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Introduction – Panama has an instant passport program, which was discontinued under the new immigration laws effective August 2008. Now it has been brought back.
Panama Instant Passport Requirements - You need to deposit enough money into the National Bank of Panama or Caja de Ahorrios (like a Savings and Loan) for five years. The amount of the deposit must be enough to generate $2000 dollars a month in bank interest. The interest is paid to you monthly. The interest rate will be UNDER market rates because they a re giving you a passport and a Panama Residency for five years. Do not expect a good interest rate.
At the end of the five years you can renew the program if it is available at that time (who knows what will happen in five years) or let the passport expire and take your money back. They do not keep your money; it is always your money. I would say the interest rate will be changing constantly. To get a ballpark figure you can assume $800,000 deposit is required. If interest rates go up significantly this may drop. If you have several children they can ask you to deposit more money. There is no formula for this, it is up to them.
If it is just a married couple there would be no extra deposit required. You MUST deposit the money into the bank for five years before applying. There is no provision for refunds if you are turned down. They will check your Interpol records for wants, holds and surveillance requests. There is a police check required from your home country. You need three bank reference letters. Three general business reference letters. Reference letters need to be notarized and apostilled or certified by nearest Panama Consulate or Embassy. Letters must be on a letterhead and signed. If the letters are not in English or Spanish must be translated into Spanish by a Panama Certified Translator (we can arrange this). The physical is performed by a doctor in Panama.
What About the Passport – These are five year Panama Passports. They look like Panama Passports but are issued by the Immigration Department not the regular passport agency of Panama. They DO NOT have any digital bar codes. They will not swipe in machines. Many countries are still this way. They are not handwritten, they are computer printed. They have color pictures. They will reference your birth country on the passport. You are not a citizen of Panama, just a five-year resident. There is no provision for name changes. You can live in Panama for the five years. You would be able to get a Panama driving license. This program never leads to permanent residency or citizenship.
Americas |
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| Argentina | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | Bolivia |
| Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Costa Rica | Dominica |
| Dominican Republic | Ecuador | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala |
| Honduras | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Nicaragua | Paraguay |
| Peru | Saint Lucia | Trinidad and Tobago | Uruguay | Venezuela |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Jamaica | ||
Europe |
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| Andorra | Belgium | Croatia | Denmark | European Union |
| Finland | France | Georgia | Germany | Greece |
| Holland | Hungary | Iceland | Liechtenstein | Luxembourg |
| Monaco | Norway | Poland | Portugal | San Marino |
| Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Vatican City | |
Africa and Asia |
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| Israel | South Korea | Malaysia | Maldives | Philippines |
| Seychelles | Mauritius | Singapore | Timor-Leste | |
Time Frame – Times frames vary expect about 90 days processing period. You do have to come to Panama to apply. If the application is accepted, chances are it will be approved except if an Interpol flag comes up. Expect to stay one week as a bare minimum. This is assuming the bank account has been opened and funded before you arrive. After applying you can leave the country freely. You would be issued a 90-day temporary ID card with photo.
Documents Needed
Fees – The law firm charge a fee of $5,000 for the primary applicant and $995 for each additional applicant such as spouse of children. Children need to be 18 or under at time of application.
How to Begin – First you fill out an order form. Then you submit the payment. Next we assign an immigration attorney from our law firm to your case. The lawyer then works with you build a file that will be acceptable to the immigration authorities. This avoids having you come down here only to have the file rejected and you have to return home to fix the mistakes.
Other Options – There are other countries in Central and South America with immigration programs. Some lead to citizenship in as little as 14 days with a passport. Fees are generally $50,000 complete, complete. These are lifetime citizenships with renewable passports. For an extra $5,000 a name change would be possible. Usually visa free travel to Central America, South America, EU and parts of Asia. Please Inquire.
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*Offshore Legal Associates Law Firm.We have no legal ties or associations with any other law firm or corporation with similar or like sounding names anywhere and should not be so confused with any other entity having a similar or like sounding name.