Panama spouse visa (married to a Panamanian)

The permit is for a foreign man or woman who has married a Panamanian national and lives with them in conditions of exclusivity, stability and continuity. The SNM codes are PPT-2 for a foreigner married to a Panamanian man and PPT-3 for one married to a Panamanian woman; the requirements are the same.

The SNM normally holds a marriage interview. It may waive the interview for a foreigner who has two Panamanian children in common with the spouse.

File a notarised power of attorney and application that names your parents and their nationality, three photos, a duly certified passport copy, a criminal record certificate, a health certificate, a certified cheque of B/.250 to the National Treasury and the sworn personal history form.

Add the marriage certificate issued by the Civil Registry, the Panamanian spouse's birth certificate and the birth certificates of any Panamanian children from the Civil Registry, a copy of the spouse's identity card authenticated by the Civil Registry of the Electoral Tribunal, a notarised responsibility and repatriation letter from the Panamanian spouse and a document proving the marital home, such as a lease, a property title or a utility bill. A marriage celebrated abroad therefore needs to be registered so that the Panamanian Civil Registry can issue the certificate.

SNM residence applications are lodged by a lawyer acting under the notarised power of attorney that forms the first item of every requirement sheet. Documents issued abroad must be apostilled or legalised and, if not in Spanish, translated by an authorised public translator in Panama. The SNM publishes on its website lists of applicants who must come to its offices to be notified of decisions.

Once the two-year provisional permit has run, the foreign spouse can apply for permanent residence (PRP-2 or PRP-3) with the same documents, except that the criminal record certificate and the cheque are not required again.

A spouse who is widowed or divorced during the provisional permit and has children from the marriage may still opt for permanent residence; a widow or widower adds the spouse's death certificate and the children's birth certificates. Filing these documents does not oblige the SNM to grant permanence.