All articles | Radar Panamá

The Panama Metro: lines, fares, hours, how to pay and Line 3 to West Panama

Sep

The Panama Metro: lines, fares, hours, how to pay and Line 3 to West Panama

In short: the Panama Metro is the only metro in Central America. It has two lines in operation, Line 1 since 2014 between Albrook and San Isidro and Line 2 since 2019 between San Miguelito and Nuevo Tocumen, with a branch to the airport. The fare is 0.35 balboas on Line 1 and 0.50 on Line 2, paid with the rechargeable card that also works on the buses. It carries around 250,000 passengers a day. Line 3, a 25-kilometre monorail to West Panama, is under construction and will open in stages between 2027 and 2028. The two lines in service…

Panama for digital nomads: the remote worker visa, taxes and where to live

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Lifestyle, Trends

Panama for digital nomads: the remote worker visa, taxes and where to live

In short: Panama has a specific visa for remote work: the Short-Stay Visa for Remote Workers, created by Executive Decree 198 of 2021. It allows anyone working for a foreign company or foreign clients with income of at least 36,000 dollars a year to live in the country for nine months, extendable by another nine. Income generated outside Panama pays no income tax. The dollar, connectivity and a time zone aligned with the United States explain why the country attracts this profile. The remote worker visa AspectCondition Duration9 months, extendable once for another 9 (18 in total) Minimum income36,000 dollars…

How to search the Public Registry of Panama online: companies, properties and mortgages

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Guides, Professional Services & Technology

How to search the Public Registry of Panama online: companies, properties and mortgages

In short: the Public Registry of Panama is the body where the country's companies, foundations, properties and mortgages are recorded. Its portal lets anyone check for free, from anywhere, who owns a property, who the directors of a company are, or whether a property carries a mortgage. Official certificates are requested online, take 24 to 48 hours and are valid for 30 days. It is the first check anyone should make before buying property or contracting with a Panamanian company. What is recorded in the Public Registry SectionWhat it contains MercantileCorporations, limited liability companies, foreign companies, private interest foundations: directors,…

Digital procedures in Panama: Panamá Digital, electronic signature and what can already be done online

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Guides, Professional Services & Technology

Digital procedures in Panama: Panamá Digital, electronic signature and what can already be done online

In short: Panama has moved a good part of its procedures online. Panamá Digital is the single portal where citizens register with their ID and access services from more than sixteen institutions; the qualified electronic signature, issued by the Public Registry, has the same legal validity as a handwritten one; and electronic invoicing is mandatory for almost all taxpayers. Police records, DGI tax clearance, Public Registry certificates and Immigration appointments are now obtained online without visiting an office. Panamá Digital: the single window Panamá Digital, run by the National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG), centralises State procedures on one site.…

Preferential interest in Panama: how it works, brackets and requirements for new homes

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Guides, Real Estate & Construction

Preferential interest in Panama: how it works, brackets and requirements for new homes

In short: preferential interest is a Panamanian state subsidy that lowers the mortgage rate during the first years for anyone buying a new home of up to 120,000 balboas to live in. The regime in force since January 1, 2026 (Law 468 and Law 481 of 2025) sets three price brackets: up to 50,000, from 50,000 to 80,000 and from 80,000 to 120,000 balboas, with maximum subsidised rates between 4% and 5.5% for seven or eight years, depending on the region. After that period the payment rises to the bank's normal rate. How it works The buyer signs the mortgage…

Horizontal property in Panama: how a PH works, fees, assembly and owners’ rights

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Guides, Real Estate & Construction

Horizontal property in Panama: how a PH works, fees, assembly and owners’ rights

In short: horizontal property (PH) is the legal regime under which apartment buildings and gated communities in Panama operate. Each owner owns their unit and co-owns the common areas, and pays a monthly fee in proportion to the value of their unit. It is governed by Law 284 of 2022, which requires a contingency fund, allows virtual assemblies and gives MIVIOT the power to sanction. An owner in arrears can lose access to common areas and pay up to a 20% surcharge. What horizontal property is It is the legal form that allows one building or complex to have many…

Vaccines and health requirements to enter Panama: yellow fever, insurance and what Tocumen asks for

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Guides, Health & Wellness

Vaccines and health requirements to enter Panama: yellow fever, insurance and what Tocumen asks for

In short: Panama requires no vaccine to enter from most countries. The only exception is the yellow fever certificate, mandatory only for travellers arriving from countries with a risk of transmission, mainly in Africa and South America, and given at least ten days before the trip. To enter you need a passport with three months' validity, an onward ticket and proof of funds. Health insurance is not mandatory, but recommended. What is asked for at Tocumen RequirementDetail PassportMinimum three months' validity on entry (six for some nationalities) Onward ticketBy air, land or sea, dated within the permitted stay Proof of…

How Panama’s health system works: Social Security Fund, MINSA and the private sector

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Guides, Health & Wellness

How Panama’s health system works: Social Security Fund, MINSA and the private sector

In short: Panama's health system has three pillars. The Social Security Fund (CSS) serves workers who contribute and their dependants. The Ministry of Health (MINSA) serves the whole population in health centres and public hospitals, for token fees. And the private sector, with internationally accredited hospitals in Panama City, serves those who pay directly or have insurance. A foreign resident can use all three; a tourist, MINSA and the private sector. The three pillars PillarWho uses itHow it is paid Social Security Fund (CSS)Salaried and self-employed workers who contribute, pensioners and their dependantsPayroll contribution: 9.75% from the worker and 13.25%…

What Panama exports and to whom: the products and markets behind its trade balance

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Business, Economy

What Panama exports and to whom: the products and markets behind its trade balance

In short: Panama exported goods worth 980 million balboas in 2025, its best figure since 2010, and 1,293 million including value-added exports from special regimes. The three main products are frozen shrimp, palm oil and bananas. The United States is the top buyer, followed by Taiwan, the Colón Free Zone and the Netherlands. It is an economy that lives on services, but whose goods exports are growing and diversifying. How much Panama exports According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), registered goods exports totalled 980.1 million balboas in 2025,…

Minimum wage in Panama: how it is set, regions, sectors and how it is calculated

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Business, Economy

Minimum wage in Panama: how it is set, regions, sectors and how it is calculated

In short: the minimum wage in Panama is not a single figure: it is a table of 59 hourly rates for 74 economic activities, which change by region, sector and company size. The Government sets it at least every two years after negotiation between workers and employers in the National Minimum Wage Commission. The current table took effect on January 16, 2026, and the most common rate in urban commerce is 3.02 balboas per hour, about 628 balboas a month for a 48-hour week. What it is and who sets it The minimum wage is the lowest pay an employer…

Which developers and residential projects AI recommends in Panama: Radar AI study

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Rankings, Real Estate & ConstructionRadar AI

Which developers and residential projects AI recommends in Panama: Radar AI study

In short: Radar Panamá asked Perplexity and Brave AI which developers and which residential projects they recommend in Panama: 20 queries, 10 in Spanish and 10 in English, run on September 26, 2026, produced 106 mentions of 31 developers and 34 projects. Grupo Los Pueblos (GLP) appears in all 8 answers about developers, in both engines and both languages, followed by Empresas Bern with 6. Among projects, Oceana Santa María is the most mentioned (6), followed by Bosco di Santa María (5) and The Ivy (4). Santa María dominates the conversation: the AI names its towers in 9 of the…

Which dental clinics AI recommends in Panama: Radar AI study

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Health & Wellness, RankingsRadar AI

Which dental clinics AI recommends in Panama: Radar AI study

In short: Radar Panamá asked Perplexity and Brave AI which dental clinic they recommend in Panama: 20 queries, 10 in Spanish and 10 in English, run on September 26, 2026, produced 101 mentions of 33 clinics and dentists. Clínica Ford Dental Spa appears in 15 of the 18 answers that named clinics, followed by Pacific Dental Clinic at Hospital Punta Pacífica (11) and Clínica Arango Orillac (10). When the question narrows to Costa del Este the map changes: Dental One, Ford, Arango Orillac and Dental Life appear in all four answers, in both engines and both languages. No clinic paid…