Qualified Investor Residence in Panama in 2026

Panama's Inversionista Calificado programme is a regulated investment route to permanent residence. Executive Decree 17 of 8 September 2026, effective 16 September 2026, superseded Decree 722 and its amendments. A pre-September 2026 investment summary may no longer describe the current eligibility requirements.

New property and resale have different thresholds

The Ministry of Commerce and Industries' 21 September 2026 announcement distinguishes qualifying new first-sale property at B/.300,000 from qualifying resale property at B/.500,000. Determine the legal classification and evidence of purchase before making a payment. The new decree also provides a B/.500,000 qualifying fixed deposit in the state banking system, including Banco Nacional de Panamá or Caja de Ahorros, and revised securities-investment options whose current detailed rules must be checked in the decree.

Funds, title and residence are distinct

The applicant must satisfy the specific source-of-funds, beneficial-ownership and investment-document requirements for the chosen option. This is an investment immigration category; the investment itself does not automatically license local professional work. MITRADEL lists an investor-specific labor category for qualifying holders.

Do not mix thresholds from unrelated schemes

The B/.300,000 minimum for qualifying first-sale property under the updated Qualified Investor rules is different from the economic-solvency category's B/.300,000 total property/deposit/mixed threshold and the Panamá-Pacífico special-zone capital threshold. Check the legal category, current decree and its residence outcome with qualified local counsel; no decision date or investment return is guaranteed.

Verify before filing

Check the latest official requirements, exact visa category, documents, authorized economic activity and whether a separate MITRADEL permit is necessary. The editorial team has not obtained a licensed legal review of your individual case. See Panama immigration routes, our methodology, and the legal disclaimer.

Official source: Panama government — Qualified Investor Residence.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Panama