Times does not give legal advice. What follows is a list of questions, not a recommendation.
Ask a Panamanian immigration lawyer to open the current decree with you. Ask for the article number that sets the amount you are being told to pay.
Ask whether your purchase needs the developer bank guarantee that the 2024 decree added. That guarantee must be renewed every year until the title is registered.
Check who certifies the investment before immigration ever sees it. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries issues that certificate.
Price the property on its own merits too, because Panama City rents now top San Jose for expats. A residency permit is a poor reason to overpay.
What happens next
No new decree had been published by 13 September 2026. The immigration service’s own 2026 decree page lists a single decree, and it covers students.
Until a new text appears in the Gaceta Oficial, the 300,000 figure stands. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries has announced no review outcome either.
A change could still arrive with almost no warning. Panama’s last two changes took effect on the day they were signed.
That is the real risk, and it cuts both ways. A deadline nobody can point to can also turn up overnight.
Whether a signed purchase contract locks in today’s threshold is not settled in the decree text. That question belongs with a Panamanian lawyer, not a sales brochure.
More: Expat news from across Latin America, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Panama’s golden visa really going up to US$500,000 in October 2026?
No published decree says so as of 13 September 2026. The 2024 rule sets US$300,000 for property with no end date.
How much do you need to invest for Panama investor residency?
Property starts at US$300,000. Securities start at US$500,000, and a five-year bank deposit starts at US$750,000.
Does the investor route give Panamanian citizenship?
No, it grants permanent residency. Citizenship is a separate and later process under Panamanian law.
Where can I read the actual rule myself?
Executive Decree 193 of 15 October 2024 appears in Gaceta Oficial 30140-B. Panama’s immigration service hosts the PDF on its own website.
Sources: Gaceta Oficial 30140-B, Executive Decree 193 of 15 October 2024, Servicio Nacional de Migracion; Gaceta Oficial 29643-A, Executive Decree 109 of 13 October 2022; Executive Decree 722 of 15 October 2020; Decree Law 3 of 2008; Servicio Nacional de Migracion decree index; Nexo (27 July 2026); Symbol Consulting (17 July 2026); IMI Daily (23 October 2024); Kraemer & Kraemer.
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