Residency routes, territorial tax, entity structures and banking — mapped to your actual situation by our trusted country advisor. Book: Brax +507 6776-4203 · Proper (EN) +507 6238-3315.
Which residency route fits your family. How Panama's territorial tax principle applies to your income map — and what your home country will still claim regardless. Whether you need a corporation, a foundation, or neither. And in what order to do any of it.
These depend entirely on your citizenship, your current tax residence, your family structure and your timeline. Anyone who answers them in a blog post is guessing. So we don't — we hand them to Proper Consulting, our trusted country advisor, who works through them with you in a session built around your situation.
⏳ One thing that is time-sensitive. Panama's Qualified Investor Visa currently requires US$300,000 in real estate for immediate permanent residency. Under the decree as written, that threshold is scheduled to revert to US$500,000 on 15 October 2026.
It has been extended before and may be extended again — nobody can promise you either way. But as of today the reversion is on the books, and it is the same residency outcome for $200,000 less capital.
| Route | Requirement | Status granted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualified Investor — real estate | US$300,000 until 15 Oct 2026; US$500,000 thereafter if the reversion holds | Immediate permanent residency — no temporary phase | Can be filed from abroad through a Panamanian attorney |
| Qualified Investor — securities | US$500,000 via a licensed Panamanian brokerage | Immediate permanent residency | Regulated by the securities superintendency |
| Qualified Investor — bank deposit | US$750,000 fixed-term deposit, free of liens | Immediate permanent residency | The conservative route |
| Pensionado | Lifetime pension of US$1,000/month, +US$250 per dependent | Permanent residency | Approval typically around three months |
| Friendly Nations | US$200,000 in property, a qualifying job offer, or US$200,000 on 3-year deposit | 2 years provisional, then permanent | Eligible nationalities only |
| Economic Solvency | US$300,000 in property, deposit, or a mix | 2 years provisional, then permanent | Naturalisation path thereafter |
Two vehicles cover most situations. Both are routine here, neither is exotic, and plenty of buyers need neither.
| Corporation (Sociedad Anónima) | Private Interest Foundation | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Holding and trading assets; running a rental business | Estate planning and succession |
| Indicative setup | ~US$1,500 | ~US$2,000 |
| Formation time | About 5 business days | Comparable |
| Travel required | None | None |
| Capital paid in | Not required | Not required |
| Key features | Shareholders need not appear in the public deed · assets separate from shareholders · territorial tax treatment · straightforward transfers | Private regulations · beneficiary designation · assets protected from debts of founder or beneficiary · control retained in life |
Advisory first, execution second — the order that saves money.
One message with your situation. We route it to the right desk — sometimes that isn't us.
Proper Consulting maps residency, tax and structure against your actual circumstances.
A written sequence: what to do first, second, third — and what can safely wait.
Filings, entities, banking and property coordinated as one workstream, not four.
Annual investment confirmation and compliance calendar, handled.
Sessions are provided by Proper Consulting. Message either number and say you were sent by Brax:
Where a client proceeds to purchase with Brax, the consulting fee is credited against the transaction.
If a session concludes that Panama isn't right for you, that was a successful session. We'd rather lose a transaction than place someone in the wrong country.
Not automatically. Residency status and tax residency are determined under separate rules, and your home country applies its own tests. This is the single most common misunderstanding we correct.
Not in the way most people hope. The United States taxes citizens on worldwide income regardless of residence. Panama doesn't change that, and any advisor who implies otherwise should be avoided. There may still be good reasons to be here — they're just different reasons.
No. There's no minimum annual stay under the investor route. You're expected to visit at least once every two years to keep the status alive.
After five years, freely. Before that, selling or encumbering the qualifying investment without prior approval and a replacement investment can result in cancellation of the residency.
We don't know. It has been extended before. What we can tell you is what the decree currently says and what the difference costs — $200,000 of additional capital for the same outcome. Decide on the published rule, not on a broker's prediction.
Government fees, attorney fees and repatriation deposits apply on top of the investment and vary by route and family size. Your attorney gives you the current schedule at the session — we don't publish figures that move.
A person replies — no automated sequences. If it makes sense, we set up a discovery call.