Last verified: 26 October 2026. Every figure links to its official source.
Contents of this guide
What the certificate of existence and good standing is and what it certifies
The certificate of existence and good standing is the document with which Panama’s Public Registry confirms that a company is registered and in force. On the official form it is called a company certificate, and its most common version is the Standard type. Every certification also records the liens, encumbrances and limitations in force and any entries pending registration.
The procedure page on Panamá Digital describes it as proof that the corporation exists and places it under the Registry’s Certificates Department. As for “in force”, the Fiscal Code understands full good standing to mean valid registration in the Public Registry, under article 318-A as set by Law 52 of 2016. The certificate therefore records a status that changes, which is why the bodies that ask for it usually want a recent one.
Managers, lawyers and foreign shareholders use it mostly for dealings with public bodies, contracts and procedures in other countries. For opening a bank account, Radar’s guide to a Panama bank account without residency sums up what is usually requested. The general framework for companies is in the guide on setting up and running a company in Panama.
What data the certificate carries by type
The Standard certificate contains the company name, folio number, incorporation date, standing, subscribers, directors and officers, other positions, resident agent, legal representation, capital and its breakdown, duration and domicile, according to the Public Registry form. The other types narrow or widen that information.
| Certificate type | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Name, folio, incorporation date, standing, subscribers, directors and officers, other positions, resident agent, legal representation, capital, duration and domicile | Public Registry form, 2026 |
| Standard with powers | The Standard plus the powers the applicant specifies in the request | Public Registry form, 2026 |
| Directors, Officers and Legal Representative | A certificate centered on those positions, going by its name on the form | Public Registry form, 2026 |
| Dissolution | A type of its own for dissolved companies | Public Registry form, 2026 |
| History | The company’s history; the form assigns it separate charges per block of pages | Public Registry form, 2026 |
The form also distinguishes the type of company: corporation, limited liability company, civil company, foreign company or legal personality. It should not be confused with the articles of incorporation, which are the founding deed: the General Directorate of Public Procurement, for instance, accepts an original Public Registry certificate instead of a plain copy of the articles. Nor is it the “Certificate of No Property,” a different entry type in the Registry’s online office, or the movable-property certificates (owner or lien) on the same form.
Where and how to request the certificate
The certificate is requested online, in the Public Registry’s virtual office, or in person at the Certifications Department on Vía España, calle 67A, across from the Clínica Hospital San Fernando. Online it is paid by Visa or MasterCard card or by Yappy, and with electronic delivery the certificate arrives by email through a download link.
According to the official 2026 manual for certificate requests, the online procedure runs as follows:
- Register as a user of the virtual office, following the new-user registration guide.
- Go to Ventanilla Virtual, Solicitud de Certificados, Solicitar Certificado.
- Choose the entry type “Certificado” and the certificate type.
- Type the email address twice, to receive notifications.
- Add the folio: registry type and number, search and select the result.
- Leave electronic delivery ticked or name the delivery office.
- Pay and keep the receipt. The “Mis Certificados” tray shows requests from the last 15 days.
At the counter, the company certificate request form is filled in: company name, one of four ways to locate the registration (folio, tomo and folio, ficha and document, or electronic folio), certificate type, and the name and ID number of the person filing. The Panamá Digital page also mentions the notarized company deed and an average of 3 to 4 hours for the in-person procedure. Who should request it is set by the body that requires it.
The base fee for each certificate type is checked with the Public Registry, for example in its Registry Calculator. The form does publish two additional charges: B/. 10.00 for each additional page when the information exceeds one sheet (Resolution 212 of 2013) and, for those requesting a queue change, B/. 45.00 for the first page of a legal-entity certificate (Resolution JD-004-2026, Official Gazette 30538), which does not waive the ordinary fees. If the certificate exceeds the pages paid for, the system emails a link to pay the additional pages.
How recent the certificate must be
How recent the certificate must be is set by each body that asks for it. Among those that publish it, AMPYME’s Business Registry and MICI’s Accounting Technical Board ask for no more than three months, while the General Directorate of Public Procurement states a validity of one year when the certificate replaces the articles of incorporation.
| Who asks | What it requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AMPYME, Business Registry (legal entities) | Copy of the company’s Public Registry certificate, no more than 3 months old | AMPYME |
| MICI, Accounting Technical Board (Law 280 of 2021) | Public Registry certificate updated to the date of the request, no more than three months old | MICI, requirements |
| General Directorate of Public Procurement (State suppliers) | Original Public Registry certificate instead of the copy of the articles; the page states a validity of one year | Panamá Digital |
For a procedure abroad, age is set by the destination authority or bank, and the time for the apostille and any translation has to be added. Requesting the certificate close to the filing date avoids rejections for age.
How the certificate is apostilled and how to get a translated copy
The Public Registry certificate is apostilled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for use in countries party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. According to the Ministry, apostilles are processed on Panamá Conecta. If the request to the Registry is for an apostille, the form requires choosing delivery by email.
The Ministry reports that every apostille or certification procedure costs B/. 2.00, and that a Public Registry certificate also carries stamps of B/. 2.00 if it is an original and B/. 6.00 if it is a copy, according to its schedule of procedures and stamps. The stamps are bought at Banco Nacional and Caja de Ahorros, per the authentication and legalization page. If the destination country is not party to the convention, that country sets the legalization procedure.
- Request the certificate with delivery by email.
- Check type and age with whoever requires it.
- Process the apostille on Panamá Conecta, with the stamps that apply.
- Translate, if the destination asks, through an authorized public translator.
The Ministry publishes a directory of authorized public translators, with phones and languages for each; English appears for most. The order between apostille and translation is set by the destination authority. The authentications and legalizations page adds that issued documents must carry a signature, a stamp and a date.
Why a company shows as not in force and how to regularize it
A company stops showing as in force when the Public Registry suspends its corporate rights: for going over ninety days without a resident agent, for three consecutive years without paying the single annual fee, or for breaching obligations that the law punishes with suspension. While the period’s single fee is unpaid, no certifications are issued about the company either.
| Cause | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Single annual fee unpaid in its period | No corporate act is registered and no certifications are issued; they go only to a competent authority or to third parties asserting their rights, stating the arrears. The fee is B/. 300.00 and falls due on 15 July or 15 January depending on the registration month; late payment adds a surcharge of B/. 50.00 per year or fraction | Law 52 of 2016, art. 9 |
| Three consecutive years in arrears | The Registry suspends corporate rights on an order from the Tax Authority | Law 254 of 2021, art. 44 |
| More than 90 days without a resident agent | Suspension of corporate rights after the previous agent resigns, is removed or ceases | Law 254 of 2021, art. 44 |
| Information not registered by the resident agent | The Superintendency of Non-Financial Subjects orders the suspension; certifications to third parties come in a different format | Law 254 of 2021, art. 42 |
While the suspension lasts, the company cannot start legal proceedings, do business or dispose of its assets, although it can request reactivation and defend proceedings against it. After a year without reactivation, the Registry notifies the authority that ordered the suspension so that it decrees dissolution. The Public Registry publishes lists of suspended and dissolved folios: the one of 27 February 2026 reports 180,346 dissolved companies and the one of 31 March 2026, 25,766.
- Check the status in the Public Registry’s suspended-folio and resident-agent searches.
- Identify the cause: single fee, resident agent or another obligation.
- Fix it: pay the overdue fee with surcharges, appoint a new resident agent or meet the pending obligation.
- Request reactivation within the year from the suspension’s registration, through the resident agent, with a fine of B/. 1,000.00 to the authority that ordered it and the cure of the causes.
- Request the certificate once the Registry shows the company as in force. If another ground remains active, the lifting resolution is not registered.
The single fee and suspension are a compliance front separate from the economic substance regime, which Radar’s guide covers in economic substance law in Panama. For the wider tax picture, the taxes, banking and finance section gathers the remaining obligations.
Myths and facts
- Myth: the certificate expires after 30 days by law. Fact: age is set by each body; AMPYME and MICI ask for three months and the DGCP states one year.
- Myth: the certificate is the same as the articles of incorporation. Fact: the articles are the founding deed; the certificate sums up the current status, and some bodies accept it instead of a copy of the articles.
- Myth: a company behind on the single fee still gets the certificate. Fact: the Fiscal Code blocks its issue in that case, with the exceptions in article 318-A.
- Myth: paying the overdue fee is enough to reactivate a suspended company. Fact: reactivation also requires the B/. 1,000.00 fine and the cure of the causes, within the year.
- Myth: any folio can be requested online. Fact: the virtual office search only shows electronic folios on which a certificate can be requested.
The Public Registry’s official manual details every screen of the certificate request in the virtual office, the payment and the email delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What is the certificate of existence and good standing of a company in Panama?
It is the company certificate the Public Registry issues to confirm that the company is registered and in force. The Standard type includes name, folio, incorporation date, directors and officers, resident agent, legal representation, capital, duration and domicile.
Where is the good standing certificate requested and how long does it take?
It is requested in the Public Registry’s virtual office or at the Certifications Department on Vía España. Panamá Digital gives an average of 3 to 4 hours for the in-person procedure; online, the Registry emails when the certificate is ready. The base fee is checked with the Public Registry.
How long is the certificate of existence and good standing valid?
Whoever requires it decides. AMPYME and MICI’s Accounting Technical Board ask for no more than three months, and the General Directorate of Public Procurement states one year when it replaces the articles of incorporation.
How is the Public Registry certificate apostilled and translated?
It is apostilled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, processed on Panamá Conecta, with B/. 2.00 for the apostille plus the stamps in the schedule. Translation is done by an authorized public translator, whose directory the Ministry publishes.
Why does a company show as not in force and how is it fixed?
Because its corporate rights were suspended, which follows more than 90 days without a resident agent, three years of unpaid single fee or other breached obligations. It is fixed by curing the cause and requesting reactivation, through the resident agent, within the year and with the B/. 1,000.00 fine.
Related articles
- Setting up and running a company in Panama
- How to open a company in Panama: steps and taxes
- Panama bank account without residency: limits and options
- Opening a bank account in Panama as a Mexican citizen: guide
- Economic substance law in Panama: is my company affected?
- Panama offshore jurisdiction: what still holds and what does not
Sources
Checked on October 26, 2026. Official sources are in Spanish.
- Public Registry of Panama, Manual: Solicitud de Certificados, Nueva Oficina Virtual 2026.
- Public Registry of Panama, Solicitud de Certificado de Sociedad y Bien Mueble (2026 form).
- Public Registry of Panama, suspended and dissolved folios.
- Public Registry of Panama, web services guides.
- Panamá Digital, Certificación para Sociedad Anónima (Public Registry).
- Law 52 of 27 October 2016, Official Gazette 28149-B, article 9 (article 318-A of the Fiscal Code).
- Law 254 of 11 November 2021, Official Gazette 29413-A, articles 42 and 44.
- AMPYME, Business Registry.
- MICI, requirements for the registration of legal personality (Law 280 of 2021).
- Panamá Digital, registration as a State supplier.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, schedule of procedures and stamps.
- Panamá Digital, authentication and legalization of documents (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, authentications and legalizations.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, authorized public translators.
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