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🇵🇦 Short-Stay Remote Worker Visa
Panama digital nomad visa for Americans
The Short-Stay Remote Worker Visa lets you live in Panama while you keep working for clients or an employer outside the country. Income needed: $3,000/mo ($36k/yr) (about $3,000 a month). Length: 9 months.
🛂 Open to applications 🧾 Friendly tax Mexico & Central America
The visa in numbers
📊 At about $3,000 a month, Panama's bar is higher than 18 and lower than 23 of the 42 open nomad visas with a set income minimum. Compare all nomad visas →
Requirements and details
| 🛂 Visa | Short-Stay Remote Worker Visa |
| 💵 Income needed | $3,000/mo ($36k/yr) ≈ $3,000 a month in US dollars at current rates |
| 💳 Fees | ~$300 |
| ⏳ How long it lasts | 9 months |
| 🔁 Renewal | Once (+9 mo) |
| 📍 Where you apply | In-country via a Panamanian lawyer (required) → most file after arriving |
| 📆 Time you must spend there | Residency: visit once every 2 yrs to keep it → lightest in the hemisphere |
| 🏠 Path to permanent residency | Yes via residency routes (not the remote-worker visa) |
| 🧾 Tax | Territorial → foreign income never taxed ⭐ 🟢 Friendly · Local income only · top rate 25% |
| 📝 Good to know | Dead-end by design → the residency routes are better |
| 📄 Documents |
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Not working remotely? The passive-income route
Pensionado / Qualified Investor / Friendly Nations: Pensionado: $1,000/mo pension for lifetime residency; Friendly Nations: job/property + ~$200k routes. Pensionado = famous discounts (25% flights, 50% entertainment).
Can the income bar cover life in Panama?
All-in monthly cost for one person (everyday living costs plus a 1-bedroom city-centre rent), from the cities we cover.
| City | All-in / month | Income bar covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 🇵🇦 Panama City | $2,114 | 1.4× |
Data last updated · Source: Curated immigration research (confidence: high)
Panama nomad visa: common questions
How much income do I need for Panama's digital nomad visa?
$3,000/mo ($36k/yr). That's about $3,000 a month in US dollars at current exchange rates.
How long does the Short-Stay Remote Worker Visa last, and can I renew it?
9 months. Renewal: Once (+9 mo).
Where do I apply?
In-country via a Panamanian lawyer (required) → most file after arriving.
What documents do I need?
Passport, $3k/mo income proof, employment/business proof abroad, criminal record (apostilled), lawyer mandatory. Requirements vary by consulate, so check the current list before you book an appointment.
Can it lead to permanent residency in Panama?
Yes via residency routes (not the remote-worker visa).
Will I pay tax in Panama as a digital nomad?
Territorial → foreign income never taxed ⭐. As an American you also stay taxable by the IRS on your worldwide income wherever you live; the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits usually stop you paying twice. Compare taxes abroad for Americans.