I’m happy to be writing good news for once with regards to immigration to low tax and attractive countries.
Typically my immigration emails are about “hurry up, this option will end soon”, “things always get harder”, “the price will increase soon”.
This email is different.
Panama has just decreed that the planned increased to $500,000 in real estate investment for the Qualified Investor Visa will NOT take place; it will remain at $300,000.
What is the Panama Qualified Investor Visa?
Invest $300,000 in any real estate in Panama, $500,000 on the Panama stock exchange, or $750,000 in a term deposit for a duration of 5 years, and get permanent residency in a single trip within 30 days for you, your dependent children, your spouse, and even your parents.
In this very brief video I discussed it with Wi Men and Giovanna, who have helped me obtain residency in Panama, incorporate there, open local bank accounts, etc.
Is real estate in Panama a good investment?
If you’re willing to accept relatively low rental yields and low liquidity, then it is decent diversification. Don’t expect wonders from Panama real estate.
But, this permanent residency option makes it worth it.
If you are from a list of mostly Western countries (“Friendly Nations”) then $200,000 should suffice for temporary residency for 2.5 years followed by permanent residency.
I wrote a whole article on the real estate market in Panama City.
This page will lead you to many ways you can obtain residency in Panama and will put you in touch with Wi Men and Giovanna.
This is a nice plan B option in a comfortable, safe jurisdiction with good healthcare, a decent international airport, and a great tax system and good financial infrastructure.
And for those of you who like Bukele of El Salvador, the new government of Panama seems to be going “full Bukele”, not that crime is a major concern at all.
To a World of Opportunities,
The Wandering Investor.
Other articles on Panama
- The Pros and Cons of creating a crypto and stock trading Corporation in Panama
- Affordable Tax-Free Caribbean Lifestyle and Real Estate
- Panama Friendly Nations Visa through Work Permit and Company Formation
- The Pros and Cons of investing in the Boquete Real Estate Market in Panama
- How to Obtain the Panama Retirement Visa
- Panama Permanent Residency in ONE trip
- What is the Panama Travel Passport and how to get it?
- The Pros and Cons of living in Panama
- How to buy a gun in Panama – Gun rights in Panama
- Real estate for Friendly Nations Visa in Panama City – case studies
- Full guide to buying and investing in Panama City real estate
- Pros and Cons of Panama corporations
Services in Panama
- Remotely opening a bank account in Panama
- How to obtain Residency in Panama
- Real estate lawyer in Panama
- My Realtor in Panama City
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Transcript of “Breaking News on Panama Immigration – easy Permanent Residency still available”
LADISLAS MAURICE: Hello, everyone. Ladislas Maurice from thewanderinginvestor.com. Today, we have some exciting breaking news from Panama. Giovanna and Wi Men, how are you?
GIOVANNA: Hi, Ladislas. We’re good.
WI MEN: Hi, Ladislas, pretty good. And you?
LADISLAS MAURICE: Good-good. What are the breaking news?
GIOVANNA: Okay. The good news is that the Qualified Investor Visa which grant us permanent residency in a 30 days period of time is not going to change the amount of investment on real estate.
WI MEN: And the applicant also can apply with the whole family and they can also get the permanent residency in 30 days.
LADISLAS MAURICE: So it was supposed to increase to $500,000, correct?
WI MEN: That’s correct.
GIOVANNA: That’s correct. It was supposed to go, this month, to $500k investment, and now it’s going to be, permanent, $300k for the entire process.
LADISLAS MAURICE: In real estate?
GIOVANNA: That’s correct
WI MEN: That’s right.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. And this applies to anyone in the world?
WI MEN: That is correct.
GIOVANNA: That’s correct, applies to anyone in the world.
LADISLAS MAURICE: So $300,000 in real estate in Panama gets you and your whole family immediate permanent residency, or within 30 days. Are there options other than real estate?
GIOVANNA: Yes, there are two more options. One, it will be a term deposit for $750,000 in a local bank in Panama. And the other option will be to invest in Panama stock market for $500,000.
LADISLAS MAURICE: And for how long is that, must one keep those investments?
WI MEN: Five years.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, so this is the path to immediate permanent residency, which the retiree visa also grants. But what about people that have smaller budgets or are more restricted, what are their options to obtain residency right now in Panama?
WI MEN: Well, there are still options like the Economic Solvency, which is people they can invest $300,000 on real estate, too, or the fixed term deposit, but they get their permanent residency in two years and a half. Or, people, they are in the foreign nation visa citizenship, so they can apply for the permanent residency with $200,000 investment in real estate or bank term deposit. It also take two years and a half to get the permanent residency. And the other option for the foreign nation is you don’t need to place any investment on Panama. Open a corporation in Panama, use the Panama corporation to hire yourself an employee, and then you can get the same quality of residency as investment in two years and a half. Of course, that must be inside the foreign nation countries.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. Let’s say, I go for that original $300,000 investment in real estate to get immediate permanent residency for myself, my underage children, my spouse, and even my parents, correct, or the parents on both sides?
WI MEN: Just the parents of the main applicant.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Just the parents of the main applicant, cool. So the whole clan can come over. We get that permanent residency within 30 days. What if we choose to not actually live in Panama, how do we maintain the permanent residency?
WI MEN: If you don’t live permanently in Panama, like, physically being here, so the Panamanian law there’s no restriction for you to stay minimum days in Panama to obtain the residency status. They only demand you to visit Panama or stay at least one day every two years just to keep the status of the residency here.
GIOVANNA: Active, yeah. Correct.
WI MEN: Yes.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Great. So this is effectively one of the easiest and most affordable ways to obtain a permanent residency really fast for people who want this as a back pocket solution. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to obtain residency in Panama, there’s a link below where we describe all of the different programs that are available in Panama, and you can get in touch with Giovanna and Wi Men. All right, Giovanna, Wi Men, thank you very much.
WI MEN: Thank you very much.
GIOVANNA: Thank you. Bye.
WI MEN: Bye.
