Traveling to Panama City, Panama

Traveling to Panama City, Panama:

I need to be able to estimate all required costs to take my entire family from the airport here to the airport there. Fortunately, I live in Florida; however, I am still more than an hour away from Orlando. Therefore, all estimates are going to start at Orlando, Florida. The only destination explored will be the Tocumen International Airport in Tocumen, which is located approximately ten-and-a-half miles to the east of Panama City on the Pan American Highway, or Corredor Sur.

Between the United States and Panama City, Panama, The two Panamanian air carriers flying: Copa Airlines and Spirit Airlines. Both offer non-stop flights between Orlando, Florida and Panama City.

I checked with Spirit Airlines <http://www.spirit.com/Default.aspx> for Friday, July 1, 2011. The flight prices increase and decrease based upon historical demand. The interactive graphic, on the Spirit Airlines ticketing site, indicates the best months to fly, one-way, from Orlando to Panama City, on Spirit, appear to be August and September, but, amazingly, there are $134 tickets available every month.

As luck would have it, on July 1, Spirit offers a flight leaving directly from Orlando, Florida for $134 per person, with no child discounts; adding in the taxes results in a total cost of $175.40 per person. For a family of four, that should come to $701.60. The total quoted me on the site is $657.20.

Copa Airlines <http://www.copaair.com/sites/US/en/Pages/homepage.aspx> is the other Panamanian airline. The Copa Airlines website was harder to use. Most of the flights around July 01, 2011 were grayed out as unavailable. I am offered an 8:00 AM flight on June 16 and a 6:30 PM flight on June 20. There’s not much more available, but the seats are only $84 per person for a flight which endures for three hours and fifteen minutes. The total quoted this time was $1060.40.

The actual fare per person is 168.00; plus almost a hundred dollars of taxes each; with no discounts for children 2-11, comes to four times 265.10 or 1,060.40. Wow! It looked good, but turned out badly.

On July 01, 2011, Delta Airlines <http://www.delta.com/> has a flight leaving to Atlanta with a 48 minute layover for $1,157.20.

On July 01, 2011, American Airlines <http://www.aa.com/homePage.do> flies to Miami with an hour layover and a price of $2,077.20.

On July 01, 2011, Continental Airlines <http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/default.aspx>has a stop in Houston with a 49 minute layover for $2.407.20.

Continental Airlines also has non-stop flights straight to Panama City for $3,089.20.

Communication with the nearest Panamanian Consulate

Communication with the nearest Panamanian Consulate:
You may have noticed the e-mail address on the bottom of each consulate’s address and telephone number. Well, I did too and I wrote out a really nice e-mail requesting additional information about obtaining an “immigrant visa application”. I was planning to start an e-mail campaign to find out everything I need to know and have a physical record of everything for reference.
I attached my letter to the e-mail and sent it off. Almost instantaneously, I was notified that the Panamanian Consulate in Tampa does not maintain the accuracy of their site statistics when the mailer daemon showed up in my inbox. I hope that is not a fore-warning of good things to come.

Well, no matter, I’ll just give them a call, but not today, it’s already too late for me to get to a telephone before the consulate closes for the day. In the meantime, I will try to hunt up another e-mail address.
1.   http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Consulate.of.Panama.813-242-0310
Consulate of Panama, Tampa, FL 33605, 813-242-0310

2.   http://www.traveldocs.com/pa/embassy.htm
Tampa - 5811 Memorial Highway, Suite 104, Tampa, FL 33615, (813) 886-1427

3.   http://panama.visahq.com/embassy/United-States/
Panama Consulate General, United States,   
5811 Memorial Highway, Suite 104, Tampa, FL 33615 USA
Phone: +1-813-886-1427; Fax: +1-813-886-3624; Email: consuladopanama@verizon.net
4.   http://www.traveldocs.com/pa/embassy.htm
Tampa - 5811 Memorial Highway, Suite 104, Tampa, FL 33615, (813) 886-1427

This Link shows Panamanian Consulates around the world.

5.   http://www.lawyers-abogados.net/en/Resources/pma/panama-consulates-list-consulate.htm
1101 Channelside Dr., Suite 279, Tampa, FL 33602,
Tel.: 001-813-283-0064 or 001-813-283-0074.
Email: consuladopanama@aol.com , Details updated May-2005.

I sent my letter to this new e-mail address. I am pretty certain it went. Maybe, I will get a response; however, in the meantime, my wife, my Panamena, sent me an e-mail explaining that they are going to need our marriage certificate, any divorce certificates either of us may have, a police statement affirming that I am not being sought in reference to a crime, a fifty dollar fee, and a postage paid return envelope.

A Panama City, Panama Residence Visa (3)

A Panama City, Panama Residence Visa (3):

But that still doesn’t give me the options I need. Is there any more?

A visa through marriage to a Panamanian

Marrying a Panamanian is possibly one of the easiest and quickest ways to obtain permanent residency in Panama. Once permanent residency is obtained, one becomes entitled to request naturalization and citizenship. Unlike most immigration programs, immigrants who have Panamanian spouses are required to have permanent residence for just three years, compared to the typical 5 year period before requesting naturalization. Nevertheless, like many other countries, the Panamanian Immigration Department may require that the couple attend various interviews to ensure that they do not have a set-up marriage. Additionally, the Immigration Department may visit the family´s home as well as interview their neighbors to ensure that the couple is actually living together.

The requirements vary according to which of the spouses is working, and which is economically dependent. If the immigrant spouse is working, it will be necessary to get him/her a work permit. If the immigrant spouse is running their own business, then it may be possible to avoid getting the work permit, although it is necessary to show economic solvency and the ability to support oneself in order to be granted the visa and subsequent permanent residency.

Summary of the Process:

Regardless of which spouse is working, the application process is pretty standard:

1.   Registration at the Immigration Department;

2.   Application for an Immigrant Visa as "Married to a Panamanian" Upon completing the process for the immigrant visa application, the applicant will receive an immigration card with the corresponding stamp in their passport;

3.   Approximately one year after being granted the Visa - before its expiration, the applicant should apply for Permanent Residency with a right to a cédula;

4.   After three years of permanent residency, the immigrant may apply for citizenship and passport;

5.   Permanent residence is usually granted about two years from the initial request for an Immigrant Visa.

Now, I am aware of most of the options available to me. I am certain there are other avenues, but since my wife happens to be from Panama, I am authorized to follow up on this particular lead. I don’t appear to be able to just jump on a plane, with my family in tow, and set up shop in Panama, but even if I could, how would I earn money from which to live? Even relatives don’t like the unemployed very long.

A Panama City, Panama Residence Visa (2)

A Panama City, Panama Residence Visa (2):

None of the above options pertains to my particular case, so what else is available? I looked to the Panamanian Embassy nearest me for more information. Here’s the one in Tampa, Florida:

Tampa, Florida
5811 Memorial Highway, Suite 104
Tampa, FL 33615
t. (813) 886-1427
f. (813) 886-3624
e. <consuladopanama@verizon.net>

I also found this helpful information on the consulate’s website:

Establishing a Company

Panama has one of the most modern and flexible corporate laws in Latin America.

Some of the advantages offered by Panamanian corporate Law are:

1.   Two or more persons of any nationality, even though not domiciled in Panama, may organize a corporation for any lawful purpose. The articles of incorporation may be executed anywhere, even outside Panama, and in any language;

2.   There are no requirements regarding the amount paid in capital;

3.   Ownership of a Panamanian corporation may reside in a single individual or corporation and no part of the capital need to be held by a Panamanian;

4.   There are no nationality or residence requirements for shareholders;

5.   Neither the directors nor the officers are required to be shareholders;

6.   The Board of Directors must be composed of at least three directors, but one person may hold more than one position;

7.   Meetings of shareholders or directors may be held outside of Panama. Proxies may be used by shareholders/directors;

In order to form a corporation in Panama, the client must provide the following information:

1.   The name of the corporation. It may be in any language, but it must terminate in a word or abbreviation indicating that it is a corporation;

2.   The objectives and purposes of the corporation;

3.   The amount of authorized capital. Usually the authorized capital will consist of US $10,000 divided into 100 shares of US $100 each. However, it can also be tailored to your needs;

4.   Shares may be nominative or bearer shares;

5.   Duration of the corporation, usually perpetual;

6.   The full names and addresses of three or more directors and/or officers;

7.   The domicile of the corporation.

*Information provided by Ministry of Trade and Industry.

A Panama City, Panama Residence Visa (1)

A Panama City, Panama Residence Visa (1):

Some people remain perpetual tourists, and some do it quite successfully for extended period of time, but in a manner similar to the United States, once an illegal immigrant is located, they are banned.

I am trying to move to Panama with my family and obtain work authorization. That means to me that I am not going to be a tourist for very long. I can postpone the inevitable and wait until I am on Panamanian soil before I apply for permanent residency and citizenship, but at least I am going to find out whether or not there is anything I can set in motion before I leave a familiar bureaucracy behind.

1.   To apply for a residence visa in Panama, I am required to hire a Panamanian lawyer;

2.   To acquire a residence visa, my dependents and I have to obtain certificates of health; and

3.   We are also required to submit to testing for HIV. Great!

This link will take you directly to the website for the Embassy of Panama in Washington D.C. There are several Panamanian Consulates located around the country and they will be happy to assist any applicant with their visa application: http://www.embassyofpanama.org/cms/consulates3.php

So, I looked into what sorts of visas are available and, of course, there was no concise list that contained all of the information I needed, but this is what I found from the Embassy website:

There are many different residency visa options, some of which will grant Panamanian passports and the option of becoming a Panamanian citizen, after five years of permanent resident status.

1.   (Solvencia economica propia)

A Self Economic Solvency Visa is a citizenship visa that requires either:

a.    Opening a $200,000 CD for one-year at a local bank; or

b.    Purchasing a $200,000 piece of property; or

c.    Purchasing an $80,000 piece of property and opening a $120,000 CD.

2.   (Inversionista)

An Investors Visa is a citizenship visa that requires a minimum investment of $100,000 and a minimum of three permanent Panamanian employees;

3.   (Inversionista de pequena empresa)

A Small Business Investors Visa is a citizenship visa that requires a minimum investment of $40,000 and a minimum of three permanent Panamanian employees;

4.   (Rentista Retirado)

A Private Income Retiree Visa is a non-citizenship visa that requires a lump-sum deposited in a Panamanian bank CD will yield a minimum of $750 monthly. A travel passport is granted;

5.   (Turista pensionado)

A Retired Tourist Visa is a non-citizenship visa; this type of resident visa does not grant the bearer the right to work, except in limited circumstances; and involves a one-time application, in which the bearer must prove ownership of a Minimum $500 monthly pension;

For most visa applications a waiting time of between 1 and 2 months is applicable, although if incorrect information is supplied or documents are missing this can be much longer. Application forms can be obtained from the Panamanian consulate or embassy in an expat's home country. For the residents of some countries, a visit to Panama can be made on one of the 30 day tourist visas and the application made while they are in the country (this is not essential for some visas which can be applied for while still in the home country). Fees for each type of visa are different and are subject to regular reviews. A medical exam is not essential for all types of visas.

Moving to Panama City, Panama

Moving to Panama City, Panama:

I have been considering moving to Panama City, Panama for some time. Eventually it became time to stop considering it and, seriously, just do it. This time, I took my internet ready computer and searched for relevant information to assist me in planning a move to Panama City, Panama.

I wanted to know what to expect, when, and from whom; I wanted to know how to get to the places I needed to get to and by when; and I wanted to know how much I would be required to spend, in order for the government to leave me alone and allow me to peacefully coexist in sunny Panama.

The first, and possibly the most important piece of information I heard about moving to Panama, is that US citizens must present a valid passport upon entry. Actually, I will probably not be allowed on the airplane without a passport, no matter where I am coming from. They cost money, take effort, and take time, but I must acquire one before I can begin to get into motion towards Panama City, Panama.

Getting a US passport will take either 2-3 weeks or 4-6 weeks from the date of application, depending on the amount I want to pay and the time I want to wait. As always, money is the inverse of time.

Here’s the U.S. passport link I took: http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Now, I have the right to enter the country as a tourist. All US citizens must acquire a tourist card from a Panamanian embassy, or any airline flying into Panama. As a tourist, US citizens are allowed to remain for three months, after which tourists must apply for the one additional three month extension. All U.S. tourists are allowed to stay in Panama for 180 days, with no visa renewal.