PA · Visas
Panama digital nomad visa
Panama has a short-stay visa for remote workers, created in 2021 within the non-resident category. It is for employees of foreign companies or self-employed people whose work has effects abroad, with foreign-source income of at least USD 36,000 a year. It lasts nine months, extendable once for another nine, and lets you work remotely without any other permit.
Panama City · Boquete · Bocas del Toro
General guidance · not legal or tax advice
General information based on cited official sources, to help you get oriented and prepare questions. It does not replace the competent authority or a professional: confirm requirements and amounts at the source before applying.
Financial amounts in this edition refer to 2026; historical figures in the text are not automatically updated.
- Financial reference
- USD 36,000 a year
- Duration
- 9 months + 9-month extension
- Family
- Check with Immigration
Who can apply
According to the National Immigration Service, you qualify if you are employed by a foreign transnational company or are a self-employed teleworker, your work has effects abroad and you receive foreign-source income of at least 36,000 balboas a year (the balboa is pegged to the dollar). With the visa you can work remotely from Panama without applying for any other work or residence permit.
You must sign a sworn statement that you will not accept job or service offers in Panama, from nationals, residents, tourists or companies, to do business in the country.
Documents and costs
The application is filed with a notarised power of attorney, so in practice it goes through a representative in Panama. You need photos, a certified copy of your passport, a criminal record certificate, a health certificate, a personal background statement, a commitment to cover repatriation and health insurance covering Panama for your whole stay. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised.
If you are employed, the company provides proof of its existence and a signed letter with your position, a monthly income of at least 3,000 balboas from a foreign source and the remote arrangement. If you are self-employed, you provide proof of your own company registered abroad and a notarised statement describing your clients, services and income. Either way you prove the money comes from abroad with a bank certificate or statements. The fee is 250 balboas and the card costs 50.
Duration and extension
The visa lasts nine months and can be extended once for the same period, by submitting the initial requirements again and proof that the income still comes from abroad. The published requirements do not mention dependants: if you want to travel with family, ask Immigration before applying.
Taxes and tax residence
The Tax Code taxes income produced within Panama's territory, wherever it is received. The visa requires precisely that your work has effects abroad and that your income comes from a foreign source, which fits that principle. But the visa rules contain no tax provision of their own, and pay for personal work may be treated as Panamanian income depending on how the case is analysed: confirm it with an adviser.
Taxes and tax residence: Panama ↗Things to keep in mind
These points vary with your situation, your home country or the consulate. They are worth confirming with the official source before you take the next step.
- Whether your partner or children can travel with you on this visa and which category applies to them.
- Whether your nationality needs a stamped visa to enter Panama before applying.
- Fees of the legal representative and Immigration's processing times.
Health and travel insurance
Travel and health insurance
Medical cover for long stays.
- SafetyWingOfficial site
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Sources and scope
- Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá · Requisitos para solicitar visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto (2026)
Elegibilidad, B/.36.000 anuales, 9 meses prorrogables una vez, documentos, autónomos y tasas de B/.250 y B/.50 · Sources consulted: 11 October 2026
- Órgano Judicial de Panamá · Ley 1 de 2014 (restituye el artículo 694 del Código Fiscal)
Artículo 694: grava la renta producida dentro del territorio, sea cual fuere el lugar donde se perciba · Sources consulted: 11 October 2026
Dates record editorial consultation, not professional approval. Consular, nationality and profile conditions are checked separately.