The currency you already use
The U.S. dollar is legal tender. Your pension arrives and is spent in the same currency — no exchange rates, no surprises.
Permanent residency · Retirees & pensioners
Retire in Panama. Your dollars go much further here.
If you receive a lifetime pension or retirement income of at least US$1,000 a month, Panama offers you permanent, indefinite residency — no renewals — and a comfortable life in the same currency you are already paid in.
- Pension from US$1,000 a month
- Indefinite: no renewals
- Couples can combine pensions
Indefinite residency
No renewal required
- US$1,000
- Minimum monthly pension, for life
- US$750
- Minimum if you own property in Panama worth over US$100,000
- 0
- Renewals: the permit is indefinite
- 1 = 1
- One balboa equals one dollar: Panama runs on U.S. dollars
Why Panama?
You keep the dollar — without U.S. prices.
Panama uses the U.S. dollar, and everyday life feels a lot like the United States or Canada: supermarkets, shopping malls, highways and modern hospitals. The difference is what it costs to live. In many parts of the country, a thousand dollars a month can rent a lovely home and cover your groceries.
That is why so many retirees choose Panama for this chapter of their lives.
Your pension goes further
Housing, food, utilities and healthcare cost considerably less than in the U.S. or Canada. You live better on the same income.
It feels like home
Familiar brands, modern roads, good internet and first-class private hospitals. You change countries without changing your habits.
Close to your family
Panama is the great air hub of the Americas, with direct flights to many cities in the U.S. and Canada. Visiting family — or having them visit — is easy.
Retiree discounts
As a retiree resident you are entitled to the discounts Panamanian law grants to retirees: restaurants, hotels, transport, medicines, entertainment and more.
Beach, mountains or city
Beaches on the Pacific and the Caribbean, cool mountain towns and a cosmopolitan capital. And outside the hurricane belt.
Requirements
Who can apply?
This residency is designed for people who have already retired and want to live in Panama on their own income.
- You receive a retirement or pension income from a foreign government, an international organization or a private company.
- It is granted for life.
- It is at least B/.1,000 a month (US$1,000) and properly certified.
- You are moving to Panama to live and can cover your own living expenses and those of your dependents.
This permit may be requested by foreign nationals who receive a retirement or pension income from a foreign government, an international organization or a private company, who enter the national territory in order to settle here, and who have sufficient financial means to cover all of their living expenses and those of their dependents in the country. The monthly income or pension may not be less than one thousand balboas (B/.1,000.00) and must be granted for life.
Unofficial translation. The official text is in Spanish.
Indefinite permit: no renewal required
Special cases
There is more than one way to qualify
Minimum: B/.750 a month
You own property in Panama
If you own property in Panama in your own name worth more than B/.100,000, the minimum pension drops to B/.750 a month.
Pension 1 + pension 2
You are moving as a couple
Spouses can add their two pensions together to reach the required minimum.
Temporary permit
Your children come with you
Your dependent children can come with you. Their permit is temporary, not indefinite like yours.
Assessment first
Every case is different
Before we start, we assess your profile and tell you whether you qualify and on what terms. Clearly, from day one.
Quick check
Do you qualify? Find out in a minute
Four questions and we will tell you right away how your case looks. If you like, you can send us the result on WhatsApp with one tap.
- Nothing is stored: the calculation happens on your screen.
- It takes the special cases into account: property and couples.
Message us on WhatsApp with your monthly pension and we will tell you whether you qualify. Message us on WhatsApp
How we guide you
From the first conversation to your new life in Panama
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1
We assess your profile
We review your pension, your family situation and your assets, and tell you clearly whether you qualify and on what terms.
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2
Your route, in writing
You receive the exact list of documents, how they must be apostilled or legalized, and the order in which they are prepared.
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3
We prepare and review your file
We check every certificate, translation and form before it is filed, so it arrives complete and setbacks are avoided.
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4
We stay with you to the end
We are with you at every stage in Panama, and you can follow your case on this website with your personal code, whenever you like.
Frequently asked questions
What almost everyone asks us
Your question is not here? Message us and we will answer you personally.
Ask a questionIs the balboa the same as the dollar?
In practice, yes. The balboa (B/.) is worth exactly one U.S. dollar, and in Panama you pay with U.S. dollars. When the regulation says B/.1,000, that means US$1,000.
Will I have to renew my residency?
No. The retiree residency is permanent and indefinite: it does not need to be renewed.
What does a "lifetime" pension mean?
That it is granted for the rest of your life, not for a limited period. It must also be properly certified by whoever pays it.
Can I combine my pension with my spouse's?
Yes. Spouses can add their two pensions together to meet the minimum.
What if my pension is under US$1,000?
If you own property in Panama in your own name worth more than B/.100,000, the minimum drops to B/.750 a month. If that is not your case, message us: we will look at whether another route fits you.
Can my children come?
Yes, as dependents. Their permit is temporary, not indefinite like the main applicant's.
Can you assist me in English?
Yes. We work with you in English or Spanish, whichever you prefer.
Live the life you deserve
Want to know if you qualify?
Tell us about your case on WhatsApp. We assess your profile before we start and tell you, clearly, whether you qualify and on what terms.
Residency✦Guidance✦Support