Panama | Visa-exemption policy expanded

The Panamanian government issued a law decree expanding visa-exempt status for certain foreign nationals.

Key Points:

• Effective immediately, the decree allows any person of nationality from a visa-required country who holds a specific visa issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States or a European Union member state to now be granted visa-exempt status via a tourist visa.
• To qualify for the exemption, the visa must be a multiple-entry visa that is valid for at least six months at the time of entry and, in addition, must have been used previously in the granting state.

Additional Information: The maximum stay is 30 days. Holders of a valid U.S. permanent residence card will also qualify for the visa exemption. Foreign nationals should be prepared to show proof of economic solvency for a minimum of US$500 upon entering and have a minimum of three months of passport validity and a round-trip ticket.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.