Information and tips on retiring in Panama

@chouetteray

Hi, what kind of information are you looking for? My husband and I just moved here last month, after living in the Dominican Republic for over 5 years.

Pensionado residency is straightforward and easier than a lot of countries. You need a clean FBI report (or equivalent if not from the US), and at least $1000 in lifetime income, like social security. You can get temporary residency in a week, and permanent residency within six months. Once you have your residency, there are a lot of discounts on everything from utilities to medical care to airfare to restaurants. You do have to have an attorney assist on the panamanian side, but they can help guide you in making sure you have all the correct documents gathered from the US before you arrive.

Thanks for the info.  How did you find an expat community and housing?  Are the lawyers generally helpful and how did you find one you wanted to hire?  I was thinking of Coronado, read that there are lots expats there.

I've heard there are lots of discounts and they use the US dollar which is cool.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, the use of the dollar makes it more convenient!

We purchased a relocation guide through Panama Relocation Tours. They have a lot of resources available on their YouTube channel and website without buying the guide. Through that network, I've met quite a few people.

We had lived on the coast in the Dominican Republic and knew we wanted a change. Our focus was on the highlands. Volcan had some advantages, but Boquete won out for us. There is more going on here socially and culturally.

We have three dogs (two large ones), so we decided that buying a home was the best option for us. We spent time exploring neighborhoods rather than doing the touristy stuff on our initial visits. As we got closer, we did a ton of searching online for properties, and in November, we spent a couple of days with realtors seeing houses that were on the market. We started the purchase process in December, finished it up, and moved in just a week after our arrival in Panama last month.