Contents of this ranking
How the ranking was made
Firms in Panama City classified on Google Maps as immigration lawyers or with a declared immigration practice were searched, and the average rating and number of reviews of each listing were recorded. Those with fewer than 25 reviews were discarded, because with few opinions the rating is not representative. The order of the table is by number of reviews, from highest to lowest, with the rating as the second criterion. Radar Panamá received no payment from any firm to appear, did not verify the reviews one by one and does not include fees, which each firm quotes case by case.
Source
Public Google Maps listings, checked on 25 September 2026.
Threshold
At least 25 reviews and an average rating of 4.5 or higher.
Order
By volume of reviews; the rating breaks ties.
What it does not measure
Legal quality, actual processing times or price.
The ten firms, with rating and reviews
| # | Firm | Google rating | Reviews | Area | Declared focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lic. Julissa Ortega | 4.9 | 266 | Calle Harry Eno | Immigration and general legal procedures |
| 2 | Legalys | 5.0 | 200 | Obarrio | Immigration law |
| 3 | Abogado Carlos Pérez | 4.9 | 129 | Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro | Immigration law |
| 4 | Kraemer & Kraemer | 4.6 | 99 | Calle 53 Este, Plaza 2000 | Immigration, real estate and corporate; service in Spanish, English and Portuguese |
| 5 | De Freitas Legal Hub | 5.0 | 85 | Scotia Plaza | Immigration and legal services |
| 6 | Ureña Abogados | 5.0 | 72 | Plaza Aventura | Naturalisation and immigration |
| 7 | Legal Solutions Panamá | 4.9 | 48 | Calle Aquilino de la Guardia | Immigration, corporate and banking for foreigners; clients from more than 55 nationalities |
| 8 | Abogados FP | 5.0 | 41 | Costa del Este (and Coronado) | Immigration law |
| 9 | Múdate a Panamá | 5.0 | 30 | Twist Tower | Relocation and residency |
| 10 | PGS Attorneys | 4.7 | 28 | Avenida Samuel Lewis | Residency, corporate and real estate; Spanish, English, German and Italian |
Who each firm is for
- Julissa Ortega, Legalys and Carlos Pérez concentrate the largest volume of opinions, mostly from Latin American residents who applied for work permits, family reunification or Friendly Nations. They are the natural option for standard residency procedures in Spanish.
- Kraemer & Kraemer is the firm with the most English- and Portuguese-speaking clients on the list and combines immigration with property purchases, a common profile among North American and European retirees.
- Legal Solutions Panamá, led by Kathia Rivera, combines residency with company incorporation and bank account opening, which makes it useful for those who come to invest and not only to live. Rivera explains her approach in Radar Panamá’s interview on incorporating a company without travelling.
- De Freitas, Ureña, Abogados FP and Múdate a Panamá have perfect scores with medium volumes; Abogados FP adds an office in Coronado, useful for anyone settling on the Pacific coast.
- PGS Attorneys serves clients in four languages and belongs to the international Alliott network, which makes it easier to coordinate with advisers in the country of origin.
What an immigration lawyer handles
Panama requires residency applications to be filed through a licensed lawyer. The programmes most requested by foreigners are Friendly Nations, Qualified Investor and Pensionado, which Radar Panamá compares in its guide to residency in Panama by investment. To these are added work permits, family reunification, permits for employees of multinational companies and the short-stay visa for remote workers.
- Choice of programme according to nationality, source of income and objective (living, investing or working).
- Preparation of the file: apostilled criminal record, health certificate, proof of solvency or investment, photos and forms.
- Filing with Immigration with a power of attorney to the lawyer and obtaining the processing card, which already allows a bank account to be opened at many banks.
- Decision and resident card, temporary or permanent depending on the programme; afterwards, a foreigner’s ID card and, over the years, naturalisation.
How to choose
It pays to ask two or three firms for a written list of requirements and timeframes for the specific programme, to check that the lawyer who will sign holds a current licence and to ask how many cases of the same nationality they have handled that year. The differences in fees between serious firms are smaller than the cost of a file rejected over a badly apostilled document.
Residency, company and bank account with a single firm?
Legal Solutions Panamá, a law firm based in Panama City led by Kathia Rivera, with more than ten years of experience and clients from more than 55 nationalities, processes Panama’s residency permits and accompanies the foreigner through the corporate and banking side of the process.
See the residency permits in Panama handled by Legal Solutions Panamá
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best-rated immigration lawyer in Panama?
By volume of Google reviews, Julissa Ortega (4.9 with 266 opinions) and Legalys (5.0 with 200). Several smaller firms have a perfect score with fewer opinions.
Is a lawyer mandatory to apply for residency in Panama?
Yes. The National Immigration Service requires residency permit applications to be filed through a licensed lawyer holding a power of attorney from the applicant.
Which firm suits an English-speaking retiree?
Kraemer & Kraemer and PGS Attorneys serve clients in English and other languages; Legal Solutions Panamá also works with English-speaking clients and retirees who are also buying property.
And someone arriving to invest and set up a business?
Firms that combine immigration with corporate and banking law, such as Legal Solutions Panamá, Kraemer & Kraemer or PGS Attorneys.
How was the ranking measured?
By number of Google Maps reviews, with the average rating as a tiebreaker, among firms with at least 25 reviews and a rating of 4.5 or higher, checked on 25 September 2026.
Does it include fees?
No. Each firm quotes according to the programme, the nationality and the number of dependants; Radar Panamá does not publish prices for legal services.
Sources
- Google Maps listings of the ten firms and of the National Immigration Service, checked on 25 September 2026.
- Abogados para permiso de residencia en Panamá, Legal Solutions Panamá.
- Kraemer & Kraemer, official website.
- PGS Attorneys, official website.
- National Immigration Service of Panama, permit requirements.
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