Rule change confirmed · The official program page is gone (HTTP 404).
A year in Panama
Permiso de Residente Permanente – Países Amigos (Friendly Nations)
Program checked 2026-10-21 · official source
Money
- Income the program asks for
- No fixed income minimum on record — read the program page for how means are tested.
- Your income against it
- Nothing to compare against.
- Cost of living
- Index ≈ 35 (New York = 100; lower is cheaper) — awaiting human review.
Estimate · Numbeo — Cost of Living Index by Country(opens in a new tab) · as of 2026-08-04
Community notes: Moderate in city; affordable on coasts outside Panama City.
CasaSedora doesn't publish a monthly living-cost figure for any country yet — we won't invent one.
- Cash to make the move
- About $15,400 up front for one person.
Estimate · CasaSedora planning estimate — generic defaults, not a quote
Language
- Spoken there
- Spanish.
- Required for residency & citizenship
- Citizenship: Prove Spanish + basic geography/history/civics + civics (needs review)
Secondary source (needs review)(opens in a new tab) · as of 2026-10-21
- Your readiness
- Starting from scratch is the usual case — sign in & set a goal in the Field Phrasebook to track your practice.
Timeline
Apply
No closing date on record. Processing time is not on record — check the official source.
Program record (official source)(opens in a new tab) · as of 2026-10-21
Your first stay
The permit or program runs 24 months.
Program record (official source)(opens in a new tab) · as of 2026-10-21
Permanent residency · year 2
Friendly Nations route: 2-year provisional residency, then permanent residency.
Estimate · Servicio Nacional de Migración(opens in a new tab) · as of 2026-07-12
Citizenship eligible · year 5
5 years of permanent residency — 3 if married to a Panamanian or with Panamanian children, and 3 with reciprocity for some Ibero-American nationals.
Estimate · Servicio Nacional de Migración(opens in a new tab) · as of 2026-07-12
Does time on this kind of permit count toward citizenship? Counts. Friendly Nations residency time counts — it is a true residency permit, not a visitor visa.
Not on record yet
- No fixed income minimum on record for this program.