Does Panama allow dual citizenship?
Panama asks you to renounce. Article 10 of the Constitution says a foreigner who naturalizes must expressly renounce the nationality of origin, and at the oath you declare that you give up your civil and political ties to your country.
Whether you actually lose your first citizenship is decided by the law of that country, not by Panama. Panamanians by birth are a different case: their Panamanian nationality cannot be lost, only their citizenship suspended.
What Panama asks of you
The renunciation appears three times in the rules. Article 10 of the Constitution lists it as a condition of naturalization: you must expressly renounce your nationality of origin or whatever nationality you hold. Article 120 of Decree-Law 3 of 2008 makes it part of your petition, which includes a sworn statement and the renunciation of your nationality of origin where it applies. Article 128 brings it back at the oath, when you declare before the governor that you renounce your civil and political ties to your country.
If your petition is refused or annulled, article 130 says your renunciation is treated as never made. You do not end up without a nationality because an application failed.
Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10; Decree-Law 3 of 2008, articles 120, 128 and 130
Who decides whether you keep your first citizenship
Panama can ask you to renounce, but it cannot take away a nationality that another country gave you. Your country of origin decides, under its own law, whether a renunciation made in Panama ends your citizenship there. Some countries treat it as a valid loss. Others ignore it unless you also file their own renunciation forms with their own consulate.
That is why the same Panamanian oath can leave one applicant with one passport and another with two. Before you file, we look at what your country does with a foreign renunciation, so you know what you are signing.
If you are a US citizen
The US Department of State explains that US law does not require a citizen to choose between US citizenship and another nationality, and that US citizenship is lost only through a voluntary act done with the intention of giving it up. Its published guidance is the place to start, and you can ask a US consular officer about your own situation before you take the oath in Panama.
Becoming Panamanian also does not end your US filing duties while you remain a US citizen. Taxes are a separate question, and we answer it with a tax adviser rather than guess.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Dual Nationality
Spain and Latin America
Nationals by birth of Spain or of a Latin American country can naturalize under article 10, numeral 3, if they meet the same requirements their country asks of Panamanians. That numeral lowers the requirements by reciprocity. It does not say that it removes the renunciation, and we have not found any treaty that gives Panamanians and Spaniards or Latin Americans a recognized dual nationality.
Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10, numeral 3
Losing Panamanian nationality later
Article 13 of the Constitution treats the two kinds of Panamanians differently. A Panamanian by birth never loses that nationality: an express or tacit renunciation only suspends citizenship. A naturalized Panamanian loses the nationality for the same causes. An express renunciation is made in writing to the Executive. A tacit renunciation happens when you acquire another nationality or enter the service of an enemy state.
Keeping the passport you already had is not the same as acquiring a new nationality, but no rule or court decision we have read settles that point. If you plan to apply for a third nationality after you become Panamanian, talk to us first.
Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 13
Questions people ask
Do I have to hand in my foreign passport?
No rule we have read asks you to surrender your foreign passport or to prove that you stopped using it. What Panama asks is the written renunciation in your petition and the declaration at the oath.
Can Panamanians by birth hold a second nationality?
Their Panamanian nationality cannot be lost. Under article 13 of the Constitution, acquiring another nationality is a tacit renunciation that suspends their citizenship, not their nationality.
What happens to my renunciation if Panama says no?
Article 130 of Decree-Law 3 of 2008 treats it as never made.
Does the oath change anything?
Yes. At the oath you declare before the governor that you renounce your civil and political ties to your country. Until you are sworn in and the certificate is registered, the naturalization has no legal effect.
What the law does not say
- Whether keeping your nationality of origin, because your country does not accept the renunciation, counts as a tacit renunciation under article 13. No rule or court decision we have read decides it.
- Any treaty of dual nationality between Panama and Spain or a Latin American country. We have not found one.
Thinking about Panamanian citizenship?
Book a free 15-minute call. We will tell you which route applies and when you can file.