Is there citizenship by investment in Panama?
No. The Constitution recognizes only three ways to be Panamanian: by birth, by naturalization and by constitutional provision.
An investment can give you permanent residency, and after five consecutive years of permanent residency you can apply for naturalization like any other resident. The special passport some sites sell as a passport for investors is a travel document for residents and does not make you Panamanian.
What the Constitution allows
Article 8 says Panamanian nationality is acquired by birth, by naturalization or by constitutional provision. There is no fourth route, and naturalization requires the years of residency set in article 10.
Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, articles 8 and 10
Qualified Investors: five years, like everyone else
Executive Decree 17 of 2026 says foreigners with permanent residency as qualified investors, and their dependents, may apply for Panamanian citizenship by naturalization once they have completed five consecutive years of residency, in accordance with the Constitution. That is the ordinary five-year route of article 10, with no shortcut.
The five years run from the resolution that grants permanent residency. The decree lets you file through the window of the National Investment Directorate at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, which certifies that your investment is still in place.
Source: Executive Decree 17 of 2026, article 14, Official Gazette 30613; Decree-Law 3 of 2008, article 126
The special passport is not a Panamanian passport
Panama’s Passport Authority issues a special passport to retirees with a pension and to qualified investors and their dependents. It lasts as long as the residency permit, and the law says it does not replace the ordinary passport and does not confer nationality.
The ordinary Panamanian passport is issued only to Panamanians. If a provider promises you a Panamanian passport for an investment, this is the document they mean.
Source: Law 32 of 2013, which created the Passport Authority, articles 20 and 24, as amended by Law 493 of 2025
Questions people ask
Can I buy a Panamanian passport?
No. The ordinary passport is issued only to Panamanian nationals. The special passport for investors and retirees is a residents’ travel document and does not confer nationality.
How fast can an investor become Panamanian?
Five consecutive years after the resolution that grants permanent residency, and then the naturalization process, which includes the renunciation and the knowledge exam.
Does the investment count toward the residency years?
What counts is permanent residency. The years run from the resolution that grants it.
What the law does not say
- How the Ministry of Commerce window fits with Decree-Law 3 of 2008, which still says the petition is filed with the Ministry of Government and the certificate is issued by the President. A decree does not change a law, so we treat the window as a way to file, not a change in who decides.
Official sources
Thinking about Panamanian citizenship?
Book a free 15-minute call. We will tell you which route applies and when you can file.