All articles | Radar Panamá

How to open a company in Panama: steps, Notice of Operation and taxes

26

Sep

Business, Entrepreneurship

How to open a company in Panama: steps, Notice of Operation and taxes

In short: opening a company in Panama to operate inside the country has four milestones: choosing the legal form (natural person, corporation or limited liability company), registering it at the Public Registry, obtaining the Notice of Operation on the Panamá Emprende platform of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which automatically generates the RUC taxpayer ID with the Directorate General of Revenue, and registering as an employer with the Social Security Fund if there will be employees. The Notice of Operation costs 15 balboas for natural persons and 55 for companies, and replaces the old commercial licence. Liberal professions, agriculture…

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Guides, Professional Services & Technology

How to set up an offshore company in Panama: requirements, steps and obligations

In short: an offshore company in Panama is a corporation incorporated under Law 32 of 1927 that operates outside the country and, under the territoriality principle of the Tax Code, pays no tax in Panama on its foreign-source income. Setting it up requires three directors, a lawyer as resident agent and registration at the Public Registry. Since 2020 it also carries transparency obligations: a beneficial ownership registry, annual delivery of accounting records and, since 2026, economic substance rules. Panama left the FATF grey list in 2023 and is working to leave the European Union's tax list between late 2026 and…

Best real estate lawyers in Panama for foreign buyers: ranking of eight firms

26

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Business, Companies

Best real estate lawyers in Panama for foreign buyers: ranking of eight firms

In short: buying property in Panama as a foreigner is legal and common, but the process has three points where a lawyer prevents losses: the title search at the Public Registry, the promise of sale and the deed with its taxes and exemptions. Radar Panamá ranked eight firms in Panama City with a real estate practice for foreign buyers according to their number of reviews and rating on Google as of 25 September 2026: Kraemer & Kraemer, Icaza González-Ruiz & Alemán, Chen Lee & Asociados, Legal Solutions Panamá, Badillo-Paz & Colucci, JSF & Asociados, Law Office of J. Gavrilidis and…

Opening a bank account in Panama from abroad: the firms that handle the opening, compared

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Business, Companies

Opening a bank account in Panama from abroad: the firms that handle the opening, compared

In short: opening a bank account in Panama without living in the country is possible, but only at some banks, with more documentation and with higher minimum balances than for a resident. That is why most foreigners do it through a law firm that prepares the file and submits it to the right bank. Radar Panamá reviewed eight firms in Panama City that offer this service and arranged them in two groups: those with a bank account opening service documented on their website, Kraemer & Kraemer, Legal Solutions Panamá, PGS Attorneys and Mata & Pitti, and the corporate firms that…

Best immigration lawyers in Panama: ranking of ten firms by Google reviews

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Business, Companies

Best immigration lawyers in Panama: ranking of ten firms by Google reviews

In short: Radar Panamá ranked ten immigration law firms in Panama City that serve foreigners, using two public and verifiable data points: the average rating and the number of reviews on Google, checked on 25 September 2026. Julissa Ortega, Legalys and Carlos Pérez top the list by volume of opinions; Kraemer & Kraemer and Legal Solutions Panamá stand out for the international profile of their clients; De Freitas, Ureña, Abogados FP, Múdate a Panamá and PGS Attorneys complete the ranking with perfect or near-perfect scores. The list does not measure legal quality or fees: it serves as a starting point…

Private interest foundation in Panama: when it makes sense and when it does not, according to Legal Solutions Panamá

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Interviews, Professional Services & Technology

Private interest foundation in Panama: when it makes sense and when it does not, according to Legal Solutions Panamá

In short: the Panamanian private interest foundation is a legal entity with no owner and no shareholders that receives assets and manages them according to rules set by whoever creates it. It serves to organise a succession, separate assets from personal wealth and group together companies, accounts and properties spread across several countries; it is not for running ordinary businesses or for small estates, and it is not "a magic tax-saving tool". That is how two lawyers from Legal Solutions Panamá explained it in an hour-long webinar on foundations and international structures, in which Kathia Rivera compared the foundation with…

Factoring in Panama: interview with Kathia Rivera and Celideth Gudiño on setting up a factoring company

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Interviews, Professional Services & Technology

Factoring in Panama: interview with Kathia Rivera and Celideth Gudiño on setting up a factoring company

In short: Panama has no specific factoring law, but it does have the pieces that make it viable: the assignment of receivables as the "backbone" of the transaction, the electronic invoicing law that recognises the invoice as a negotiable instrument, and a Superintendency that supervises, rather than regulates, the sector's companies on money laundering. That is how Kathia Rivera, president and founder of Legal Solutions Panamá, and Celideth Gudiño, financial services partner, explain it in a conversation recorded at the firm's offices in Panama City. Setting up a factoring company takes about seven days for the corporation, a month for…

Kathia Rivera answers: incorporating a company in Panama as a foreigner, without travelling and in a week

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Interviews, Professional Services & Technology

Kathia Rivera answers: incorporating a company in Panama as a foreigner, without travelling and in a week

In short: Panamanian law imposes no nationality or residency limits on incorporating a company, and neither directors nor shareholders have to travel. That is the answer given by Kathia Rivera Morales, founder and president of Legal Solutions Panamá, in a video on her channel where she answers the most frequent questions from people who want to set up a company in the country. Incorporation takes around a week with valid passports and two forms; the resident agent is the lawyer who registers the articles of incorporation and acts as the link between the shareholders and the State; the share capital…

Electronic invoicing in Panama: who is required, how the SFEP works and how to choose a PAC

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Guides, Professional Services & Technology

Electronic invoicing in Panama: who is required, how the SFEP works and how to choose a PAC

In short: in Panama electronic invoicing has been mandatory for every new taxpayer since 2022, for government suppliers since 2023 and for independent professionals since 2024, and since 1 January 2026 the free invoicing tool of the Directorate General of Revenue may only be used by those invoicing up to 36,000 balboas a year and issuing at most 100 documents a month; everyone else must contract a Qualified Authorisation Provider (PAC). Each invoice is issued in XML format, validated before being delivered to the customer, receives a Unique Electronic Invoice Code (CUFE) and is represented in a readable receipt called…

Panama as a digital hub: submarine cables, data centres and what it means for a technology company

26

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Guides, Professional Services & Technology

Panama as a digital hub: submarine cables, data centres and what it means for a technology company

In short: Panama is the point where the submarine internet cables linking North and South America, and the Caribbean with the Pacific, cross. Seven systems run through its waters today, TAM-1 arrived in 2026 with a capacity of 650 terabits per second, the Cabinet Council awarded two new 20-year concessions and Google announced in August 2026 the Americas Connect project, with the Alisios cable linking the Dominican Republic, Panama and Chile. On that network rest 14 data centres, the Multinational Headquarters regime, Ciudad del Saber and the Tocumen air hub. Radar Panamá explains what the country has, what it lacks…

The Panama Canal as an economic engine: how much it earns, how much it hands the State and what it depends on

26

Sep

By Daniela Bohórquez

Business, Economy

The Panama Canal as an economic engine: how much it earns, how much it hands the State and what it depends on

In short: the Panama Canal is the largest source of direct income for the Panamanian State and the axis of its logistics platform. In fiscal year 2025 it billed 5.705 billion dollars, 14.4% more than the year before, and handed the National Treasury 2.965 billion in surplus, per-ton fees and charges, the highest figure in its history. From the time Panama took over its administration in 2000 through 2024 it had contributed 28.267 billion dollars, more than half of it earmarked for public investment. Radar Panamá explains how it generates that money, how it reaches the budget, which sectors live…

Taxes a company pays in Panama: income tax, ITBMS, dividends, Notice of Operation and payroll

26

Sep

By Deilys Romero

Business, Economy

Taxes a company pays in Panama: income tax, ITBMS, dividends, Notice of Operation and payroll

In short: a company operating in Panama pays income tax of 25% on its net Panamanian-source income, charges and passes on the 7% ITBMS if it exceeds the turnover threshold, withholds dividend tax when it distributes profits, pays each year the Notice of Operation tax of 2% of its equity and the flat annual fee of 300 dollars, and bears the employer contributions to the Social Security Fund and the education insurance on its payroll. Companies that only generate income outside the country pay no income tax, but do pay the flat fee and the resident agent. This Radar Panamá…