Panama
Phone Code
+507
Capital
Panama City
Population
4.4 Million
Native Name
Panamá
Region
Americas
Central America
Timezone
Eastern Standard Time (North America
UTC-05:00
On This Page
Panama is the bridge between the Americas — a 75,000-square-kilometre Central American republic of around 4.4 million people, bordering Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east, with coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean separated by the 80-kilometre Panama Canal. The canal, opened in 1914 after the United States completed what the French had begun in the 1880s, still moves around 6 percent of world maritime trade and was expanded with a third set of locks in 2016 to handle Neopanamax vessels. Panama City — population around 1.5 million in the metropolitan area — is one of the few capitals where modern banking towers, a UNESCO-listed Spanish colonial old town (Casco Viejo) and a working canal terminal sit within sight of each other. Spanish is the official language, the United States dollar circulates alongside the Panamanian Balboa at fixed parity, and the country has long been one of Latin America's most cosmopolitan thanks to canal-era migration from across the world. Beyond the capital, Panama opens out into a country of dramatic biodiversity — more bird species than the US and Canada combined, with the Darién rainforest east of the canal as one of the planet's last great wildernesses — plus the Caribbean San Blas (Guna Yala) archipelago of 365 islands governed autonomously by the indigenous Guna people, the Bocas del Toro Caribbean archipelago near the Costa Rican border, the Pacific surf coast, and the Boquete cloud-forest highlands at 1,200 metres where the country's prized Geisha coffee is grown. The Pensionado retirement-visa programme has made Panama one of the world's most popular foreign-retirement destinations.
Visa Requirements for Panama
Panama is one of the most accessible countries in Latin America for visa-free tourism. Citizens of around ninety countries — including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the entire European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and most of South America — enter without an advance visa for tourist stays of 90 to 180 days depending on nationality (US, EU and most Western passports typically receive 180 days). The passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the planned stay (six months is the safer benchmark), a return or onward ticket and proof of around USD 500 in funds may be requested at immigration. The main international entry point is Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City. Travellers from countries on the visa list apply for an Authorized Stay Visa (Visa Estampada) at the Panamanian consulate responsible for their place of residence — processing typically 5–15 working days. Two long-stay programmes have made Panama unusually attractive for foreign residents: the Pensionado visa (lifetime residence for retirees with at least USD 1,000 in monthly pension income) and the Friendly Nations visa (residence for citizens of around 50 countries with economic or professional ties to Panama). Panama uses the US dollar at par with the Panamanian Balboa, so no currency exchange is required for USD-holders.
Common Visa Types
Visa-Free Tourist Entry (90–180 Days)
Tourism, business, family visits and short courses for citizens of around ninety visa-exempt countries — including the US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most of South America.
Authorized Stay Visa (Visa Estampada)
Tourism, business or transit for nationalities outside the visa-free list, applied for in advance through the Panamanian consulate.
Pensionado Visa (Retiree Residence)
Lifetime residence for retirees with guaranteed monthly pension income, granting wide-ranging discounts on services and air travel.
Friendly Nations Visa
Two-year temporary residence for citizens of around 50 countries with economic or professional ties to Panama, convertible to permanent after two years.
Important Travel Information
Travel Guide
Panama rewards travellers who like geographically compressed contrast: a single 80-kilometre canal links the Caribbean and the Pacific, and a single short flight from Panama City reaches either jungle, indigenous archipelago, mountain coffee country or surf coast. Panama City is the obvious base — its Casco Viejo Spanish colonial old town (founded 1673 after pirates destroyed Panama Viejo) was UNESCO-listed in 1997 and has become one of the most photogenic restored quarters in Latin America, with rooftop bars, boutique hotels in former tenements, and the Panama Canal Museum. The Miraflores Locks visitor centre, twenty minutes from the city, lets you watch container ships rise eighty-five feet through the original 1914 locks; the Agua Clara visitor centre on the Caribbean side shows the 2016 Neopanamax expansion. Beyond the canal, Panama opens fast: the San Blas (Guna Yala) archipelago of 365 Caribbean islands is governed autonomously by the indigenous Guna people and reachable via 30-minute small-aircraft flights from Panama City to thatched-cabin islands; Bocas del Toro on the western Caribbean is the country's backpacker hub with surf, snorkel and Afro-Caribbean culture; the Boquete cloud-forest highlands at 1,200 metres host Volcán Barú (Panama's highest peak — the only spot in the country where you can see both oceans on a clear morning) and produce the country's prized Geisha coffee; and the Pacific surf coast around Santa Catalina draws board-riders. The Darién rainforest east of the canal is one of the planet's last great wildernesses but should be visited only with professional operators because of border-region security concerns.
Ways to Experience This Destination
The Miraflores Locks visitor centre lets you watch container ships rise 85 feet through the original 1914 locks; Agua Clara on the Caribbean side shows the 2016 Neopanamax expansion. Partial transit cruises (4–6 hours) and full-day full transits are offered by Pacific Queen, Panama Marine Adventures and the Panama Canal Authority. The Panama Canal Museum in Casco Viejo gives the historical context — French failure (1881–89), US construction (1904–14), 1999 handover.
Casco Viejo is Panama's UNESCO-listed Spanish colonial old town, founded 1673 after pirates destroyed Panama Viejo. Restored over the past two decades into one of Latin America's most photogenic quarters: rooftop bars, boutique hotels in former tenements, San José Church's golden altar, Plaza de Independencia, Teatro Nacional. Panama City's modern Marbella and Punta Pacífica districts add the financial-centre skyline.
The San Blas archipelago — officially Guna Yala — comprises 365 Caribbean islands, 49 of them inhabited, governed autonomously by the indigenous Guna people since 1938. Thatched-cabin overnight stays on small islands, Guna village visits, and turquoise-water island-hopping. Reached by 30-minute small-aircraft flights from Panama City to airstrips at El Porvenir or Cartí. Cash-only (USD), basic facilities, no resorts — the indigenous community caps tourism deliberately.
Bocas del Toro is Panama's western Caribbean archipelago near the Costa Rican border, a backpacker and surfer hub anchored on Isla Colón with Afro-Caribbean Creole culture, thatched water-bungalows and reef-protected snorkel beaches. Surf breaks at Bluff Beach, Paunch and Silverbacks; island-hopping to Red Frog Beach, Zapatilla Cays, Dolphin Bay. Reached by short flight from Panama City or 10-hour bus to Almirante plus water taxi.
Boquete sits at 1,200 metres in the Chiriquí highlands, with cloud forests, coffee plantations and a large North American expat community drawn by the Pensionado visa. Volcán Barú (3,475 m), Panama's highest peak, is the only spot in the country where both oceans are visible on a clear morning — a 6–8 hour pre-dawn hike. Coffee tours at Café Ruiz, Kotowa, Hacienda La Esmeralda (Geisha origin); Los Quetzales Trail in the cloud forest.
Panama records more bird species than the US and Canada combined — over 970 — and protects roughly a third of its territory. Soberanía National Park, twenty minutes from Panama City, hosts the Pipeline Road birdwatching trail; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Barro Colorado Island offers regulated rainforest visits in the canal lake; Coiba National Park on the Pacific is a UNESCO marine reserve with whale-shark and humpback-whale seasons. The Darién rainforest east of the canal is one of the planet's last great wildernesses, accessible only with professional operators.
Money & Currency
US Dollar (USD) / Balboa (PAB)
Currency code: PAB
Practical Money Tips
US Dollar (USD) and Panamanian Balboa (PAB) — both circulate simultaneously at a fixed 1:1 parity; PAB coins and USD bills are interchangeable; no need to exchange USD; EUR and GBP exchange at Banco Nacional de Panamá, Banistmo, BAC Credomatic, Global Bank branches and exchange offices at Tocumen International Airport; one of Latin America's most developed banking systems
Panama uses both the US Dollar (USD) and the Panamanian Balboa (PAB) simultaneously — they are at a permanent 1:1 parity. In practice, USD bills are used everywhere; PAB coins exist alongside US coins. There is no need to exchange USD before arriving. EUR and GBP exchange readily at bank branches and exchange offices in Panama City: Banco Nacional de Panamá, Banistmo (subsidiary of HSBC), BAC Credomatic, Global Bank, Caja de Ahorros, and Scotiabank all offer reliable exchange. Tocumen International Airport has exchange facilities on both arrival and departure levels. Panama has one of the most developed banking systems in Latin America, hosting numerous international banks in its financial centre.
ATMs exceptionally abundant — Banconal, Banistmo, BAC Credomatic, Scotiabank, Global Bank, Caja de Ahorros, Multi Credit Bank throughout Panama City, Colón, David, Boquete, Bocas del Toro; Miraflores Locks area has ATMs; remote areas (Darién, Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, San Blas islands) very limited; withdraw USD before islands or jungle trips
ATMs are exceptionally abundant throughout Panama — one of the best-banked countries in Central America. Banconal (Banco Nacional de Panamá), Banistmo, BAC Credomatic, Scotiabank, Global Bank, and Caja de Ahorros have ATMs throughout Panama City (Marbella, El Cangrejo, Paitilla, Casco Viejo, Albrook Mall), David, Boquete, Colón, and major Chiriquí towns. Bocas del Toro has ATMs on Isla Colón. The San Blas (Kuna Yala) islands, Darién jungle, and remote Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé have no or very few ATMs — cash USD essential.
Excellent card infrastructure in Panama City — Visa and Mastercard at virtually all hotels, restaurants, malls (Multiplaza, Albrook, Multicentro), and services in Panama City; Apple Pay and Google Pay work at modern merchants; Casco Viejo boutiques and restaurants accept cards; cash preferred in rural areas, San Blas islands, and small towns; 10% service charge often auto-added
Panama City has exceptional card acceptance — one of the best in Latin America. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at virtually all hotels (from boutique to international chains), restaurants, malls (Multiplaza Pacific, Albrook Mall, Multicentro, Altaplaza), tour operators, and services. Apple Pay and Google Pay work at modern merchants and many restaurants in Panama City, particularly in Marbella, Bella Vista, and upscale Casco Viejo. Outside the capital, Boquete, David, and Santa Catalina have reasonable card acceptance. San Blas islands, Darién, and rural communities are primarily cash-only. Note: 10% restaurant service charge is often automatically added — check before adding extra tip.
Moderately priced: mid-range hotel Panama City USD 70–150/night; Casco Viejo boutique hotel USD 100–250/night; restaurant main course USD 10–25; Miraflores Locks visitor centre USD 20; San Blas island package USD 80–150/day per person; mule-guided Darién trek from USD 200/day; tipping 10% at restaurants (often auto-added)
Panama City is moderately priced for an international financial hub. Mid-range hotel in Panama City (El Cangrejo, Marbella): USD 70–150/night. Casco Viejo boutique hotel: USD 100–250/night. Luxury hotel (Trump Ocean Club, JW Marriott): USD 200–500/night. Restaurant main course in a mid-range Panama City restaurant: USD 10–25. Local comida corriente (set lunch): USD 4–8. Miraflores Locks visitor centre: USD 20. Panama Canal Transit day cruise: USD 150–300. San Blas islands package (accommodation + meals + boat): USD 80–150/day. Boquete coffee farm tour: USD 25–45. Tipping: 10% service is often auto-added in Panama City restaurants — check the bill. For guides, USD 5–10/day is standard.
Note: Always check current exchange rates before traveling. Currency exchange is available at airports, banks, and authorized money changers.
Cities with missions
Where this country maintains embassies or consulates
Explore different regions and their cities.
Embassies in Panama
These foreign embassies and consulates are based here. Choose a mission to open its in-depth guide and contact details.
Key origin countries
All countries by continent
Need help checking visa requirements or applying for Panama?
Apply for Panama visa