Practice area
Immigration and residency in Panama
KRLegal (Keridine | Requena) handles immigration matters for individuals and companies in Panama: temporary and permanent residence permits, visas, work permits before the Ministry of Labor, renewals, corrections to resolutions and naturalization — including the relocation of executives and staff for companies setting up in the country.
What we do
From the first assessment to the resident ID card.
Every immigration category has its own logic: the right one depends on your activity in Panama, your nationality, your family structure and whether you plan to work, invest or retire here. Choosing the right route at the outset avoids starting over two years later.
We always aim for long-term viability: a residency that supports renewal, the work permit and — if that is the goal — the later path to naturalization.
- Assessment of the immigration category that fits your case
- Temporary and permanent residence permits
- Visa applications and extensions
- Work permits before the Ministry of Labor
- Residency for dependents and family reunification
- Relocation of company executives and staff
- Corrections to resolutions and overdue filings
- Naturalization and Panamanian citizenship
Who it is for
We mostly work with:
Companies relocating executives or hiring foreign staff
Investors establishing residency in Panama
Professionals and founders moving with their families
People already living in Panama seeking permanence or naturalization
Frequently asked questions
- What residency options exist in Panama?
- Panama maintains several immigration categories: by investment, by economic activity or employment, by family reunification, for retirees and pensioners, and those arising from treaties and agreements with specific countries. Requirements and amounts are amended by decree fairly often, so we assess your case against the rules in force before recommending a route.
- Does residency allow me to work in Panama?
- Not automatically. Residency and the work permit are two separate processes: the first is filed with the National Immigration Service and the second with the Ministry of Labor. When the goal is to work, we handle both in a coordinated way.
- How long does an immigration process take?
- It depends on the category and on the authorities’ workload. Each process has a document preparation stage — usually the longest part, especially for apostilles and translations from abroad — and an assessment stage before the authority. We give you a realistic estimate once we review your documents.
- Do you assist companies relocating staff to Panama?
- Yes. We coordinate the full package for the company: corporate structure and local payroll, work permits, residency for the executive and their dependents, and — together with BROKRS, the real estate agency in the same group — the search for office space and housing.
About the firm
KRLegal (Keridine | Requena): a Panamanian business law firm — corporate, transactions, M&A, real estate and immigration — part of the same group as the real estate agency BROKRS.