The Move Kit: Panama
Two firms publish prices for the same Panama retiree visa. One comes to $1,900 all-in. The other tells you to expect up to $4,300.
Panama does not regulate what immigration lawyers charge. This kit shows you which part of any quote is fixed cost and which part is the firm’s fee, and how to check the person quoting you before you pay them anything.
One-time. A 31-page PDF, yours to keep.
Roughly $720 to $800
That is what the fixed costs of a single applicant’s Pensionado filing come to: the government fees, the FBI background check, the apostilles and the certified translations. On top of it sits an $800 repatriation deposit that Panama holds and can refund, which you still need in cash at filing.
Everything above that line is the firm’s fee. Some of it is real work, because Panama requires a licensed attorney to file. Some of it is margin. Once you can see the line, a padded quote is obvious, and so is a quote that looks cheap only because it leaves the government fees out.
What’s inside
The fair-price sheet
Every document Panama asks for, priced: the fee to get it, the apostille that makes a US document count, and the certified translation done in Panama. Then the Panama-side government fees, the US-side costs, and six firms’ published prices side by side, each one dated. It ends with a fill-in-the-blanks honest quote you can hand to any lawyer.
Who to hire, and how to check anyone
A 12-point check you can run yourself, with free tools, on any lawyer, facilitator, agent, insurer, bank or mover. How to look up a Panamanian lawyer’s license (the idoneidad) on the official registry. The five signs of an unlicensed fixer, documented fraud patterns, and where Americans report them. Named providers appear as dated facts only, never as recommendations.
The do-it-yourself scouting trip
The best months to go, real 2026 transport and lodging prices, and a 12-day template covering Panama City, Boquete and Coronado. What to check in each area, the questions to ask landlords, lawyers and expats, and an honest comparison with a paid group tour.
Language and adaptation check
A 10-question self-check, and what to do about each gap before you book flights.
Ready-to-send emails
To a lawyer (asking for an itemized quote), a landlord, a bank and a moving company. In English, with the Spanish phrases each conversation needs.
Who this is for
This is for you if Panama is your country, you are about to contact lawyers or facilitators, or you are already holding a quote and cannot tell whether it is fair.
This is not for you if:
- You are still choosing between countries. This kit starts after that decision, not before it.
- You want someone to file for you. Panama law requires a Panama-licensed attorney to file your application. This kit helps you choose and check one. It does not replace one.
- You want a list of recommended lawyers. We do not publish one, and no firm paid to appear in the kit. You get the method and the dated facts instead of an endorsement.
How we handle the numbers
Every fee and every provider fact carries its source and the date we checked it, collected in a sources appendix at the end of the kit. Where sources disagree we say so and budget the high end: the migration office’s application fee is listed as $250 by some sources and $300 by others. Where a figure rests on a single source, such as the roughly $35 health certificate, it is marked as single-source.
We also tell you what we could not check. We tried twice to reach Panama’s public registry of licensed lawyers and were blocked both times, so the kit does not claim that any named lawyer’s license is verified. It shows you how to run that check yourself, which takes a few minutes and is the one step you should never skip.
Fees change. Everything in the kit was last verified on September 28, 2026. Confirm current amounts with the government office or your attorney before you pay.
The Move Kit: Panama
One-time payment. The 31-page PDF, delivered by Whop the moment you pay. Any sales tax or VAT is calculated by Whop at checkout, if applicable where you live.
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General information and a research method, based on published government fees and providers’ own published prices. Not legal, immigration, tax or financial advice, and it does not create an advisory relationship. Panama law requires a Panama-licensed attorney to file your application. Fees and provider details change; verify anything you rely on before you pay.