Panama · Nomad / Remote work
Panama Remote worker visa
Income needed: PAB 36k+ a year ≈ $36k
Visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto
First checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Remote worker visa is a nomad / remote work route for Panama. Applicants need income of PAB 36k+ a year ≈ $36k. You can stay 9 mo, renewable. You can work remotely for foreign employers or clients, not for local ones. Checked 2026-10-10 against the official source.
- Money needed
- PAB 36k+ a year ≈ $36k
- Government fees
- PAB 250 ≈ $250 · PAB 50 ≈ $50
- First stay
- 9 mo
Cost, time and long term
To apply: government fees PAB 300 ≈ $300 in total (2 fees); income to show PAB 36k+/yr ≈ $36k. No lawyer or agent fee is included.
Government feesPAB 250 ≈ $250 · PAB 50 ≈ $50
- PAB 250 (≈ $250)SNM application payment.
- PAB 50 (≈ $50)Residence card fee.
Shown, not spentPAB 36k+/yr ≈ $36k
- PAB 36,000 a year (≈ $36,000)Income must be foreign-source; employee of foreign entity or self-employed through foreign-registered company; work effects abroad.
RenewalRenewable, 18 months max
The visa lasts 9 months and can be extended once for the same period, so 18 months in total.
CitizenshipTime here doesn't count
This visa is in the non-resident category, so it does not give the residence that naturalisation (5 consecutive years) requires.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Time on this route is capped at 18 months in total
- Time on this route doesn't count toward citizenship
- No local jobs: remote work for employers or clients abroad only
What you'll need
Who can apply1
- The applicant is an employee of a foreign entity, or self-employed through a foreign-registered company.
What you must show1
- Monthly foreign-source income of at least B/.3,000 is required.
Documents5
- An employer letter identifies remote work and monthly foreign-source income, or own foreign-business proof.
- Evidence of foreign-source income is required.
- Medical insurance is required.
- A sworn statement declines local offers.
- Standard passport, police and health documents are required.
When you become tax resident
How Panama decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Foreign-source income
Territorial
Panama taxes income produced inside Panama only; the taxable base of a taxpayer is gross income less foreign-source income, exempt income and deductible costs, and the DGI personal return has a separate line for foreign-source income.
- Special regime
Panama territorial income tax · Tax relief
All tax rules for Panama Tax records checked
Full official text
Short-stay visa for employees of foreign companies or foreign self-employed workers who telework from Panama with foreign-source income. 1 2 3
What you must show and pay
- Income of at least PAB 36,000 a year (≈ $36,000) · Income must be foreign-source; employee of foreign entity or self-employed through foreign-registered company; work effects abroad. 3
- A fee of PAB 250 (≈ $250) · SNM application payment. 3
- A fee of PAB 50 (≈ $50) · Residence card fee. 3
Requirements
- The applicant is an employee of a foreign entity, or self-employed through a foreign-registered company. 3
- Monthly foreign-source income of at least B/.3,000 is required. 3
- An employer letter identifies remote work and monthly foreign-source income, or own foreign-business proof. 3
- Evidence of foreign-source income is required. 3
- Medical insurance is required. 3
- A sworn statement declines local offers. 3
- Standard passport, police and health documents are required. 3
Stay
- Visa of 9 months, renewable once for the same period (up to 18 months).
- Initial permitted stay: 9 months.
- Visa validity: 9 months. Validity is the window to use the visa, not the length you may stay.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Subject to nationality-specific entry visa and admissibility rules.
Work
Remote work for foreign employers or clients; local work is not allowed.
Official sources
- Decreto Ejecutivo 198 of 7 May 2021 creating the Visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto (Gaceta Oficial Digital 29290-A, 20 May 2021) · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2021-05-20
- Requisitos para solicitar visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto, April 2026 sheet · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11
- Requisitos para solicitar visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11
- Constitución Política de la República de Panamá, art. 10 · Asamblea Nacional de Panamá · checked 2026-10-11
Remote worker visa and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote worker visa | Needs income of PAB 36k+ a year ≈ $36k | 9 mo, renewable | Remote only |
| Digital nomad visa V Colombia | Needs income of COP 5.3M+ a month ≈ $1,640 | 2 yr | Remote only |
| Remote worker stay Costa Rica | Needs income from $3,000 a month | 1 yr, renewable | Remote only |
| Digital nomad visa Brazil | Needs income of $1,500+ a month | 1 yr, renewable | Remote only |
| Digital nomad residence Argentina | – | 6 mo, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Remote worker visa?
Income of at least PAB 36,000 a year (≈ $36,000). Income must be foreign-source; employee of foreign entity or self-employed through foreign-registered company; work effects abroad. A fee of PAB 250 (≈ $250). SNM application payment. A fee of PAB 50 (≈ $50). Residence card fee.
How long can I stay on the Remote worker visa?
Visa of 9 months, renewable once for the same period (up to 18 months).
Can I work on the Remote worker visa?
Remote only. Remote work for foreign employers or clients; local work is not allowed.
Is there a tax break for Remote worker visa holders in Panama?
Panama territorial income tax (foreign-source income outside the tax base): Panama taxes income produced inside Panama only; the taxable base of a taxpayer is gross income less foreign-source income, exempt income and deductible costs, and the DGI personal return has a separate line for foreign-source income. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Panama territorial income tax (foreign-source income outside the tax base)
Tax relief
Details
- Who: Applies to every taxpayer, natural or legal, national or foreign
Panama taxes income produced inside Panama only; the taxable base of a taxpayer is gross income less foreign-source income, exempt income and deductible costs, and the DGI personal return has a separate line for foreign-source income.
Taxed on
Taxable income = gross income minus foreign-source income, exempt/non-taxable income and deductible costs and expenses (Código Fiscal art. 695 as amended by Ley 8 of 2010); art. 694 par. 2 lists activities whose income is not treated as produced in Panama (invoicing from a Panama office for goods moving only abroad, directing from Panama transactions that are completed abroad, distributing dividends out of income not produced in Panama).
Who it applies to
- Applies to every taxpayer, natural or legal, national or foreign (art. 694 definition of contribuyente); no application, visa status or registration is needed to have foreign-source income left out of the base.
- Foreign-source income is reported on line 18 of the DGI natural-person return, citing par. 2 of art. 694 of the Código Fiscal and special laws.
Exclusions
- Income from work or services performed in Panama, Panama-located assets and Panama business activity is Panama-source and taxable.
- Persons domiciled abroad who receive payments for services that benefit persons in Panama and affect Panama-source income are subject to withholding on 50% of the amount remitted under art. 694 lit. e as amended by Ley 8 of 2010, unless they register as taxpayers.
- Costs and expenses attributable to foreign-source income are not deductible against taxable income.
Tax residence
no residency test is recorded.
Visas
The territorial base applies regardless of visa or residence permit type; it is a feature of the income tax, not of an immigration route.
Other taxes
Social security (CSS) and educational insurance are charged on salary by separate tariffs set out in the DGI instructivo (educational insurance tariff 2.75% of the base for employees per the instructivo).
Checked against official sources on , some details partly verifiedChange log
More in Panama
Digital nomad / remote work visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-10 against 4 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Decreto Ejecutivo 198 of 7 May 2021 creating the Visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto (Gaceta Oficial Digital 29290-A, 20 May 2021) · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11
- Requisitos para solicitar visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto, April 2026 sheet · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11
- Requisitos para solicitar visa de corta estancia como trabajador remoto · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11
- Constitución Política de la República de Panamá, art. 10 · Asamblea Nacional de Panamá · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.