April 27, 2024
  • 4:02 am COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS TO ENTER PANAMA
  • 3:06 am The Panamanian flag is flying on 16% of the world’s ships fleet
  • 6:51 am Panama is the venue of the “XXIII meeting of the Agreement Committee and Administrators of Information Centers as well as Technical Work Groups” of the Viña del Mar Agreement.
  • 4:49 am Panama continues to be the leader in flag ship registry with 8,662 vessels
  • 8:04 am Statement from the Panama Ship Registry
  • 8:01 am Panamanian Arsenio Dominguez is elected IMO’s Secretary General
Hong Kong
Panama

VISAS

Based on the Executive Decree 521 with date 6 of August of 2018, citizens of any nationality holding a VALID multiple entry tourist or business visa from ONE of the following countries: United States of America, Australia, Canada, The United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, possess a Schengen visa and/or have a valid residency from a European Union country may enter the Republic of Panama and obtain a landing visa upon arrival.

Be aware that before entering Panama, you must have used this visa issued by any of the above mentioned countries at least once. For example, if you have a United States’ visa, you must have entered the U.S. with that visa in order to qualify for the waiver. Your passport and/or visa should be valid for at least 6 months. Transit visas will not qualify for this waiver.

The maximum amount of time you can stay in Panama is 30 days.

Countries that do not require visa to enter Panama:

AndorraCanadaHondurasMaltaRepublic of KoreaSweden
Antigua and BarbudaChileHong Kong SARMarshallRomaniaSwitzerland
Arab Democratic RepublicColombiaHungaryMexicoSahrawiTaiwan
ArgentinaComorosIcelandMicronesiaSaint Kitts and NevisThailand
ArmeniaCosta RicaIrelandMoldovaSaint LuciaThe Czech Republic
AustraliaCroatiaIslandsMonacoSaint Thomas and PrinceThe Netherlands
AustriaCyprusIslands MauritiusMongoliaSamoaTonga
BahamasDenmarkIsraelMontenegroSan MarinoTrinidad and Tobago
BelarusDominicaItalyNamibiaSaudi ArabiaTurkey
BelgiumEcuadorJamaicaNauruSerbiaTuvalu
BelizeEl SalvadorJapanNew ZealandSeychellesUkraine
BhutanEstoniaKiribatiNicaraguaSingaporeUnited Arab Emirates
BoliviaFijiKuwaitNorwaySlovakiaUnited kingdom
Bosnia and HerzegovinaFinlandLiechtensteinPalauSloveniaUnited States of America
BotswanaFranceLithuaniaPapua New GuineaSolomon IslandsUruguay
BrazilGermanyLuxembourgParaguaySouth AfricaVanuatu
British National Overseas (BNO)GranadaMacedoniaPeruSouth KoreaVatican City
BruneiGreeceMadagascarPolandSouth RussiaVietnam
BulgariaGuatemalaMalaysiaPortugalSpain
CambodiaGuyanaMaldivesQatarSt. Vincent and the Grenadines

Countries that require Authorized Visa to enter Panama:

AfghanistanCabo VerdeGambiaKazakhstanMauritaniaPeople’s Republic of KoreaTanzania
AlbaniaChadGeorgiaKenyaMoroccoRwandaTunisia
AlgeriaCosta del MarfilGuineaKosovoMozambiqueSenegalTurkmenistan
AngolaDemocratic Republic of CongoGuinea-BissauKyrgyzstanMyanmarSierra LeoneUganda
AzerbaijanDjiboutiHaitiLaosNepalSomaliaUzbekistan
BahrainEgyptIndonesiaLebanonNigerSri LankaYemen
BangladeshEquatorial GuineaIranLesothoNigeriaSudanZambia
BeninEritreaIraqLiberiaOmanSuriname
Burkina FasoEthiopiaIvory CoastLibyaPakistanSyria
BurundiGabonJordanMaliPalestineTajikistan

Countries that requires Stamped Visa to enter Panama:

CameroonPeople’s Republic of China
Central African RepublicPhilippines
CubaRepublic of the Congo
Dominican RepublicRepublic of Togo
GhanaRepublic of India
HKSAR Document of Identity (HK DI)Swaziland
Macau (SAR)Venezuela
MalawiZimbabwe

Requirements for Tourist Visa (手續中西文版)

  • Appointment confirmation letter (make appointment HERE) only for Cuba, Dominican Republic, People’s Republic of China, Republic of India and Venezuela passport holders.
  • Applicant must present the documents personally
  • Completed visa application form
  • Photocopy of the entire passport (including cover and all blank pages) with at least 6 months validity
  • Valid Macau or Hong Kong Identity Card**
  • Travel itinerary or electronic ticket
  • Hotel reservation, if applicable
  • Three (3) passport sized photos
  • Proof of economic solvency with at least US$500, which can be one of the following, when the currency on the solvency is not in US dollars or Balboas, this needs to be converted by the competent entity such as your bank:
  1. Bank draft with applicant’s name (notarised)
  2. Latest 3-month bank statement (notarised)
  3. Employment letter with latest payment slip showing company header and chop
  4. If you are retired: document that shows the pension or retirement proof of payment (notarised)
  5. If you are economically dependent: letter of responsibility, certificate verifying kinship and economic solvency of the sponsorship (authenticated and notarised)
  6. Any other document that may prove your income and that is acceptable by Panama National Immigration Service
  • Invitation letter, if applicable

(a) If you have a personal invitation letter from a temporal or permanent resident in Panama or a Panamanian national, please submit also the following documents:

  1. Notarised and authenticated copy of Panamanian’s identity card.
  2. Notarised and authenticated copy of the Passport if foreigner.
  3. Payment receipt of any public service in Panama, stating the address of the responsible person
  4. Proof of economic solvency that can be one of the following:
    • Bank certification or bank statement for the last month that reflects an available balance of no less than four digits number.
    • Income statement showing good standing.
    • Work certification with last salary receipt or independent work accreditation, in case of being an employee of a public or private entity and it must meet an income of not less than one thousand balboas (B/.1,000.00) per month.

(b) If you have an invitation letter issued by a private company in Panama, please submit also the following documents:

  1. Certification of the Public Registry Certificación del Registro Público
  2. Copy of the Notice of Operations Copia del Aviso de Operaciones
  3. Copy of the operating code of the Colon Free Zone (if applicable) Copia de la clave de operación de la Zona Libre de Colon (si procede)
  4. Copy of receipt of payment for the provision of public services where the location of the company responsible is recorded Copia de recibo de pago por la prestación de servicios públicos donde conste la ubicación de la empresa responsable
  5. Bank certification / income estatement showing good standing / work letter with the last filed Social Security Fund in the case of natural persons Certificación bancario / declaración de renta con su paz y salvo / carta de trabajo con última ficha de la Caja de Seguro Social en el caso de personas naturales

In the case of underage applicants (under 18 years old) below additional documents needs to be provided by one of their parents or legal guardian:

  1. Birth Certificate (notarised)
  2. Authorisation letter to leave the country detailing the term of the visit and the person who will be responsible during the minor stay in Panama (Authenticated by Notary Public in Panama or by Panama Embassy/Consulate) if:
    • The minor will only travel with one of the progenitors
    • The minor will travel alone or with a 3rd party person (include the Passport and identity card of accompany person)
  3. Both parents Identity Card and Passport
  4. Economic solvency to proof the financial support to cover the expenses of the minor and/or accompany person
  5. School Certificate that indicates the major and vacation period, if not travelling during vacation time, must include the time that was granted to travel (notarised), if applicable

NOTE:

  • Please submit Original and a set of A4 sized photocopy of all the documents.
  • The passport must have one entire blank page to issue the visa.
  • **With the exception of the passport, ALL documents needs to be translated into Spanish, including the Identity Card by a certified institute/person, translations done online or programs (Google Translate, etc.) will not be accepted.
  • Holder’s of People’s Republic of China Passports will need to apply for their visa at the Embassy of Panama in Beijing or the Consulate in Shanghai or Guangzhou, unless residing in Hong Kong SAR with a valid HKSAR ID Card.
  • This Consulate has the right to ask for additional information or reject any application if deemed necessary.

This Consulate does not issue Electronic Visas, e-visa, Visa On Arrival, etc. All Visas applications must be submitted in person with a valid Hong Kong or Macao resident ID card.

Transit Visa

A maximum stay of 12 hours in transit at the international airport of Panama is allowed without the need for a visa or entry permit, if your transit is longer than 12 hours or if you need to go through immigration for your connecting flight, you will be required to demonstrate your permit to enter the country (transit or tourist visa, whichever is applicable).

ONLY Cuba and Haiti passport holders can request for a Transit Visa, ALL other nationals are required to request for a Tourist Visa (if needed and applicable).

The National Immigration Service may admit the boarding of foreign nationals (refer to list of countries below) who wish to travel in transit through the Republic of Panama, only in cases where they meet one or more of the following conditions. Otherwise, you will need to apply for a tourist visa.

  1. Have a valid Panamanian visa or residency.
  2. Those who have residence or have a multiple visa duly granted by Canada, the United States of America, Australia, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Singapore and any of the States that make up the European Union.
  3. Diplomatic and Consular agents; duly accredited foreign officials of international missions; duly accredited foreign officials of international or inter-governmental organizations.
  4. Seafarers, duly identified for such purpose.
  5. Crew members of international transportation companies, who are identified as such, by means of the general flight manifest.
  6. Traveling to or returning to a country where they maintain a valid visa or residence permit (with the exception of Haitian nationals).
  7. Traveling to your country of origin (with the exception of Haitian nationals).
AfghanistanEthiopiaNepal
AngolaGabonNiger
AlgeriaGambiaNigeria
AzerbaijanGeorgiaPakistan
BangladeshGhanaRepublic of Congo
BeninGuineaDemocratic Republic of Congo
Burkina FasoEquatorial GuineaSenegal
BurundiGuinea-BissauSierra Leone
Cape VerdeSomalia
CameroonIndiaSri Lanka
ChadKazakhstanSudan
CongoKenyaTajikistan
Ivory CoastKyrgyzstanTogo
MaliTurkmenistan
EgyptMauritaniaUzbekistan
EritreaMozambiqueDjibouti

ALL other countries that requires a visa to enter Panama, are required to request for a tourist visa, unless you meet the points on Executive Decree 521 or the ones mentioned above, then no transit or tourist visa is needed. Please refer to Resolution No. 24430 of 9 August 2023 (only in Spanish).


Requirements for Transit Visa (only for Cuba and Haiti Nationals)

  • Applicant must present the documents personally
  • Completed visa application form
  • Photocopy of the entire passport (including cover and all blank pages) with a minimum validity of six months.
  • Valid Hong Kong or Macau Identity Card**.
  • Travel itinerary or electronic ticket.
  • Two (2) passport sized photos.
  • Document proving domicile in the country of destination (applicable for Haitians only).

When the request is for a person who is a minor (under 18 years old), it must be made by one of their parents or whoever has the custody and upbringing with the authorization of the other; or whoever has duly accredited guardianship of the minor.

The transit visa may be granted for up to a maximum period of twenty-four (24) hours and only authorizes the migrant to remain in the international transit area of ​​the airport, so that they can continue their journey.

  • Please submit Original and a set of A4 sized photocopy of all the documents.
  • The passport must have one entire blank page to issue the visa.
  • **With the exception of the passport, ALL documents needs to be translated into Spanish, including the Identity Card by a certified institute/person, translations done online or programs (Google Translate, etc.) will not be accepted.
  • This Consulate has the right to ask for additional information or reject any application if deemed necessary.

The National Council, along with the National Immigration Service, have full discretion to decide whether to approve or not the Visa Application.

The applicant must submit the application at least 90 days in advance, as it is the Panama National Council of Public Safety and National Defense who verifies the application and provides an answer.

This Consulate does not issue Electronic Visas, e-visa, Visa On Arrival, etc. All Visas applications must be submitted in person with a valid Hong Kong or Macao resident ID card.

This Consulate does not issue any document that authorizes transit through Panama.

Please call +852 2545 2166 or send an email to passport_visa@panamaconsulatehk.com to request an appointment.