Panama Citizenship by Naturalization
Overview
At Kraemer & Kraemer, as experts in immigration law, we guide you through the process of obtaining Panama citizenship by naturalization. This route is intended for Panamanian permanent residents.
Panama citizenship by naturalization is one of the most common legal processes that allows foreigners to go from residents to citizens, if they comply with the requirements of the Constitution. This process grants them the same rights and duties as Panamanian nationals.
Panama citizenship by naturalization requirements
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Having the Time of Residence
According to Article 10 of the Constitution, the first requirement to initiate the process is that any permanent resident aspiring to Panama citizenship by naturalization must have completed a specific period of domicile (3 to 5 years) from the time the migration office issued the resolution of such permanence, as shown below.
- As a permanent resident: Have lived in Panama for five years.
- As a permanent resident married to a Panamanian or as a parent of Panamanian children with a citizen father/mother: Have lived three years in Panama.
- As a citizen of one of the Reciprocity countries:
- 1 year: Colombia, El Salvador
- 2 years: Argentina, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Nicaragua, Peru
- 3 years: Uruguay
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Provide the Necessary Documents
- Police records issued by Panama and the applicant’s country of origin
- Certification of immigration status
- Authenticated copy of permanent resident ID card
- Authenticated copy of the permanent resident resolution
- Authenticated copy of the e-cedula
- Proof of economic solvency
- Income statement from DGI
- Copy of passport, authenticated by the consul of the country of origin
- Certificate of good health
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Take Test
Additional requirements: After submission, the Electoral Tribunal will schedule an appointment with the applicant at a later time to test his command of Spanish and his knowledge of Panama’s history, geography, and civil rights. You can review the official study guide for the citizenship test here (in Spanish).
Process timeframe
While the process to obtain Panamanian residence usually involves the Immigration Office only, the process to obtain citizenship involves many other entities such as the Ministry of Government and Justice, the Ministry of Public Services, the Electoral Tribunal, the Government Office, and the Presidency.
All these entities will review the application, and any of them may require additional paperwork, may delay the process for internal reasons, or may actually deny the application. Besides, it is the Panamanian president who ultimately approves and signs all applications.
For that reason, the process to obtain citizenship very rarely takes less than 1 year, and it could take anywhere from 2 to 5 years to be approved.
Add to your order now
by Naturalization
FAQs about Panamanian citizenship by naturalization
A: Find out if you qualify by taking this free Panamanian citizenship by naturalization eligibility test.
A: Once the Presidency issues the letter of naturalization to the Governor for swearing, the applicant shall manifest he/she will abide by the Constitution of the Republic of Panama and thus, resign to all civil and political links with his/her country of origin.
Nevertheless, the judicial system in many countries such as the United States regards this swearing as not significant. For instance, Americans will not renounce their citizenship unless they make such a request before the U.S. Department of State.
A: No. Having a temporary or provisional residency, or being part of the melting pot programme, does not allow you to apply for Panama citizenship by naturalization or other options.
A: Permanent residency does not automatically guarantee that the bearer will have a Panamanian passport. If you plan to become a Panamacitizen (i.e. have dual citizenship), and obtain this passport, you must make sure that the visa you apply for has the option to apply for citizenship.
A: While the process for obtaining Panamanian residency usually only involves the Immigration Office, the process for naturalization involves many other entities such as the Ministry of Government and Justice, Ministry of Public Services, Electoral Tribunal, Governor’s Office, and the Presidency.
A: Panama has different permanent residency programs. If you want to know which one you are eligible for you can take our Free Residency Recommendation Test.
Contact us
Contact Us to learn more or to start with your Panamanian Citizenship process.
Visit our Fees schedule to learn more about this cost. You can also order your Panamanian Citizenship from there.
Disclaimer
Kraemer & Kraemer strives to provide clear information in all immigration-related subjects; however, please be advised that our firm takes a VERY limited number of naturalization cases and the base legal fee for this process is $5,000 USD.