1. Location of Panamanians abroad:
Relatives of Panamanians living abroad can ask the Consulate to investigate the whereabouts of their loved ones, through consultation with local authorities (eg. Police, immigrations, hospitals, morgues, etc.)
2. Assistante and protection for Panamanian nationals incarcerated abroad
The secretary in charge of consular affairs monitors the cases of Panamanian citizens imprisoned in the country of its jurisdiction, and visits imprisoned inmates.
3. Voluntary repatriation
Panamanians who are living abroad and lack the necessary funds to return to Panama may ask the Consulate for economic assistance. This process is done based on a socioeconomic evaluation of the person in question, conducted in cooperation with the National Migration Service (www.migracion.gob.pa)
4. Passports
Passport renewal: the passport renewal process may take up to three months, and in some cases even longer. We ask you keep this timeframe in mind when you are making your travel plans, as the process cannot be expedited. Interested parties should come personally to the Embassy’s consular section, with the following documents:
Adults:
Expired passports, or passports that expire within six months. If the passport is lost, you must report its loss to the local authorities.
Four photographs, passport size, with white background, sleeved shirts for men and without wearing earrings or piercings.
National ID Card: if the ID is expired, the passport cannot be issued until the ID is renewed.
If the passport is not expired or expiring, a passport annulment must be conducted beforehand. Its cost is $4
The cost of renewing a passport is $104. The fee shall be paid by someone in Panama at the National Passport Office in Plaza Concordia, Via España, Offices A-114, A-115, and A-116.
The Consular Section recommends that interested parties also pay for a courier service, in order to expedite the retrieval of the passport back to the country from whence it was solicited.
Retirees:
Expired passports, or passports that expire within six months. If the passport is lost, you must report its loss to the local authorities.
Four photographs, passport size, with white background, sleeved shirts for men and without wearing earrings or piercings.
National ID Card: if the ID is expired, the passport cannot be issued until the ID is renewed.
If the passport is not expired or expiring, a passport annulment must be conducted beforehand. Its cost is $4
The cost of renewing a passport is $54. The fee shall be paid by someone in Panama at the National Passport Office in Plaza Concordia, Via España, Offices A-114, A-115, and A-116.
The Consular Section recommends that interested parties also pay for a courier service, in order to expedite the retrieval of the passport back to the country from whence it was solicited.
Minors:
Expired passports, or passports that expire within six months. If the passport is lost, you must report its loss to the local authorities.
Original birth certificate
Four photographs, passport size, with white background, sleeved shirts for men and without wearing earrings or piercings.
Parent’s national ID card: if the ID is expired, the passport cannot be issued until the ID is renewed.
If the child is older than 12 years old, an identification document containing a picture and a signature must be supplied to the consulate with both parents present.
If the passport is not expired or expiring, a passport annulment must be conducted beforehand. Its cost is $4
The cost of renewing a passport is $104. The fee shall be paid by someone in Panama at the National Passport Office in Plaza Concordia, Via España, Offices A-114, A-115, and A-116.
The Consular Section recommends that interested parties also pay for a courier service, in order to expedite the retrieval of the passport back to the country from whence it was solicited.
* Cost $108, If the passport is not expired or expiring.
* Cost $ 100, to renew passport
http://apap.gob.pa/tramites/exterior/
5. Laissez-passer (Safe Conduit Document)
Panamanian nationals abroad that lose or misplace their passport may ask the corresponding consulate to emit a Safe Conduit document, in order to return to Panama (subject to approval by the Passport Authority).
Safe Conduit documents shall be granted by consular officers in order to travel exclusively to Panama, if a Panamanian national lacks travel documentation as a result of loss, destruction, or theft, and is incapable of renewing their passports. You must take into account that this documentation lacks validity in case of:
Travel to the U.S., as this country no longer permits them,
Connection time in a foreign country longer than 12 hours
Interested parties must report in person to the nearest Consulate, after which authorization must be requested to the National Passport Office in Panama. This process takes approximately two working days.
Interested parties shall contact someone in Panama, who will pay the $20 fee at the National Passport Office. In order to complete the process, the interested party must then present a copy of the receipt at the Consulate together with a photograph.
In the case of a lost passport, its loss must be reported to the local authorities.
http://apap.gob.pa/tramites/exterior/
6. Life Certificate
The Life Certificate is a document that attests to the life of a Panamanian expatriate, as evidence for proceedings of retirees and pensioners of the Caja de Seguro Social (Social Security Fund).
http://apap.gob.pa/tramites/locales/
www.css.gob.pa/constanciadefedevida.html
7. Civil Marriages
The officer in charge of Consular Affairs may perform civil marriages at the Consulate, according to the requirements of the Panamanian Civil Registry.
8. Inscription of births, marriages, and deaths abroad
Consulates of Panama are endowed with Civil Registry books in which inscriptions of the following are allowed: Panamanian parents can record the birth of their children as Panamanian nationals born abroad; partners can record their marriages in order to validate them in Panama; and deaths of Panamanians abroad can be recorded by family members.
Births: if your child is born abroad, you must record his or her birth in the corresponding Consulate of Panama, as long as one or both parents are Panamanian, so that they are registered in the Civil Registry Service. When carrying out the inscription, you must fulfill the following requirements:
• At least one parent is Panamanian
• Birth certificate issued by the country of your child’s birth
• Marriage certificate of the parents (if they are married)
• Birth certificate of the mother or father
• Unexpired National Identification document (cédula) of the solicitor
You must realize and sign a Sworn Declaration in order to sign the Birth Inscription. This documentation is then sent to the Civil Registry in Panama, and they then forward the confirmation of the Birth Registry to the consulate, with the minor’s National Identification Number (cédula). This process takes about two months to complete.
www.tribunal-electoral.gob.pa/html/index.php?id=535
9. Document Verification
The consul may verify the signature of original documents or documents certified by a notary public.
The legalization of documents may only be realized through signatures registered in the consular section. This procedure legalizes or certifies public and private documents issued in Panama and abroad in order to validate them. You must keep in mind that depending on the type of document one wishes to authenticate, you must address the competent authority. In other cases, you may address:
The department of Legalizations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Foreign consulate of the appropriate country
It is important to take into account that the Consular Section cannot legalize Panamanian documents, only documents issued by the Consulate’s specific country in order to validate them in Panama. It is likewise not in the Consulate’s capacity to authenticate copies of documents that are not properly verified (i.e. copies of passports).
Cost: $30
10. Notarized Documents
Through a request, the Consul may validate documents and powers with his/her signature, and act as a Notary Public
Cost: $48 per page
11. Processing of stamped and authorized visas
Stamped Visas: the person in charge of Consular Affairs may stamp a visa if the bearer fulfills the proper immigration requirements in order to enter the country.
They are valid for 48 hours. The process is realized directly in the Consulate, and then sent to the National Immigration Service in Panama. Visas are then granted for a period no longer than thirty (30) days. If more time is required, you must request the visa’s extension to the National Immigration Service in Panama. The cost is $8, and you must bring the filled-out application form and all other requirements
List of countries that require Stamped visa
| Angola | Bielorrusia | Botswana |
| Cabo Verde | Camerun | Croacia |
| Ecuador | Federación de Rusia | Fiji |
| Georgia | Gabón | Ghana |
| Islas Marshall | Islas Comores | Islas Salomón |
| Kiribati | Moldavia | Maldivas |
| Mongolia | Micronesia | Madagascar |
| Malawi | Mauricio | Nauru |
| Palau | Papua Nueva Guinea | Rep. Centorafricana |
| República del Congo | Rep. Dominicana | Seychelles |
| Swazilandia | Santo Tomás y Príncipe | Samoa |
| Togo | Tonga | Tuvalu |
| Ucrania | Vanuatu | Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe | Cuba |
*Cost: $85.00
Authorized Visas: the person in charge of Consular Affairs may emit a visa to the requesting party, given authorization from the National Immigration Service
They are valid for three months (90 days). The process is begun at the Consulate, and the necessary information is then sent to the National Immigration Service in Panama, for their evaluation and subsequent approval or rejection. These authorized visas are generally granted for one month and can be extended to three months, as long as a formal petition is filed with and approved by the National Immigration Service. The cost is $85, and you must bring the filled-out application form and supporting materials.
List of countries that require visas Authorized
| Afganistán | Albania | Armenia |
| Argelia | Azerbaiyán | Bahréin |
| Benin | Burkina Faso | Burundi |
| Bangladesh | Bhután | Camboya |
| Chad | Costa de Marfil | Zambia |
| Djibouti | Eritrea | Egipto |
| Etiopia | Filipinas | Gambia |
| Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Guinea Ecuatorial |
| Haití | India | Indonesia |
| Irán | Iraq | Jordania |
| Kazajstán | Kirguistán | Kenya |
| Laos | Libano | Lesotho |
| Liberia | Libia | Macedonia |
| Malasia | Montenegro | Malí |
| Myanmar | Mauritania | Marruecos |
| Mozambique | Namibia | Níger |
| Nigeria | Nepal | Omán |
| Palestina | Pakistán | Rep. Popular de Corea |
| Rep. Democrática del Congo | Ruanda | Rep. Popular de China |
| Serbia | Senegal | Sierra Leona |
| Somalia | Sudán | Siria |
| Sri Lanka | Surinam | Tanzania |
| Túnez | Tayikistán | Turkmenistán |
| Uganda | Uzbezkistan | |
| Yemen |
*Cost: $85.00
12. Police Records
Panamanians residing abroad may request their Police Record from the Consular Section. This record is kept by the Office of Judicial Investigations in Panama.
Panamanians must show up to the Embassy in person with their passport, so that they can fill out and sign the proper forms. This request is then faxed to the Department of Legalizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Panama. A family member must then personally pick up the document, pay the required cost, and mail it to the requesting party.
Cost: $9 (this includes the Apostille)
13. Consular Records
We encourage all Panamanians, studying or living abroad, to register their status with the corresponding consulate. In this way, we will have your information in our database, and can easily inform you about events at the Embassy, and in order to facilitate communication with your loved ones in Panama.
Registration is free, though it must be conducted in person and with your passport on hand, to be used as your identification.
14. Bringing pets to Panama
In order to bring your pets into Panama, you must deliver a request for in-house quarantine, at least three days before your pet’s arrival in Panama, to the e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and/or the telefax: (507) 238-3855 or 238-4059. Any foreigner wishing to bring pets to Panama must fulfill the following requirements:
— Fill out the corresponding forms
— Updated vaccination schedule, showing immunizations against:
o Rabies
o Distemper
o Parvovirus
o Letospiroris
o Hepatitis
— Certificate of Health, issued by a National Veterinarian
— Zoosanitary Licence, issued by the Official Medical Veterinarian of the pet’s national Ministry of Health.
If the pet does not fulfill the requirements, it shall be returned to its country of origin by the traveler’s airline.
