Friendly Nations Visa
Panama Residency for Citizens of the World's Leading Nations.
For citizens of over 50 qualifying nations, the Friendly Nations Visa is Panama's most accessible and widely used residency pathway. One investment. One process. A life completely changed.
What It Is
The Friendly Nations Visa, established under Executive Decree 416 of 2012 and significantly revised in 2021, allows citizens of designated nations with strong diplomatic, professional, and economic ties to Panama to obtain legal residency by demonstrating a genuine economic connection to the country.
It is the most popular residency pathway in Panama. It is legally sound, well established, and used by thousands of internationally mobile professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and families every year.
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A significant portion of information circulating online about the Friendly Nations Visa still describes the pre-2021 program, which had considerably lower requirements. The 2021 reforms introduced the USD 200,000 investment threshold and the provisional-then-permanent residency structure. Any source that describes the old process is out of date. Advisory No.9° operates exclusively with current 2026 requirements.
Who Qualifies?
As of 2026, over 50 nations are on the Friendly Nations list. The full list includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, all European Union member states, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Singapore, and many others. If your passport is from one of these countries, you are eligible to apply, provided you can meet one of the three qualifying economic connection requirements described below.
If your country is not on the list, you are not eligible for the Friendly Nations Visa specifically, but Panama offers a range of other residency programs worth exploring, including the Pensionado Visa, the Qualified Investor Visa, and the Rentista Visa.
The Three Ways to Qualify
1. Real Estate Investment
Purchase property in Panama with a minimum registered value of USD 200,000, free of liens, in your name. The most popular qualifying route. Your investment simultaneously satisfies the residency requirement and builds a real asset in a dollarized market.
2. Fixed-Term Bank Deposit
Place a Certificate of Deposit of at least USD 200,000 in a Panamanian bank for a minimum term of three years. Your capital remains yours. It earns interest. And it qualifies you for residency.
3. Employment with a Panamanian Company
Hold a formal employment contract with a Panamanian company that maintains real local operations and employs at least ten Panamanian workers. The most operationally complex route, and less commonly used
What You Get:
Once approved, the Friendly Nations Visa gives you the following.
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After your provisional period, you apply to convert your status to permanent residency, provided you can demonstrate continued compliance with your original qualifying requirement. Permanent residency has no expiration date.
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You are not required to spend a minimum number of days in Panama each year to maintain your residency status. You must enter the country at least once every two years to keep your status active, but beyond that there are no physical presence obligations tied to the residency permit itself. Note that if you are seeking to establish Panama as your tax residency, separate criteria apply.
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Friendly Nations Visa holders are eligible to obtain a Panamanian work permit, allowing them to be formally employed by local companies.
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Your spouse of any nationality, dependent children under 25, and dependent parents can all be included in your application and receive residency alongside you.
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After five years of permanent residency, you become eligible to apply for Panamanian citizenship and a Panamanian passport. The passport currently offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 140 countries.
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This is the reason most readers are here. Once you establish legal tax residency in Panama, you are subject only to Panama's territorial tax system, which taxes exclusively income earned from Panamanian sources. More on this below.
The Process
Residency applications fail on details. Wrong bank, incomplete documents, an attorney who has never seen your file before you walk in. We eliminate every one of those variables before your process begins.
Our legal and banking partners work exclusively within our network. Introductions are made in advance. Documentation is reviewed before you travel. When you arrive in Panama, your application is already in motion.
Why Advisory No.9?
Advisory No.9 manages the entire process. Before your first appointment, your attorney is briefed, your bank introduction is arranged, your document checklist is prepared, and your itinerary is set. You arrive in Panama to a process that is already in motion.
A typical Friendly Nations Visa engagement involves a consultation, document preparation in your home country, a coordinated two to three day visit to Panama City, and then managed follow-up until your provisional card is issued and your permanent residency is secured.
Advisory No.9 acts as a coordination service. We are not authorised to practise law or to provide legal, tax, or financial advice, and we are not a bank, a payment institution, or a money transmitter. We do not hold or transmit funds on behalf of clients. Legal filings, regulated work, and account and merchant approvals are performed and decided by independent licensed professionals and institutions. The contents of this website are for informational purposes only, do not constitute advice of any kind, and do not form part of any engagement. The terms of any engagement are set out separately in writing.