	Beth Anne Gray J., LL.B. (Hons.) & Victoria Tejada LL.B. P.O. Box 832-0816 - World Trade Centre - Panama City - Republic of Panama International Legal Services

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Panama Spouse 1
Panama Spouse 2

Immigrants Married to a Panamanian

All documents issued overseas must be Authenticated before being presented in Panama

Being married to a Panamanian is possibly one of the easiest and quickest ways to obtain permanent residency in Panama, which will entitle you to request naturalisation and citizenship. Unlike most immigration programmes, immigrants who have Panamanian spouses are only required to have permanent residence for three years before requesting naturalisation. Nevertheless, like many other countries, the Panamanian Immigration Department requires that couples assist various interviews to ensure that they do not have a sham marriage. It is also possible that the Immigration Department will visit the family home as well as interview neighbours to ensure that the couple is actually cohabitating.

The requirements vary according to which of the spouses is working and which is economically dependent. Obviously, where the immigrant spouse is working, it will be necessary to get a work permit. If the spouse simply is running their own business, then it may be possible to avoid getting the work permit, although it is necessary to show economic solvency and the ability to support oneself in order to be granted the visa and subsequent permanent residency.

Procedures in a Nut-shell:

Irrespective of which spouse is working, the application process is pretty much identical:

	Registration at the Immigration Department
	Application for an Immigrant Visa as "Married to a Panamanian" - with a matrimonial interview date being set some time thereafter. Upon completing the process for the immigrant visa application, the applicant will receive an immigration card with the corresponding stamp in their passport (valid for one year).
	Approximately one year after being granted the Visa - before it expires, you should apply for Permanent Residency with a right to a cédula - with a matrimonial interview date being set for some time thereafter
	After three years of permanent residency, the immigrant may apply for naturalisation and citizenship.

You should anticipate that permanent residence will be granted about two years after the initial request for an Immigrant Visa, since usually a temporary permit is granted at the time of requesting the visa, as well as at the time of requesting the permanent residency.

Requirements for Applying for the Immigrant Visa:

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Last modified 26-Sep-2007 17:37 -0400

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Last modified 26-Sep-2007 17:37 -0400