Panama Investor Visa Keeps $300K Price Tag for Investor Visa Program

Panama has scrapped plans to hike the minimum investment for its popular residency-by-investment program, keeping the real estate entry point at $300,000. Officials had previously announced the threshold would jump to $500,000 after October 15.

The government has also relaxed several program rules. Investors can now pay developers directly for under-construction properties with a bank guarantee, ditching the old requirement for escrow accounts.

The program will also let spouses and family members co-own qualifying properties, rather than requiring a single investor to foot the entire bill.

These changes come as the program, known as QIPR (Qualified Investor Permanent Residency), hits record numbers. With 188 approvals in just the first nine months of 2024, it's already beaten last year's total of 187. At this pace, approvals could hit 250 by December.

Unchanged Panama’s Investment Requirements to Apply for Citizenship

Beyond real estate, investors have two additional pathways:

Panama Stock Exchange

Invest $500,000 into securities on the Panama Stock Exchange.

Panamanian Bank Account

Deposit $750,000 in a Panamanian bank account. Successful applicants gain permanent residency immediately and are only required to visit every two years to maintain their status.

After five years, they can apply for citizenship, provided they can speak Spanish.

Panama's other visa programs show a mixed bag of results. The Friendly Nations Visa is bouncing back, with projections showing 2,604 approvals this year. Meanwhile, the Independent Means Visa has cooled off lately, likely to end 2024 with 1,533 approvals - just shy of last year's numbers.

The country remains notably welcoming to investors, with approval rates hitting 98.6% in 2024, up from 96.2% last year.