The Government of the Republic of Panama, in response to the new modalities of worldwide working, among them, remote work, considered it appropriate to create a new migratory subcategory within the Non-Resident category.

Executive Decree No. 198 of May 7, 2021, published in the electronic Official Gazette on May 20, 2021, creates the Short-Stay Visa as a Remote Worker and dictates the applicable provisions.

This visa will be granted to those foreigners who intend to work remotely within the Republic of Panama for a period of nine (9) months, extendable once for the same period of time.

The foreigner who applies for this Visa must meet, in addition to other applicable specific requirements, the following prerequisites:

• Have a contract with a foreign transnational company, or be a self-employed worker, in the form of teleworking (digital nomad).
• Perform functions that take effect abroad (outside of Panama).
• Receive an income from abroad (outside of Panama) of no less than $36,000.00 USD or its equivalent in foreign currency, per year.
• Have a valid health insurance policy, with coverage within Panama.
• For the extension, the foreigner must meet the same requirements requested when submitting the application for the first time.

Additional facts that may be of your interest:

• Once the short-stay visa is approved, it will not be necessary to carry out additional procedures or obtain permission from another state entity to work or reside in the country.
• If the foreigner were to act as a representative of the foreign company for local activities, the Short-Stay Visa will be canceled.

This new subcategory is currently available.