Panama: serving expat and cross-border buyers

Panama attracts buyers who live in one country, hold the passport of another and keep their money in a third. Some ask about the investor residence route at the same time as the purchase. This briefing sets out what an agent should establish about such a buyer, which duties fall on the agency, and what to check on the title. It is built from law-firm and agency summaries, and the text says where they stop.

Who may buy

Agency and law-firm guides say that foreigners can buy titled real estate in Panama in their own name, with the same ownership rights as Panamanian citizens, and that no residence permit is required to buy. For you, the buyer's status therefore matters less for the right to buy than for the questions that follow: where the money comes from, who signs, and whether the buyer also wants a residence application.

Your own duties under the money laundering law

Law 23 of 27 April 2015 sets out measures against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Summaries say it brings real estate promoters, real estate agents and brokers, and construction companies, into the group of non-financial parties supervised by a superintendency under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. They also mention Resolution JD-001-2015 of 14 August 2015, which regulates the real estate sector. As described, each real estate party applies checks suited to its role: identify the client, understand the transaction and verify the source of the funds. A trade-press report quotes a broker who says that unlicensed operators do not meet the requirements of the financial analysis unit, the UAF.

The summaries we read give no thresholds, registration steps, record periods or penalties. Do not fill the gap by guessing. Ask your lawyer for a written list of what your agency must do, and keep it with your procedures. Press reports also describe a body that licenses brokers and warns against unlicensed ones; confirm your own licence position and ask buyers to deal only with licensed brokers.

What to collect before you take instructions

For each buyer, collect:

• a valid passport, and the residence permit if the buyer lives outside the country of citizenship
• proof of address no older than a few months
• a short written statement of the source of the funds, with the bank statement or sale contract that supports it
• for a company, the registration documents, the ownership chain and the identity of the person who controls it
• the name of the person who will sign the deed, and the power of attorney if it is not the buyer

Documents issued abroad usually need an apostille and may need a Spanish translation. We did not verify the rule, so ask the notary which documents need them.

If the buyer also asks about residence

Many foreign buyers ask whether the purchase gives residence. Panama's qualified investor programme links residence to specific investments, and in September 2026 the rules were changed (see our briefing on 2026 changes at Panama 2026 changes). Reports say the funds must belong to the applicant personally, that money received as a gift or other gratuitous transfer from a third party is not accepted, and that applicants who invest through a company must document who owns and controls it. If your buyer wants residence, say so in your file, keep the source-of-funds documents in the buyer's own name, and refer the residence question to an immigration lawyer. Do not promise an outcome.

Screening, done by the book

Check the buyer, any beneficial owner and any third-party payer against the sanctions lists that apply to your bank and your lawyer. Keep a dated record. If a red flag appears, stop, take legal advice and report as the national rules require. Nationality is not a reason to refuse a file and not a reason to skip a check. Never advise a client on how to avoid a check.

Check the title

Agency guides say the buyer's attorney should check the property at the Public Registry before the deed is signed, and that the seller's documents may include receipts for property taxes, the transfer tax, the capital gains advance, condominium fees and the water bill. Ask for the registry extract, confirm the seller's identity and authority, check for liens and for unpaid condominium charges, and check the building's status if the unit is in a condominium.

What to do with this

• ask your lawyer to list your duties under Law 23 and Resolution JD-001-2015 and keep it with your procedures
• collect source-of-funds documents at the first serious offer
• ask for the ownership chain whenever the buyer is not an individual
• if the buyer wants residence, keep the funds in the buyer's own name and send the question to an immigration lawyer

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English, Polish) overseas-property platform. We introduce buyers, including expats and cross-border buyers, and support the process. Agencies that handle the deal locally and want to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page.

This briefing is informational only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Facts were checked on 12 October 2026 from the sources named in the text; rules change, so confirm with a local lawyer before relying on any point.