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Tourists
Passing Through
Immigrants
Visas - Non-immigrants
Bringing your Pet
Getting Organised

Tourists are all those persons that arrive in Panama for the exclusive purposes of recreation or observation for a period of thirty (30) days, extendable to ninety (90) days.

Tourist cards have a cost of $5.00 and should be obtained by the travel agent  (such as the airline) or from the consulate, before arriving in Panama.  It is necessary, however, to meet the requirements of the National Immigration and Naturalisation Department. 

While some people may enter simply with getting the tourist card at the airport, this does not apply to citizens of all countries.  Foreigners from the following countries only require the tourist card:  

Argentina Belgium
Bolivia Brazil
Chile Costa Rica
Cyprus El Salvador
Egypt Finland
France Germany
Greece Guatemala
Holland (the Netherlands) Honduras
Hungary Israel
Italy Luxembourg
Nicaragua Paraguay
Poland Portugal
Singapore Spain
Switzerland The Vatican
United Kingdom (Great Britain & Northern Ireland) Uruguay

Persons from the following countries may either obtain a tourist card at the airport or they may obtain a Visa at the closest Panamanian Embassy or Consulate.  

Antigua & Barbuda Monaco
Aruba Netherlands Antilles
Australia New Zealand
Bahamas Norway
Barbados San Marino
Belize San Tome and Principe
Bermuda South Korea
Bolivia St. Kitts & Nevis
Canada St. Lucia
Colombia St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Granada Suriname
Guyana Sweden
Iceland Taiwan
Jamaica Trinidad & Tobago
Japan United States
Malta Venezuela
Mexico Western Samoa

Note: Tourists may not work or undertake such activities while in Panama.

Restrictions:  The Panamanian government may restrict the entry of certain nationalities to Panama. Those persons should request an Authorised Tourist Visa.  Some Authorised Visas are approved simply by the Immigration Department.  Others must also be approved by the Security Council.  

Authorised Tourist Visa: 

Requirements to Apply:

Citizens of the following countries should request an Authorised Tourist Visa before arriving in Panama:

Afghanistan Hong Kong  Oman
Albania India  Pakistan
Algeria Indonesia  Palau
Alto Volta Iran Palestine
Andorra Iraq Papua New Guinea
Angola Jordan People's Republic of China
Anguilla Kazakhstan Qatar
Armenia Kenya  Romania
Azerbaijan Kiribati Rwanda
Bahrain Kuwait Saudi Arabia
Bangladesh Kyrgyzstan Senegal
Belarus Laos Seychelles
Benin (formerly Dahomey) Latvia Sierra Leone
Bhutan Lebanon Slovakia
Bosnia Liechtenstein Slovenia
Brunei Lesotho Solomon Islands
Bulgaria Liberia Somalia
Burkina Faso Libya South Africa
Burma Lithuania Sri Lanka
Burundi Macedonia Sudan
Cambodia  Madagascar Swaziland
Cameroon Malaysia  Syria
Cape Verde Malawi Tanzania
Central African Republic Maldives Tajikistan
Comoros Mali Togo
Cote d'Ivoire Marshall Islands Tonga
Croatia Mauritania Tunisia
Cuba Mauritius Turkey
Dominican Republic Micronesia Turkmenistan
Equatorial Guinea Moldova Tuvalu
Eritrea Mongolia Ukraine
Estonia Morocco United Arab Emirates
Ethiopia Mozambique Uzbekistan
Fiji Myanmar Vanuatu
Gabon  Namibia Vietnam
Gambia Nauru Yemen
Georgia Nepal Yugoslavia
Ghana Niger Zaire
Guinea Nigeria Zambia
Guinea Bissau North Korea Zimbabwe

For nationals of the following countries to get authorised visas, the prior approval of the Security & National Defence Committee is required:

Afghanistan India  Nigeria
Albania Indonesia  North Korea
Algeria Iran Pakistan
Bangladesh Iraq Palestine
Bhutan Jordan People's Republic of China
Bosnia Kazakhstan Rwanda
Burkina Faso Kyrgyzstan Saudi Arabia
Burundi Laos Sierra Leone
Cambodia  Lebanon Somalia
Congo Liberia Sri Lanka
Cuba Libya Sudan
Eritrea Macedonia Tajikistan
Ethiopia Malaysia  Tunisia
Georgia Myanmar Turkmenistan
Guinea Nepal Uzbekistan
Hong Kong  Niger Yemen

Requirements for an Authorised Tourist Visa

This should be requested through the nearest Panamanian Consulate or through a Panamanian attorney (Shirley & Associates) directly to the Immigration Department.  

The requirements to get a visa approved are: 

  1. Fill in the application form

  2. Current Banking Reference with details of amounts held 

  3. Letter from the responsible person or company in Panama (sponsor), certifying that they undertake full responsibility and indicating the purpose of the trip (Where the sponsoring company is from the Free Trade Zone, then a copy of the Free Trade Zone certificate). 

  4. Photocopy of the passport

  5. Photocopy of the last visa for entry into the Republic of Panama (if the applicant has travelled to Panama previously).  

  6. Copy of the residency card or I.D. from their country of origin.  

Prepared by Beth Anne Gray J. & Roberto Ríos

[ Tourists ] Passing Through ] Immigrants ] Visas - Non-immigrants ] Bringing your Pet ] Getting Organised ]

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