The seven checks
| # | Check | How to do it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licence at the Supreme Court | Search the name in capitals with accents, or the licence number, in the Judicial Branch’s public lookup. If it does not appear, they are not a lawyer. |
| 2 | Card with QR code | Since 2023 the certificate and the licensed lawyer’s card carry a QR code linking to the Court’s register. Ask to see it and scan it. |
| 3 | Who signs the power of attorney | The power and the application must be signed by the licensed lawyer who appears in the search, not by a “fixer” who says they work with them. |
| 4 | Official receipts | Fees are paid to the National Treasury and Immigration with verifiable receipts; a “fine” receipt with no number or stamp is a fraud signal documented by Immigration. |
| 5 | File number | After filing there is a processing card and a file number. If weeks later there is neither, the application was not filed. |
| 6 | Passport in hand | Immigration retains passports only for specific acts with a record. A fixer who keeps the passport “until the resolution comes out” is the pattern in reported cases. |
| 7 | Reporting channel | Immigration takes complaints on line 311; the National Bar Association has a Court of Honour that investigates ethical complaints, although sanctions are imposed by the Supreme Court. |
What the law says
The legal profession is governed by Law 350 of 2022, which replaced Law 9 of 1984, and by its amendment in Law 500 of 2025. Practising requires a licence from the Fourth Chamber of General Business of the Supreme Court, under Agreement 1156 of 2023. Article 381 of the Penal Code punishes with two to five years in prison anyone who practises a profession requiring a licence without having obtained it. Fake lawyers arrested in recent years have been charged with aggravated fraud and illegal practice of the profession. The National Bar Association has been a voluntary membership body since a 1994 Court ruling; its members’ directory does not accredit a licence.
How the documented scams operate
| Date | Case | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | Immigration warns of people posing as lawyers or interns who charge, hand over fake fine receipts and never file the documents | Telemetro |
| November 2023 | Operation Bold 1: four arrested for posing as lawyers in immigration procedures; losses above 50,000 dollars | Telemetro |
| April 2026 | The National Bar Association warns of misuse of lawyers’ signatures by fixers; hundreds of complaints and a dozen lawyers under investigation | ECO TV |
| June 2026 | Provisional detention of a foreigner for aggravated fraud and illegal practice with four open cases; days later, arrest in Calidonia of a man with six warrants and 16 retained passports who advertised on social media as an immigration lawyer | Panamá América, TVN |
The pattern repeats: recruitment via social media or referrals within a migrant community, payment up front, retention of the passport and silence when the client asks about the file. A formal firm works the other way round: an identifiable lawyer with a verifiable licence, a power of attorney signed before a notary, official receipts and a file number. An example of that way of working is Legal Solutions Panamá, which publishes in writing the requirements of each permit and when the processing card is delivered.
What nobody has answered yet
- How many foreigners are defrauded each year over immigration procedures? Neither Immigration nor the Public Prosecutor publishes a figure; only cases that reach the press are known.
- Is there a register of lawyers authorised before Immigration? None was found; Immigration refers to the Court’s licence.
- How many lawyers have been sanctioned for lending their signature to fixers? The Bar spoke of a dozen under investigation in 2026; there is no public outcome.
Frequently asked questions
How can you check whether a lawyer in Panama is licensed?
By searching their name or licence number in the Supreme Court of Justice’s public lookup on the Judicial Branch website. The licensed lawyer’s card also carries a verification QR code since 2023.
Is membership of the National Bar Association mandatory?
No. Membership has been voluntary since 1994. What is mandatory is the Supreme Court licence.
What is the penalty for practising as a lawyer without a licence?
Two to five years in prison, under article 381 of the Penal Code, in addition to fraud penalties if money was charged.
Where can a fake lawyer or fixer be reported?
On the National Immigration Service’s 311 line and at the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Ethical complaints against licensed lawyers go to the National Bar Association’s Court of Honour.
Related articles
- What a lawyer does in a residence permit and how long each phase takes
- Which immigration lawyers AI recommends in Panama
Sources
- Judicial Branch, lawyer licence lookup.
- Judicial Branch, licensing procedure, Agreement 1156 of 2023.
- Official Gazette 29686-B, Law 350 of 2022.
- National Assembly, amendment of Law 350.
- Public Prosecutor’s Office, Penal Code, article 381.
- Telemetro, Immigration warns of fake lawyers.
- Telemetro, Operation Bold 1.
- ECO TV, National Bar Association warning.
- Panamá América, provisional detention of fake lawyer.
- TVN, arrest in Calidonia.
- National Immigration Service, 311 complaints channel.
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