--- title: "Panama Retired rentista requirements 2026: PAB 850+/mo needed" url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/rentista-retirado/ lang: en updated: 2026-10-10 --- Panama · Retire or live on savings # Panama Retired rentista **Income needed:** PAB 850+ a month ≈ $850 Permiso de Residente Temporal — Rentista Retirado (PPT-RR) First checked against official sources on 10 Oct 2026 [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) - **Income needed:** PAB 850+ a month ≈ $850 (Income of at least PAB 850 a month (≈ $850) · Monthly interest must arise exclusively from a fixed-term deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, free of liens/guarantees, for minimum five years.) - **First stay:** 5 yrs (Five-year term, extendable for an equal term subject to the requirements.) - **Who can apply:** Any passport (No nationality limitation appears in the checklist.) - **Tax angle:** Tax relief (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.) ## Key facts Retired rentista is a retire or live on savings route for Panama. Applicants need income of PAB 850+ a month ≈ $850. You can stay 5 yrs, renewable. Checked 2026-10-10 against the official source. - **Money needed:** PAB 850+ a month ≈ $850 - **First stay:** 5 yrs ## Cost, time and long term **Shown, not spent: PAB 850+/mo ≈ $850** - PAB 850 a month (≈ $850) Monthly interest must arise exclusively from a fixed-term deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, free of liens/guarantees, for minimum five years. **Renewal: Renewable** The permit is granted for 5 years and can be extended for an equal term if the requirements are still met. [Servicio Nacional de Migración](https://www.migracion.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PE1.pdf) **Citizenship: General rule: 5 years of residence** Naturalisation needs 5 consecutive years of residence in Panama, plus Spanish and basic knowledge of Panamanian history, geography and politics. [Asamblea Nacional de Panamá](https://www.asamblea.gob.pa/Uploads/DocumentosCompartidos/137/Documento_Constitucion_1972.pdf) ### What you'll need #### What you must show - **Income of at least PAB 850 a month (≈ $850)** · Monthly interest must arise exclusively from a fixed-term deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, free of liens/guarantees, for minimum five years. #### Documents - A notarised power and application are required. - A passport copy is required. - A criminal record is required. - A health certificate is required. - A bank certification from Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros states the deposit, its interest and term, and that it is free of liens. - A sworn personal-history statement is 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](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/tax/) Tax records checked 10 Oct 2026 **Full official text** Temporary residence for foreigners whose monthly income comes solely from interest on an unencumbered fixed-term deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros. (sources 1, 2) #### What you must show - Income of at least PAB 850 a month (≈ $850) · Monthly interest must arise exclusively from a fixed-term deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, free of liens/guarantees, for minimum five years. (source 2) #### Requirements - A notarised power and application are required. (source 2) - A passport copy is required. (source 2) - A criminal record is required. (source 2) - A health certificate is required. (source 2) - A bank certification from Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros states the deposit, its interest and term, and that it is free of liens. (source 2) - A sworn personal-history statement is required. (source 2) #### Stay - Five-year term, extendable for an equal term subject to the requirements. - Initial permitted stay: 60 months. - Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal. #### Nationality No nationality limitation appears in the checklist. #### Family Dependants can be included; applicants aged 18 to 24 need a responsibility letter, proof of kinship, proof of address, a single-status certificate and a study certificate. Checked 2026-10-10 ## Official sources 1. [Requisitos para Rentista Retirado (PPT-RR), April 2026 sheet](https://www.migracion.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PE1.pdf) · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11 2. [Requisitos para rentista retirado (PPT-RR)](https://www.migracion.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PE1.pdf) · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11 3. [Constitución Política de la República de Panamá, art. 10](https://www.asamblea.gob.pa/Uploads/DocumentosCompartidos/137/Documento_Constitucion_1972.pdf) · Asamblea Nacional de Panamá · checked 2026-10-11 ## Retired rentista and its alternatives | Route | Money needed | Stay | Work | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Retired rentista | Needs income of PAB 850+ a month ≈ $850 | 5 yr, renewable | – | | [Pensionado residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/pensionado-residence/) | Needs income from PAB 750 a month ≈ $750 | – | – | | [Retiree permanent residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/mexico/permanent-resident-retiree/) Mexico | Needs income of MXN 134k+ a month ≈ $7,310 | – | Yes | | [Pensioner visa M](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/colombia/m-pensionado/) Colombia | Needs income of COP 5.3M+ a month ≈ $1,640 | 3 yr | Yes | | [Pensionado residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/costa-rica/temporary-pensionado/) Costa Rica | Needs income of $1,000+ a month | 2 yr, renewable | Limited | ## Questions people ask ### How much money do I need for the Retired rentista? Income of at least PAB 850 a month (≈ $850). Monthly interest must arise exclusively from a fixed-term deposit at Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, free of liens/guarantees, for minimum five years. ### How long can I stay on the Retired rentista? Five-year term, extendable for an equal term subject to the requirements. ### Can I bring my family on the Retired rentista? Dependants can be included; applicants aged 18 to 24 need a responsibility letter, proof of kinship, proof of address, a single-status certificate and a study certificate. ### Is there a tax break for Retired rentista 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)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/tax/#tax-pa-territorial-income-tax) Tax relief Foreign-source income: Territorial **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 10 Oct 2026, some details partly verified [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) [Full page →](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/tax/) ## More in Panama [Remote worker visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/remote-worker-visa/) [Qualified Investor · Property](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/qualified-investor-new-real-estate/) [Qualified Investor · Deposit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/qualified-investor-fixed-deposit/) [Qualified Investor · Securities](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/qualified-investor-securities/) [Friendly Nations residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/friendly-nations-permanent/) ## Retirement and live-on-savings visas elsewhere [🇦🇷 Pensioner residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/argentina/temporary-pensioner/) [🇺🇾 Retiree PR (Law 16.340)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/uruguay/retiree-benefit-permanent/) [🇪🇨 Retiree visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ecuador/temporary-jubilado/) [🇵🇪 Rentista residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/peru/rentista-resident/) [🇩🇴 Rentista residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/dominican-republic/rentista/) [🇨🇼 Rentier permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/curacao/rentier/) ≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated. ## How this was checked **Checked on 2026-10-10 against 3 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. 1. [Requisitos para Rentista Retirado (PPT-RR), April 2026 sheet](https://www.migracion.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PE1.pdf) · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11 2. [Requisitos para rentista retirado (PPT-RR)](https://www.migracion.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PE1.pdf) · Servicio Nacional de Migración · checked 2026-10-11 3. [Constitución Política de la República de Panamá, art. 10](https://www.asamblea.gob.pa/Uploads/DocumentosCompartidos/137/Documento_Constitucion_1972.pdf) · Asamblea Nacional de Panamá · checked 2026-10-11 Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.