Reforestation Visa

You can invest directly by purchasing land for reforestation, or indirectly by investing in a certified reforestation project. With this visa, foreigners become eligible for a permanent residency visa and eventual naturalization.

This type of visa may be suitable for those who wish to invest in cash wood crops such as teak plantations; however, it should be noted the investment must be made for a minimum of 10 years, and there are no guarantees on returns.

Benefits

In order to further encourage investment in reforestation, the Panamanian government has put in place various incentives:

Preferential loans

100% of the investment into reforestation is income tax deductible

Income tax exemption on all revenues derived from the commercialization of forest products

Import tax exemption on all goods and materials used for reforestation / forest plantations

Real estate tax exemption & transfer tax exemption for farms with half of total area dedicated to reforestation (minimum 200 hectares)

There are two types of visas under this category:

Reforestation Micro-Investor ($40,000)

Reforestation Macro-Investor ($80,000)

Reforestation Micro-Investor

To qualify as a Reforestation Micro-Investor, applicants must directly or indirectly invest a minimum of $40,000 USD (plus $4000 for each dependent) for at least 10 years in an certified reforestation project. Certification is granted by the Ministry of the Environment's Forestry Department.

Upon approval of the application, applicants will be issued a one-year, provisional residency visa, which can be renewed three times; after the fourth year, applicants can apply for permanent residency and eventual naturalization.

Reforestation Macro-Investor

To qualify as a Reforestation Macro-Investor, applicants must directly or indirectly invest a minimum of $80,000 USD (plus $4000 for each dependent) for at least 10 years in a certified reforestation project. Certification is granted by the Ministry of the Environment's Forestry Department.

Upon approval of the application, applicants will be issued a one-year, provisional residency visa, after which they can apply for permanent residency and eventual naturalization.

Documents Required:

• Certificate of Good Standing from the Public Registry for the Panama company or foreign company in which the investment has been made

• Certificate of Investment from the company in which the investment has been made

• Certificate of approval from the Ministry of the Environment

• Copy of share certificates in nominative form

• Copy of company's tax registration

• Deposit slip of investment

• Proof of reforestation activities

Applicant and dependents must also gather the following for the visa application:

• Good Health Medical Certificate from Panama

• Police report from the country where you have lived the last two years

• Copy of passport

• 4 Passport-sized photos

• Marriage certificate (for dependent spouse); must be official

• Birth certificate (for dependent children under 18 years of age)