Panamanian nationality · Carta de naturaleza # How to become a Panamanian citizen Foreigners become Panamanian by naturalization under article 10 of the Constitution. The usual path is five consecutive years of residency (three if you have a Panamanian spouse or children), Spanish, a basic knowledge exam and a written renunciation of your current nationality. Panama does not sell citizenship. [Free consultation](/contact/) - 5 years consecutive residency - 3 years with Panamanian spouse or children - Exam Spanish, history, geography, civics - No citizenship-by-investment program [National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza (naturalization certificate)](https://www.migracion.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/REQUISITOS-DE-NATURALIZACION-ACTUALIZADO.pdf) · October 26, 2026 ## When can you apply? Answer three questions and see which route of article 10 applies to you and when. How many consecutive years have you lived in Panama as a resident? Do you have a Panamanian spouse, or children born in Panama to a Panamanian parent? Are you a national by birth of Spain or a Latin American country? On this page - [How a foreigner becomes Panamanian](#how-it-works) - [The three routes in the Constitution](#three-routes) - [The renunciation of your current nationality](#renunciation) - [The fourteen-item checklist](#documents) - [The knowledge exam](#exam) - [What it costs in government charges](#costs) - [The process, step by step](#process) - [What delays a naturalization file](#mistakes) - [After you become Panamanian](#after) - [How we work with you](#why-us) ## How a foreigner becomes Panamanian Panama grants citizenship to foreigners through naturalization, a process set out in article 10 of the Constitution. At the end of it the President of the Republic issues a document called the carta de naturaleza, the naturalization certificate, and you become a Panamanian national. Panama does not sell citizenship. There is no citizenship-by-investment program: the path always starts with residency, continues with years of lawful residence, and ends with a petition, an interview and a knowledge exam. Investment and pension residencies are a way into that path, not a shortcut through it. Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10 [Find out when you can apply →](/eligibility/) ## The three routes in the Constitution Article 10 sets out three ways to apply. All three require you to be of legal age, to declare your wish to naturalize, to renounce your current nationality expressly and to prove Spanish and basic knowledge of Panama’s geography, history and political organization. - Five years of residency: the general route, for foreigners with five consecutive years of residency in Panama. - Three years with Panamanian family: for foreigners with three consecutive years of residency who have a Panamanian spouse, or children born in Panama to a Panamanian father or mother. - Reciprocity: for nationals by birth of Spain or a Latin American state, who meet the same requirements their own country asks of Panamanians to naturalize. Immigration’s checklist also requires your permanent-resident card, so in practice you must already hold permanent residency when you file. Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10, numerals 1 to 3; National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza [Check which route applies to you →](/eligibility/) ## The renunciation of your current nationality The petition includes a sworn statement before a notary with your reasons, your wish to become Panamanian and your express and irrevocable renunciation of your current nationality. It is one of the requirements of article 10 itself, not a formality added by Immigration. Whether your current country accepts that renunciation, and what it means for you there, depends on that country’s own law. We explain what the Panamanian side requires and tell you what to check with your own country before you sign. Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10; National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza [Read the questions about dual nationality →](/faq/) ## The fourteen-item checklist The official checklist has fourteen items. The core is the petition through your lawyer, addressed to the President of the Republic; the sworn renunciation; clean criminal records from your country of residence for the last five years, or your country of origin, plus Panama’s own certificate for naturalization; and an authenticated copy of your permanent-resident card. You also prove solvency with two of several documents, such as tax returns for the last two years, a bank letter, an employment letter or a retirement certificate. You add a tax clearance from Panama’s tax authority, a full passport copy, a medical certificate, a certificate of immigration status, the interview form, photos and the knowledge exam. Several certificates are valid only 30 or 90 days, so timing matters. Source: National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza [Open the full checklist →](/requirements/) ## The knowledge exam The Electoral Tribunal administers the exam on Spanish and on Panama’s geography, history and political organization. The pass mark is 71 out of 100, you have three attempts, and you have six months to sit it from the day your file reaches the magistrate’s office. The Tribunal publishes a free official study guide with 70 questions and their answers. Some applicants are exempt: nationals of Spain and Latin America whose countries exempt Panamanians from the same requirement, people who studied these subjects in Panamanian schools or universities, and people with disabilities, who take an adapted exam. Source: Electoral Tribunal Decree 23 of 2021, articles 2, 4 and 5; Electoral Tribunal Decree 13 of 2025 (Electoral Tribunal Bulletin 5872-B) [Prepare for the exam →](/exam/) ## What it costs in government charges Naturalization has no single government fee that we can certify. The fee table in Executive Decree 320 of 2008 has no row for naturalization, so we do not publish a figure that the law does not set. What the official checklist does list are fiscal stamps on several documents: B/. 8 on the sworn statement, B/. 2 on the authenticated copy of your residency card, B/. 3 on each civil registry certificate and B/. 8 on the certificate of immigration status. The Electoral Tribunal’s 2023 guide lists a B/. 60 payment for the exam; that guide predates the 2025 decree, so we confirm the current amount before you pay. For every charge we pay for you, you receive an invoice or the official receipt. | Document | Fiscal stamp | | --- | --- | | Sworn statement | B/. 8 | | Authenticated copy of the residency card | B/. 2 | | Each civil registry certificate | B/. 3 | | Certificate of immigration status | B/. 8 | Source: National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza; Executive Decree 320 of 2008, article 315 [See which documents carry stamps →](/requirements/) ## The process, step by step We first check your residency history and family ties against article 10 and tell you when you can file. Then we assemble your certificates in the order the authorities review them, because several expire quickly. Your lawyer files the petition with your sworn renunciation, Immigration evaluates your file and interviews you, and the Electoral Tribunal gives you the knowledge exam unless you are exempt. The file then moves to the Ministry of Public Security and to the Office of the President, which issues the carta de naturaleza. After it is granted, the oath and the entry in the Civil Registry close the process. Since September 16, 2026, the file can be handled electronically under a resolution of the National Immigration Service, but the oath and the Civil Registry entry remain in person. Source: National Immigration Service, Resolution 51973 of 2026 (Official Gazette 30613-B); Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10 [Follow the five steps →](/process/) ## What delays a naturalization file Most delays come from timing, not from the rules. Panama’s criminal record certificate for naturalization is valid 30 days, and the medical certificate and the certificate of immigration status are valid 90 days, so getting them too early means getting them twice. We plan the order so that the short-lived certificates are issued last. The other common problem is the criminal record from abroad. It must come from your country of residence for the last five years, or from your country of origin, as applicable, and it must be apostilled and translated. The exam has its own clock: six months from the day your file reaches the magistrate’s office, so it pays to start studying the official guide early. Source: National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza; Electoral Tribunal Decree 23 of 2021, article 2 [Plan the timing with us →](/process/) ## After you become Panamanian Once the carta de naturaleza is granted and recorded, you can obtain your Panamanian identity card and passport, and you live in Panama as a national, with no immigration permit to renew. Nationality acquired by naturalization can be lost for the same reasons as nationality by birth: express or tacit renunciation, where tacit renunciation means acquiring another nationality or serving an enemy state. Naturalization is a commitment, and we make sure you understand it before you file. Source: Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 13 [Read the questions about keeping your nationality →](/faq/) ## How we work with you The petition is filed by a licensed Panamanian attorney under your power of attorney. We sign a written contract with you before we start, with the services, the fixed fee and what is not included, and you receive an invoice or official receipt for every expense we pay for you. Every consultation and update is in English, by email or WhatsApp, and we reply within one business day. Every statement on this site is checked against the Constitution, the official checklist and the Electoral Tribunal’s decrees. Source: National Immigration Service, requirements for the Carta de Naturaleza [Book your free consultation →](/contact/) ## Key takeaways - Naturalization is set by article 10 of the Constitution. Panama does not sell citizenship. - Immigration’s checklist requires your permanent-resident card. The Constitution asks for five consecutive years of residency, or three with a Panamanian spouse or children. - You prove Spanish and basic knowledge of Panama in an exam run by the Electoral Tribunal (Decree 13 of 2025). - You sign an express renunciation of your current nationality. - The official checklist has fourteen items, filed through a Panamanian lawyer. ## The three routes in the Constitution ### [Five years of residency](/eligibility/) Foreigners with five consecutive years of residency in Panama, who are of legal age, declare their wish to naturalize, expressly renounce their nationality and prove Spanish and basic knowledge of Panama’s geography, history and political organization. Source: [Constitution of the Republic of Panama, article 10, numeral 1](https://s3-legispan.asamblea.gob.pa/legispan/NORMAS/2000/2004/TEXTO%20UNICO/Administrador%20Legispan_25176_2004_11_15_ASAMBLEA%20LEGISLATIVA_1.pdf) - 5 years consecutive residency - 3 years with Panamanian spouse or children ## There is no citizenship by investment You may read that Panama offers a passport for an investment. It does not. Investment can give you residency, and residency can lead, years later, to naturalization under article 10. The only shortcut the Constitution recognizes is reciprocity for nationals of Spain and Latin America. [Find your route and your dateWhich of the three constitutional routes applies to you and when you can file.](/eligibility/)[Get the fourteen-item checklistEvery document on the official list, explained in plain English.](/requirements/)[Prepare for the examWhat the knowledge exam covers and who is exempt.](/exam/)[Plan your timelineFrom the petition to the naturalization certificate.](/process/)[Read the answersThe renunciation, the exam, the rules for Spaniards and Latin Americans, and losing nationality.](/faq/) ## How we work with you ### A signed contract ### An invoice for every expense ### Licensed attorneys [Official sources](/about/) · October 26, 2026 ## Thinking about Panamanian citizenship? Book a free 15-minute call. We will tell you which route applies and when you can file. [Book your free call](/contact/)[Message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/50761970238?text=Hi%2C%20I%20would%20like%20a%20consultation%20about%20Panamanian%20citizenship%20(from%20becomepanamanian.com).)