If you are married to a Panamanian, you may apply for residency in Panama. In some cases, you qualify also for a work permit. A further benefit is that in order to apply for citizenship, you only have to have permanent residency for 3 years, rather than for the 5 years required for other permanent residents. However, when you apply for the visa, initially, the immigration office gives you a 2-year temporary residency before granting you permanent residence. So, if you applied for Friendly Nations, you would be looking at about the same amount of time.
There are some caveats to the immigration process when married to a Panamanian. The immigration department is very thorough in their interviews and process. They stringently ensure that there is no fraud or misuse of this visa application process. It is essential to show up to the interview, on the date assigned. Missing the interview will almost certainly guarantee that the application be dismissed. Additionally, you should expect the immigration department to visually inspect your home, to actually confirm that you do in fact, reside together.
Another thing to note is that the immigration department will “take into account” that you have children together. However, this does not exempt you from the home inspection or from the interview. All of these aspects of the process may feel quite invasive, which is why we outline them here at the very beginning.
Requirements for “married to a Panamanian”
The marriage must be registered here in Panama at the Civil Registry. If you got married internationally, then please coordinate with Joan the best way to get the marriage registered here (in some cases, it may be having a civil ceremony here).
Panama residency – other basic documents that are required include:
- applicant’s police record
- medical certificate of good health
- birth certificate of the Panamanian spouse
- birth certificate(s) of any Panamanian children
- certified copy of the Panamanian spouse’s cédula (certified by the Civil Registry, not a notary)
- proof of source of income (if the Panamanian spouse is the breadwinner) – not always required – ask Joan Villanueva when you need to provide this
- employment letter
- Social Security chits
- bank reference letter & balances
- proof of pension, if retired
- tax returns
- Letter of responsibility from the Panamanian spouse (if the breadwinner), indicating that they are responsible for all expenses of the applicant
- work permit application and/or work permit card (if the applicant is the breadwinner – also optional in some cases – ask Joan Villanueva when you need to provide this)
- utility bill, confirming the address provided in the application as the primary residence
The process
As mentioned above, when you apply under “married to a Panamanian” you will initially be granted a temporary “provisional permit” for 2 years. After this initial two year period is complete, you can apply for permanent residency. At this time, you need to submit a Paz y Salvo for yourself (which shows that you are up to date with your Panamanian taxes, so it is important you file any relevant tax returns during these 2 years).
If you are widowed during the 2-year term, or if you get divorced but there are children of the marriage, then you can still continue with the application process for permanent residency. However, this will not guarantee the approval of the process.
Note: if you are applying for a work permit, the Ministry of Labour ALSO conducts a marital interview!
For more information, please contact Joan Villanueva in our office.