Panama / Extranjero Profesional
Panama does not publish a list of degrees it accepts.
It publishes a list of professions closed to foreign workers. Everything else is open in principle. Type your degree and see whether it appears on that list.
Matched against Panama's official restricted list, published by the Ministry of Labour.
Three gates, not one
Clearing the profession list is the first step. Anyone telling you a degree alone delivers Panamanian residency has skipped the other two.
Is the profession open to foreigners?
Panamanian law reserves certain professions to nationals. A degree in one of them cannot support this residence category. That is what the search above checks.
Will Panama recognise the degree?
A foreign diploma has to be homologated by the Universidad de Panamá, the Universidad Tecnológica or the relevant national authority before the residence file is presented. That means transcripts, course syllabi, grading scales, contact hours and certified translations. It is the slowest part and the part most files stumble on.
What does the second stage ask for?
The category grants two years of provisional residence, then you apply to convert. Article 4 of the 2012 decree asked for a national tax clearance plus certification of nine consecutive social security contributions. Panamanian counsel advises that Executive Decree 606 of 2018 removed the social security requirement on the immigration side, while leaving the fiscal ones in place, and the labor ministry still looks for contributions or a tax return on certain work permit renewals. So the route still suits someone who intends to have economic life in Panama. What changed in 2018 is which authority asks.
Read the full restricted list
| Profession, as Panama names it | Governing law |
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The full explanation of this route, including why engineering takes up two thirds of the restricted list and why homologation is where most files stall, is in the article: Panama has a residency route for degree holders.
Have your degree screened
Send the details below and we will tell you which of the three gates your file has to clear, and what it would take. No charge for the screening.
This is a preliminary screening against Panama's published list, not an approval and not legal advice. Eligibility is confirmed by licensed Panamanian counsel.