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The balboa equals the US dollar 1:1 — no currency risk

PPT-6
"10% ordinary staff" category

An employment contract certified by MITRADEL and a salary from B/.850/month — this is the US dollar, pegged 1:1. An initial 2-year permit, then a path to permanent residence.

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Salary from
$850/mo
Initial term
2 years
Path to permanent residence
via PPRT-6
Currency risk
none (1 B/. = $1)

The "10%" category — what it means

Panamanian labour law reserves part of the workforce for local staff; foreigners are hired within an official quota that varies by position category.

CATEGORY
SALARY
WHAT TO KNOW
10% ordinary staff (PPT-6)
SALARYfrom $850/mo
The standard quota for rank-and-file positions — the most common route for foreign employees.
15% technical staff
SALARYnot officially confirmed
The existence of a separate quota for technical specialists is not confirmed by a direct fetch — it requires separate verification.

What the process consists of

There is no currency risk in the calculation — the balboa is officially pegged to the US dollar 1:1, so the dollar amount does not fluctuate.

COST ITEM
RATE
APPLIES TO
Work permit fee (MITRADEL)
RATE~$250–350
per applicant
Residence permit fee (Migración)
RATE~$250
per applicant
Country-exit deposit (if required)
RATE~$800–1,000
per applicant

How the process runs

01
Job offer from a Panamanian employer
The employer offers a position within the 10% ordinary-staff category.
02
Contract certification at MITRADEL
The Labour Ministry reviews and certifies the contract — a mandatory step before filing for residence.
03
Filing for the work and residence permit
The document package is filed simultaneously with Migración and MITRADEL.
04
Receiving the 2-year permit
The initial permit is issued for 2 years, tied to a specific employer and position.
05
Filing for permanent residence (PPRT-6)
After the initial term expires, the holder can apply for permanent status.

A good fit if

You have a job offer from a Panamanian employer for a position in the "10% ordinary staff" category.
The contract salary is at least $850/mo (= B/.850, the balboa is pegged to the dollar 1:1).
You want to avoid currency risk in your calculations — the Panamanian currency is officially equal to the US dollar.
You accept that the technical-staff quota and the rules on changing employer are not officially confirmed in the available research and need separate verification before deciding.

A poor fit if

You have no specific job offer — PPT-6 requires actual employment, not a speculative application.
The salary is below $850/mo — the threshold for the "10% ordinary staff" category is set at exactly this level.
The role is technical staff requiring the separate 15% quota — this aspect of the programme is not officially confirmed by a direct fetch and needs clarification before filing.
You need guaranteed certainty on changing employer without losing status — this detail is not confirmed by an official source in the available research.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

No matching firms in the directory for this category yet — the list is curated by hand and grows over time.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Why isn’t there data on the technical-staff quota?

Because the 15% quota for technical specialists is mentioned only in secondary sources — a direct fetch of the official mitradel.gob.pa site could not confirm this point (the site was unreachable for verification). The site does not present unverified details as fact.

Why is there no currency risk in the calculation?

Panama’s currency, the balboa (PAB), is officially and practically equal to the US dollar 1:1, and the dollar circulates freely in the country as a parallel currency. The dollar figure shown requires no exchange-rate conversion.

What does the "10% category" mean?

Panamanian labour law reserves a share of jobs for citizens; foreigners can hold up to 10% of a company’s rank-and-file positions under the standard PPT-6 category.

Can I change employer without losing status?

This aspect is not officially confirmed in the available research — it requires separate verification before deciding to change jobs on this status.

How long is the initial permit valid?

2 years, tied to the specific employer and position stated in the MITRADEL-certified contract.

What happens after 2 years?

The holder can apply for permanent status (PPRT-6) — permanent residence without needing to renew the temporary permit.

Sources

Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá — official site (the PPT-6/PPT-7 PDF was read in full by a background research agent)↗

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 26 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.