In Panama, it’s easy to obtain a permanent residence if you are on the list of friend countries or as a retiree or an investor; it’s easy to incorporate a company and manage it; it’s easy to obtain residence as a retiree.
There are things that are less easy, like the traffic, red tape, idiosyncrasies and understanding the local market. If you are thinking of moving to Panama, consult the lawyer Giovanni Caporaso Gottlieb, who has thirty years of experience with expatriates. The attorney speaks Spanish, French, English, Italian and Portuguese, and can recommend the best way for you to take this step.
Recently, various pages with the name Easy Panama have appeared, on both the web and social networks. Others publicize their services, making you feel that everything in Panama is easy with their help. Some of these consultants are serious, others not so much.
Generally, their services are complete, or rather, they do everything. Plus, they pick you up at the airport, they take you to the hotel, they’ll look for a house, the school for your children and much more. And, since they and their hired professionals have to earn, it’s possible that, in order to keep the price attractive, the quality of their services rendered will suffer.
We’re lawyers, we don’t have taxis, or hotels, or apartments for rent or schools for your children. Yes, we can share our contacts with professionals in each sector to satisfy your needs and resolve all problems that can arise.
Some things to avoid falling into traps or scams
In Panama, you check almost everything online, from your migration documents to the public registration of companies or properties, your vaccinations, your taxes, etc.
In Panama, the majority of the steps must be done through a suitable lawyer, of Panamanian nationality. The same goes for the translations, the dentist or the doctor. The country protects its citizens and obligates you to hire their services.
This means that the processors, experts or consultants must necessarily have a professional Panamanian who does those jobs for his clients. Up to here, there’s nothing strange, a consultant can help you, and if he’s experienced, he can give you good advice. However, are all of these consultants qualified?
The problem that we lawyers encounter when the client is filtered by a mediator is that , in most cases, the clients receive partial information. Hence, in many cases, the limited information can lead you to make mistakes.
However, what seems absurd to me is when people who want to move to a country for information on social networks. If you’re sick, do you go to a doctor, or do you consult on Google?
A good many consult Google or the social networks, and the results are catastrophic.
If you want to move to Panama, don’t follow the slogan easy Panama or advice from people without studies or little experience. Yes, you can consult the networks as to whether a school is good or not, if a lock is effective or not or if a bank gives good service. However, get information from professionals, too, to avoid problems.
