Panama Offshore Legal Services

Panama Agricultural Investor Program

Panama Offshore Legal Services provides foreigners with experienced immigration attorneys to assist in the process with acquiring Panama Agricultural visas.

Law 3 of February 2008 amended by Executive Decree 320 of August 8, 2008 regulates the Panama Agricultural Investor program (“Visa en Calidad de Agricultor”) as a way to offer foreigners the opportunity to become Panama permanent residents and Panama citizens of by investing in Panama farms, Panama aquaculture, and Panama agriculture.

Panama Agricultural Visas require a minimum investment of $60,000.

The permissions of temporary residents for Panama Agricultural investors will be for the period of six (6) years, extendable every two (2) years.

The applicant can not use the Panama Agricultural Investor Visa to obtain Permanent Residency or Panama Citizenship.

Panama Agricultural Investor

Foreigners through personal title or through a legal entity, must invest the minimum sum of Sixty Thousand dollars ($60,000), in a Panama agribusiness or Panama aquaculture industry to qualify for this visa. Such investments must be in areas that the Department of Farm Development considers to be of national interest for Panama.

The investment increases by Five Hundred dollars ($500) for each dependant. Proof of this additional investment must be provided to the National Service of Immigration by an original letter from a licensed Panama bank.

In addition to the requirements established in Article 28 of the Decree Law, the applicant must submit the following documents:

1. In the cases of legal entity, they should present:

a. Affidavit by the secretary or treasurer of the business (cannot be issued by the applicant), verifying the ownership of the nominative shares in favor of the applicant, and the total capital stock;
b. Authenticated copy of the share certificate in favor of the Panama farm investor;
c. Copies of the tax return of the business. If a fiscal period has not lapsed since the creation of the business, a copy of the inscription in the Unique Registry of the taxpayer and a copy of the receipt of payment of the unique rate;
d. Original certification of the business inscription in the Panama Public Registry;

2. Certification of the Authorized Public Accountant (CPA) detailing the grand total invested in a direct way in the activity of the Panama agribusiness or Panama aquaculture and that the capital is from the investor. (The accountant should include copies of the documents verifying this);

3. Copies of the Certification of the Panama Farm Unique Registration, which details: unique registration number, form, activities that are carried out in the Panama farm, and its location;

4. Original certification of the Panama farm recorded in the Public Registry or rental agreement;

5. Documents that show the investment is carried out directly in a Panama agribusiness or Panama aquaculture activities with a minimum of Sixty Thousand dollars ($60,000). Proof of this can be demonstrated with documents such as:

a. Banking certification of the transfer of the funds or of the payment (obligatory);
b.Audited Financial Statement;
c. Commercial bill of buying and selling;
d. Documents proving the importing or buying of supplies or equipment.

To request an extension of this visa, besides the requirements mentioned in the numerals described above, the applicant must submit the following document:

1. National Paz y Salvo of income of the applicant.

Procedures for Applying for Panama Residency:

Provide all required documents, and sign the Special Power of Attorney for our law firm to handle your Panama immigration paperwork. Our law firm will request all required governmental certifications, and organize all required documentation and applications for the immigration department.

The procedure for temporary (non-resident) permits (visas) are the following:

1. Register passport at Immigration.

2. Present application with all required documents to immigration, with Government fees & Repatriation Deposit (if applicable).

3. Immigration department issues applicant 3 months Temporary Permit (Visa) & Multiple Entry-Exit Visa.

4. Immigration department issues applicant 2 year Temporary Permit (Visa).
(Steps 3 and 4 are repeated every time the temporary visa is renewed).

Panama Offshore Legal Services Fees:

Please note that, because the Panama Agricultural Investor visa requires several steps that are spread out among various years, and for each step we must gather the same documentation from the various governmental agencies and present the same documentation over and over again for each step, we charge our legal fees by the step.

Our legal fees for this type of visa are as follows:

Step 1, 2, & 3:	Month Visa & 1 Year Provisional Visa
	Primary Applicant:	US$ 2,000
	Dependent:	US$ 1,500
	Government Fees & Costs:	US$ 500

Required Documents (For Immigration Processing);

Photocopy of valid passport of the applicant (and dependents - if applicable), including the picture page (that shows the picture, name, date of birth, passport number, place of issue, etc.), and all other pages (every single page in the passport). Please note that during your initial visit to Panama , we will need to take your original passport to the immigration office to “register” the passport, for immigration processing purposes.

Original Police record of the applicant, from the place of residence (and dependents such as spouse & children - if applicable), duly notarized and authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate or Embassy in the country or region where the police record was issued.

Original Birth Certificate (of the children that are dependents - if applicable), duly notarized and authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate nearest you.

Original Marriage Certificate (for the dependent if they are a spouse or husband - if applicable), duly notarized and authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate nearest you.

Six (6) passport sized photographs of the applicant (and dependents - if applicable).
Certificate of Good Health, issued by a licensed Panamanian hospital or clinic, signed by a registered, licensed physician, indicating that the applicant (and dependents - if applicable) has no contagious diseases and is in good mental and physical condition. THIS MUST BE DONE DURING YOUR INITIAL VISIT TO PANAMA.

* Note: for authenticating documents through the Panamanian Consulate, please contact us to request the contact information of the Panamanian Consulate nearest you. We have a complete list of Panamanian Consulates & Embassies all over the world.

Documents that Our Law Firm Will Provide for You;

- Special Power of Attorney, signed by the applicant (and dependents - if applicable), authorizing our law firm to process the immigration applications and documentation.

- Letter of Responsibility, signed by the applicant, whereby the applicant takes responsibility for his/her dependents.

- Certification issued by the "Alcalde" (Mayor) or "Corregidor" (Sherriff) of the area where your farm is located, certifying that they have in effect made the official inspection to confirm that you are dedicated to the agricultural business.

- Certification issued by the "MIDA" (Ministro de Desarrollo Agropecuario) (Ministry of Agricultural Development).

- Immigration Department Application for the Visa, duly completed (the applicant must sign).

Note that immigration request that the applicant for any type of visa, be present physically at the immigration office in Panama, at the time of Visa application.

Panama Immigration will not allow people to visit wearing shorts, t-shirts, or sandals. Immigration will not accept U.S. currency in denominations of $50 or $100.

When the immigration visa is approved plan to visit Panama for two weeks because immigration may hold onto your passport for 5 business days while they insert the official stamps and information in the passport.

If you are interested in relocating to Panama, or obtaining legal residency in Panama, please contact us for a personal consultation at Panama Offshore Legal Services.

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