Panama Step by Step Guide
Step by step from arrival to residency
This series walks you through the whole journey of moving to Panama — choosing a visa, budgeting, finding your home, settling in and building a life. Twenty-nine guides covering everything from your first days and residency to healthcare, housing, taxes, schools and doing business, published as we go.
Moving to Panama: Where to Begin
Your visa, your budget, your home and your first weeks — the whole relocation in the right order.
Your Panama ID: Cédula and Carné de Residente
The residency card that unlocks banking, leases and healthcare — and how you get one.
Visas and Residency: Which Route Fits You
Pensionado, Friendly Nations or Qualified Investor — the main routes to living in Panama, in plain language.
Registering Your Residency in Panama: The Migration Steps
From application to carné: the paperwork, the appointment and the timeline at migration.
Banking and Taxes in Panama
Opening an account, the US-dollar economy and the territorial tax that leaves foreign income untaxed.
Health Insurance: Public and Private Cover
Public versus private care, the Johns Hopkins-linked hospital, and how much good cover really costs.
Renting an Apartment in Panama
Where to look, what a fair contract looks like, deposits and the paperwork before you sign.
Understanding Your Lease and Tenant Rights in Panama
Contract length, currency, renewals and how to read a Panamanian lease before you commit.
Cost of Living in Panama: A Realistic Budget
What it really costs to live in Panama in 2026, from city rent to a quiet month in the highlands.
Healthcare in Practice: Hospitals, the CSS and 911
How care works day to day: the public CSS, the leading private hospitals, pharmacies and emergencies.
Driving in Panama: Licence, Cars and Apps
Using your foreign licence, swapping it at SERTRACEN, city traffic, tolls and the ride apps.
Internet, Mobile and Coworking in Panama
Fast city broadband, prepaid SIMs, the main operators and where to work across Panama City.
Schools and Education for Expat Families
The free public system, international and bilingual options, the two calendars and how to enrol.
Bringing Your Pet to Panama
The health certificate, the rabies rule, the import permit and Panama’s home-quarantine option.
Learning Spanish in Panama
Panama’s friendly Spanish, where to take classes and how much you really need to get by.
Building a Social Life: Expat Communities in Panama
Where newcomers meet, the best spots for community and how to make friends fast.
Shopping and Daily Life
Supermarkets, markets, malls and delivery apps — the rhythm of everyday life in Panama.
Freelancing and Self-Employment in Panama
How to work legally as a self-employed newcomer and keep your paperwork in order.
Taxes: Worldwide Income and What Expats Owe
Panama’s territorial system explained — what’s taxed here, what isn’t and what you must file.
The Digital Nomad Visa: How It Works
Work remotely from Panama for up to 18 months. The 2026 income rules, costs and how to apply.
Work Visa in Panama: The Employer-Sponsored Route
How a job offer becomes legal residency and the right to work in Panama.
Buying Property in Panama as a Foreigner
Foreigners buy freely here — the process, the costs and the titles to check.
Investing in Panama: A Dollarised Economy
Banking, bonds and how to think about saving and investing in a US-dollar country.
Tax Residency: The 183-Day Rule
How you become a Panamanian tax resident and what it means for your worldwide income.
Safety in Panama: A Practical Guide
An honest, area-by-area look at safety, the best neighbourhoods and the precautions that work.
Best Places to Live in Panama: Choosing Your Base
Panama City, Boquete, Coronado or Pedasí? A friendly tour of the best places for expats to land.
Retiring in Panama: The Pensionado Route
The famous Pensionado programme, its discounts and the residency path for retirees.
Permanent Residency and Citizenship
From resident to permanent status and the route to a Panamanian passport.
Doing Business in Panama: Company Setup for Foreigners
Forming a company, the free-trade zones and why investors choose Panama.