Source: https://cbi.me/travel-passports/panama-qualified-investor/ Passport issuance unconfirmed Current residence framework; passport law updated October 2025 # 🇵🇦Panama — Qualified Investor — special-passport legal entitlement Qualified Investor — special-passport legal entitlement is classified as travel passport. Its inventory status is passport issuance unconfirmed. B/.300000 first-sale property residence threshold; special passport separately requested. Obtain Qualified Investor permanent residence and the SNM status resolution before the passport process. Special passport · no nationality at this stage Residence investment + legislated special passport. Evidence & review dates · 13 October 2026 Evidence reviewed 13 October 2026Dated research; confirm current terms with the authority. [Panama Ministry of Commerce and Industry ↗](https://mici.gob.pa/2026/09/21/atraccion-de-inversion-e-impulso-al-empleo-panama-amplia-el-alcance-del-programa-inversionista-calificado/)[All sources & limitations →](https://cbi.me/travel-passports/panama-qualified-investor/#sources)[Suggest a correction →](https://cbi.me/corrections/?page=%2Ftravel-passports%2Fpanama-qualified-investor%2F) [Compare this route by its legal outcome →](https://cbi.me/?view=passports&compare=pa-qualified) Legal outcome Residence + noncitizen special passport; no nationality Base amount PAB 300,000 Official guidance No complete residence-to-passport deadline verified ## Cost breakdown A complete itemised government-fee subtotal is not listed here. The qualifying amount remains separate from document, professional and other charges. The investment threshold is not an all-in special-passport price. Rentista Retirado’s published passport fee is not assumed to apply to this category. ## Qualifying routes | Route | Base amount | Condition | | --- | --- | --- | | First-sale property | PAB 300,000 | Eligible new property; residence application, not citizenship | | Resale property | PAB 500,000 | Residence investment; conditions apply | | Banco Nacional / Caja de Ahorros deposit | PAB 500,000 | State-bank residence option; confirm complete current terms | ## Current and upcoming changes Official research update · 2026-10-24 UK entry rule: For UK entry using this non-national document, a visa is required under the non-national travel-document rule. Separate UK immigration-status exemptions and airside-transit rules can apply. Document recognition is a separate requirement. Checked 2026-10-24. [Official source ↗](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-visa-requirements-list-for-carriers/uk-visa-requirements-for-international-carriers) Canada entry rule: IRCC requires a visitor visa for alien-passport holders and stateless travellers, subject to separate status-based exemptions. The document must also be accepted. Citizenship-based eTA eligibility is not acquired by a noncitizen passport. Checked 2026-10-24. [Official source ↗](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/eligibility.html) Schengen document recognition: The register marks Panama’s Pasaporte Especial as recognised by Germany and Spain but not France. Match the issued document to that category; recognition alone is not a visa exemption. Checked 2026-10-24. [Official source ↗](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/travel-documents-issued-third-countries-and-territorial-entities-part-i_en) Published procedure boundary: The APAP requirements page reviewed lists a first-time Rentista Retirado procedure but does not identify a Qualified Investor passport procedure. That omission does not establish legal closure; the legal entitlement is not presented as proof of operational issuance. Checked 2026-10-24. [Official source ↗](https://www.apap.gob.pa/index.php?Itemid=154&id=20&option=com_sppagebuilder&view=page) Each claim shows its own check date. Other profile facts retain their own dates. [Research scope and statistics →](https://cbi.me/research/member-source-review/) ## Family of four Household assumptions and eligibility Principal, spouse and two children aged under 12. Eligibility, age definitions and dependency rules apply. Recognised dependants may request a special passport under Law 493. Migration approval, family eligibility and separate procedure requirements apply; no family contribution or fee total is consolidated. ## Requirements Eligibility, presence and exceptions The ministry’s 21 September 2026 statement confirms B/.300000 first-sale property and B/.500000 resale/state-bank options for residence. Law 493 covers Qualified Investors and recognised dependants. The special passport confers no nationality and does not replace an ordinary passport. The legal provision and the application procedure are separate stages. Presence Obtain Qualified Investor permanent residence and the SNM status resolution before the passport process. Travel-document recognition and visas Do not assume the recognition or visa-free access of an ordinary Panamanian citizen passport. Confirm the specific document, nationality recorded, visa and destination requirements. Holding / ongoing duties Maintain the qualifying status for the passport entitlement. ## Travel access Destination rules, conditions and source dates This route does not establish ordinary national-passport privileges. Short visits; personal circumstances and entry conditions apply. Each rule retains its own check date. UK visits Visa requiredFor UK entry using this non-national document, a visa is required under the non-national travel-document rule. Separate UK immigration-status exemptions and airside-transit rules can apply. Document recognition is a separate requirement. Checked 2026-10-24. - [UK visa requirements: non-national travel documents ↗](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-visa-requirements-list-for-carriers/uk-visa-requirements-for-international-carriers)UK Visas and Immigration · Government guidance · Checked 2026-10-24What this source supports The non-national/refugee document section requires a visa for UK entry on a non-UK non-national document. Airside transit has separate nationality and exemption rules. Schengen visits Recognition varies by stateThe register marks Panama’s Pasaporte Especial as recognised by Germany and Spain but not France. Match the issued document to that category; recognition alone is not a visa exemption. Checked 2026-10-24. - [Travel-document recognition register, published 19 October 2026 ↗](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/travel-documents-issued-third-countries-and-territorial-entities-part-i_en)European Commission DG HOME · Government document register · Checked 2026-10-24What this source supports Notifications through 16 October. Panama special-passport recognition differs by state; Tuvalu investor-passport recognition is limited to exit back to Tuvalu in Germany, Austria and Romania. USA visits Nationality-based eligibilityThis noncitizen document does not itself qualify the holder for the US Visa Waiver Program. The traveller needs a separate qualifying nationality, passport and ESTA, or the applicable visa or status. Checked 2026-10-24. - [Visa Waiver Program nationality and passport requirements ↗](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html)US Department of State · Government guidance · Checked 2026-10-24What this source supports VWP requires participating citizenship/nationality, a qualifying passport and ESTA. A noncitizen investment document does not itself establish those requirements. Canada visits Visitor visa requiredIRCC requires a visitor visa for alien-passport holders and stateless travellers, subject to separate status-based exemptions. The document must also be accepted. Citizenship-based eTA eligibility is not acquired by a noncitizen passport. Checked 2026-10-24. - [eTA eligibility: alien passport and stateless travellers ↗](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/eligibility.html)Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · Government guidance · Checked 2026-10-24What this source supports Alien-passport holders and stateless individuals travel with a visitor visa; Canadian status and US permanent-resident exemptions remain separate. Global category counts, where shown above, are attributed publisher snapshots. The selected destination rules here use government evidence. Recognition of a document is separate from visa exemption. ## Sources Publications, supporting claims and review dates Checked means the cited material was reviewed, not that the authority published a new rule that day. Source authority and retrieval limitations are recorded below. Find a source - Qualified Investor changes under September 2026 decreePanama Ministry of Commerce and Industry · Checked 2026-10-13 [Open source publication ↗](https://mici.gob.pa/2026/09/21/atraccion-de-inversion-e-impulso-al-empleo-panama-amplia-el-alcance-del-programa-inversionista-calificado/) Government guidance B/.300000 first-sale property; B/.500000 resale property; B/.500000 state-bank deposits; these qualify for residence, not a citizenship purchase. - Law 493 of 2025: special passports for foreign residentsPanama Official Gazette / Procuraduría de la Administración · Checked 2026-10-13 [Open source publication ↗](https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/30397_A/GacetaNo_30397a_20251029.pdf) Legislation Authorises special passports for recognised Rentista Retirado and Qualified Investor residents and dependants; validity follows residence permission; no nationality and no substitution for an ordinary passport. - Official legal registry: Law 493Procuraduría de la Administración · Checked 2026-10-13 [Open source publication ↗](https://infojuridica.procuraduria-admon.gob.pa/norma_screen.php?numsec=66004) Government legal registry Confirms Law 493 dated 28 October 2025, effective 29 October 2025, amending passport law Articles 20,23,24,25. - Travel-document recognition table: Panama document categoriesEuropean Commission DG HOME · Checked 2026-10-13 [Open source publication ↗](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/24aebdd7-ded8-470e-9a73-d020e7dd7bc5_en?filename=part_i_travel_documents_issued_by_third_countries_and_territorial_entities_en.pdf) Government reference Panama ordinary, special and alien travel documents are separate categories. - UK visa requirements: non-national travel documentsUK Visas and Immigration · Checked 2026-10-24 [Open source publication ↗](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-visa-requirements-list-for-carriers/uk-visa-requirements-for-international-carriers) Government guidance The non-national/refugee document section requires a visa for UK entry on a non-UK non-national document. Airside transit has separate nationality and exemption rules. - eTA eligibility: alien passport and stateless travellersImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · Checked 2026-10-24 [Open source publication ↗](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/eligibility.html) Government guidance Alien-passport holders and stateless individuals travel with a visitor visa; Canadian status and US permanent-resident exemptions remain separate. - Visa Waiver Program nationality and passport requirementsUS Department of State · Checked 2026-10-24 [Open source publication ↗](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html) Government guidance VWP requires participating citizenship/nationality, a qualifying passport and ESTA. A noncitizen investment document does not itself establish those requirements. - Travel-document recognition register, published 19 October 2026European Commission DG HOME · Checked 2026-10-24 [Open source publication ↗](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/travel-documents-issued-third-countries-and-territorial-entities-part-i_en) Government document register Notifications through 16 October. Panama special-passport recognition differs by state; Tuvalu investor-passport recognition is limited to exit back to Tuvalu in Germany, Austria and Romania. - First-time Rentista Retirado passport requirementsAutoridad de Pasaportes de Panamá · Checked 2026-10-24 [Open source publication ↗](https://www.apap.gob.pa/index.php?Itemid=154&id=20&option=com_sppagebuilder&view=page) Government guidance First-time Rentista Retirado checklist, B/.1,500 listed procedure cost, bank evidence and migration-first sequence. The page also states a general 24-hour handover after the passport procedure. No sources match. Try a country, authority or a different word. All 9 source records are listed. Open a title to read its evidence and publication link. ## Compare alternatives - [🇵🇦Panama](https://cbi.me/travel-passports/panama-rentista-retirado/) - [🇯🇴Jordan](https://cbi.me/travel-passports/jordan-investor-temporary/) - [🇹🇴Tonga](https://cbi.me/travel-passports/to-protected/) - [🇰🇮Kiribati](https://cbi.me/travel-passports/ki-investor-passport/) ## Useful guides - [CBI privacy and disclosure: what Saint Lucia’s law requires](https://cbi.me/guides/cbi-privacy-and-disclosure/) - [Does Croatia have citizenship by investment?](https://cbi.me/guides/croatia-citizenship-by-investment/) - [European investor routes: closed options, draft taxes and ongoing checks](https://cbi.me/guides/europe-investor-route-changes-2026/)