Panama Qualified Investor Visa: The US$300,000 Deadline Is Not in the 2024 Decree
PANAMA · VISAS
Key Facts
- —What happened Agents across Panama say the country’s investor residency jumps to US$500,000 for property in October.
- —What it costs now Property needs US$300,000, securities US$500,000, and a five-year bank deposit US$750,000.
- —Why it matters to you Buyers are being urged to sign this month to lock in the lower figure.
- —The catch The 2024 decree deleted the old expiry window instead of extending it, so October rests on nothing.
- —Who it hits Foreign buyers in Panama City and the beach towns who are mid-purchase or comparing routes.
- —What comes next Panama’s official journal, the Gaceta Oficial, carried no new decree as of 13 September 2026.
Agents say the Panama Qualified Investor Visa jumps to US$500,000 on October 15, 2026. The decree signed in 2024 sets no such date.
A deadline is being sold in Panama City this month. Agents say the Panama Qualified Investor Visa costs US$300,000 only until October 15, 2026.
The residency that comes with a deed
Panama sells residency to people who bring money in. The formal name is 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 has to come from outside Panama, and the applicant has to be the real owner.
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.
A deadline that travels by brochure
Since mid-2026 one sentence has moved through brokerages and advisory blogs. Buy before October 15, 2026, or the property threshold rises to US$500,000.
Symbol Consulting, an advisory firm, 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 a Panamanian government notice. They are marketing and advisory content, and they read best that way.
What the gazette actually prints
The rule is public and short. Decree 193 appeared in Gaceta Oficial 30140-B, Panama’s official journal, 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 runs to a single line. It says the decree takes effect on promulgation, and says nothing about timing.
There is no sunset clause and no scheduled step up to US$500,000. The Panamanian outlet Nexo read the same gazette text on 27 July 2026.
Where the October story comes from
The deadline talk is not invented from nothing. The lower property figure really did begin 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 the 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 on the securities route.
Panama’s immigration law does carry a two-year clock of its own. Decree Law 3 of 2008 orders the executive to review minimum investment amounts every two years.
So October 2026 is a plausible month for a review. A duty to review is still not an automatic increase.
That is the whole dispute in one line. One camp reads a review date as a deadline, the other reads the decree.
The two doors that cost more
Property is not the only way in. The decree lists two other routes, and both are dearer.
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.
The second is a fixed-term deposit, 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.
Neither figure is disputed 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.
Questions for a lawyer, not a sales desk
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 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 would have to happen first
Panama’s government has not published a new decree as of 13 September 2026. The immigration service’s own 2026 decree page lists one 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 a question for a Panamanian lawyer. The decree text does not answer it.
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?
The Panama Qualified Investor Visa grants permanent residency only. 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.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief