Panama’s short-stay visa for remote workers, usually called the digital nomad visa, is for people whose income comes from outside the country. Public descriptions, tied to the 2021 remote-worker rules, ask for about $3,000 a month or $36,000 a year from foreign sources, health insurance that covers you in Panama, a background check, and a passport with time left on it.
The stay is commonly nine months, with one renewal, for a total around 18 months. You are generally expected not to take a Panamanian job or serve Panamanian clients while you hold it. It is a way to live the country properly before you commit. It is not permanent residency, it does not automatically make you a tax resident, and it does not convert into Pensionado or Friendly Nations when the months run out. Those are new applications.
It is a strong match for a founder or employee who can work from a rented apartment in Coronado or Gorgona and wants a real season here, not a tourist stamp they are nervous about overstaying. If your partner and children are moving with you for the long term, ask counsel about a residency category that actually includes them.
- Often quoted
- Public rules describe foreign-source income of about $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year), plus insurance and a clean background check.
- Where it tends to lead
- A short stay, commonly nine months and renewable once, up to about 18 months
- Family
- Often issued to the worker alone. Families who are moving for good usually need a different category.
Read this before you rely on a number
- Local employment and local clients are generally off limits on this stay.
- Dependents are not a given. Read that twice if you are moving a family.
- When the stay ends, you still need a separate residency strategy if you are staying.
Related reading: Friendly Nations visa , Pensionado visa