Pensionado
For retirees with a pension guaranteed for life
USD 4,600
Panama Pensionado Visa: Apply for Retiree Residency
With a lifetime pension from USD 1,000 a month, straight to permanent residence: the best-known retiree programme in the Western Hemisphere, with discounts guaranteed by law.
Fixed prices and ordering
All prices in US dollars for the main applicant; family members coming with you are added to the same case.
Not included: government fees, translations and apostilles (government fees approx. USD 1,250 to 1,350). You add family members at checkout.
Who this procedure suits
The Pensionado programme suits retirees who can show a lifetime guaranteed pension of at least USD 1,000 a month, plus USD 250 for each dependant; if you own a property in Panama worth USD 100,000 or more in your own name, a monthly pension of USD 750 is enough. There is no statutory minimum age: an early retiree with a lifetime private pension qualifies too. Unlike almost anywhere else, the Pensionado leads directly to permanent residence, with no temporary stage. It suits anyone who wants to combine US dollar stability, first-world healthcare and the world's best-known retiree discounts.
And who it does not suit:
- ✕You live on investment income, capital gains or fixed-term payments rather than a lifetime guaranteed pension: Panama does not accept that kind of income for the Pensionado, so a different programme is the way in.
- ✕You want to take local employment in Panama: the Pensionado does not entitle you to work as an employee; owning a business and working remotely for foreign clients is usually fine.
- ✕You are looking for the cheapest retirement destination in the region: Panama offers first-world infrastructure at first-world prices; if cost is all that matters, Paraguay is the better fit.
Requirements
The core is pleasingly simple but formally strict: Panama requires a pension guaranteed for life of at least USD 1,000 a month, from a state pension fund, an international organisation or a regulated private scheme; with a property worth USD 100,000 or more in your name, USD 750 is enough. The key word is lifetime: fixed-term payments and income from capital, foundations and investments are not accepted, and a badly worded pension letter is the most common reason for refusal, because the immigration authority checks with great formality. On top come the standard documents, apostilled and with certified translations, whose order and age must be right: documents older than six months become invalid. In Panama, immigration cases must be filed by a lawyer, so your application necessarily goes through licensed attorneys on the ground.
Thinking about a retiree visa, but no pension that moves with you?
Retiree routes require a documented monthly income. For the self-employed and business owners we build a structure for exactly that: the pension plan LLC, your own US company that you fund with a loan and that repays it to you in regular monthly instalments under a documented pension plan. It works for many retiree visas, with no minimum age; we confirm acceptance for your destination before you order.
About the pension plan LLC →What we take care of
- ✓Review of your pension evidence and the programme requirements before anything is ordered
- ✓Guidance for the pension letter, so that the lifetime guarantee is documented the way the authority formally requires
- ✓Complete document checklist with an apostille and translation plan in the right order
- ✓Preparation and pre-check of every document before filing, including the six-month window
- ✓Filing and representation by licensed attorneys on the ground, together with our local partners
- ✓Coordination of your in-person appointments with your travel plans
- ✓Ongoing follow-up with the immigration authority until the decision
- ✓Support with the cédula and optional bank account opening as add-ons to your case
- ✓One personal contact, coordinating in English, throughout the process
Step by step
- 1
Check your pension evidence
We check whether your pension will be accepted as guaranteed for life and in what form your pension provider must state it, before any costs arise.
- 2
Prepare the documents
Apostilles and certified translations in the right order, timed to the six-month window and pre-checked by us before you fly.
- 3
Travel and file
Our local partners, licensed attorneys, file the application with the immigration authority; we fit your in-person appointments around your travel plans.
- 4
Processing and approval
The authority reviews the file, the attorneys on the ground follow up, and we keep you updated in English until permanent residence is approved.
- 5
Get your cédula, use the discounts
With permanent status, the cédula follows on request: your key to everyday life, banking and the statutory Pensionado discounts.
How long it takes
The procedure usually takes three to six months to approval; nobody can honestly promise you a guaranteed date. Most delays arise before filing: a pension letter without clean lifetime wording, and an apostille and translation chain in the wrong order that lets documents age past the six-month limit. We clear exactly these two traps before the application goes in.
Do you need to be there in person?
You travel to Panama to file; we coordinate the necessary appointments with your travel plans. After that the Pensionado is remarkably lenient: a short visit at least once every two years is enough to keep the status, and there is no requirement to live there permanently. That makes the programme useful as a low-presence Plan B, not only for a full move.
Family members coming with you
Dependants can be included in the Pensionado: Panama then requires an additional USD 250 of monthly pension per dependant. Each family member needs their own apostilled and translated document pack, and filing together with the principal applicant is the smoother route. How your dependants appear in the quote, we show transparently before you order.
What comes next
The Pensionado leads directly to permanent residence; there is no conversion as with the Friendly Nations Visa. With the cédula you can use the discounts guaranteed by law that made Panama's reputation: under Law No. 6 of 1987, among others, 25% off electricity and airline tickets, 30% to 50% off hotels and 15% to 25% in restaurants, enforced by the consumer protection authority ACODECO; plus the one-off duty-free import of household goods and a vehicle with concessions every two years. After five years of permanent residence you can apply to naturalise, a separate procedure with an honest catch regarding dual citizenship. All programme details are in the Pensionado guide; for the full picture, see the Panama country page.
What is not included
- •Government fees and charges in Panama
- •Apostilles and legalisations in your home country
- •Certified translations
- •Issue of the pension certificate by your pension provider
- •The cost of the property for the USD 750 option
- •Notary fees
- •Travel and accommodation costs
- •Tax advice in the destination country
Tax note
Residence is not the same as tax residence. Thanks to the territorial principle, Panama does not tax your foreign pension, but whether your state pension stays taxable at home depends on your country and its treaty position with Panama, and that should be checked before you rely on Panama's tax exemption. Wherever you come from, a clean departure comes first. More context in the Pensionado guide; your case belongs with a tax adviser.
One point of contact, from start to finish
Your application is filed together with our local partners, licensed attorneys in each country, with whom we have worked for years. We coordinate your case, check your documents and remain your point of contact: in English, throughout.
That applies whether you are still at home or already on the road: one point of contact, no language barrier, no loose ends across four time zones.
Frequently asked questions
How high must my pension be?+
At least USD 1,000 a month, guaranteed for life, plus USD 250 per dependant. With a property worth USD 100,000 or more in your name, a monthly pension of USD 750 is enough.
Is there a minimum age?+
No, the programme has no statutory minimum age. Only the lifetime guaranteed pension counts, so it is open to early retirees with a private life annuity too.
Will my private pension be accepted?+
Yes, if it is guaranteed for life, for example from a regulated private scheme or a properly registered private company. Fixed-term payments and income from capital, foundations or investments are not accepted.
What is the most common reason for refusal?+
A badly worded pension letter that does not state the lifetime guarantee in the way the formal-minded authority requires. Next come apostilles in the wrong order and documents that have become older than six months.
Do I really get permanent residence straight away?+
Yes. Unlike the Friendly Nations Visa with its two-year temporary stage, the Pensionado leads directly to the permanent residence permit, including the cédula.
Can I work with the Pensionado?+
Not in local employment: the Pensionado does not entitle you to work as an employee. Owning a business, receiving dividends and usually working remotely for foreign clients is fine.
How often do I need to go to Panama?+
To keep the status, a short visit at least once every two years is enough. There is no requirement to live there permanently.
What do the Pensionado discounts actually bring?+
Statutory, enforceable entitlements under Law No. 6 of 1987: among others 25% off electricity and airline tickets, 30% to 50% off hotels, 15% to 25% in restaurants, plus discounts on medicines and doctor visits. For a retiree on a fixed income, that noticeably lowers the cost of living.
Panama Retirement Visa (Pensionado): let's look at your case
A fixed price, three ways to pay, and once your payment arrives our team first checks your requirements before your case goes to our local partners.
Order now
Prefer a consultation first?
A personal consultation with Harley Bieder, our Latin America expert, before you order.