Panama entry requirements, by passport
Panama visa requirements at a glance: 115 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Panama without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 83 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Panama for your nationality.
What we've verified for Panama
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 18 August 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Required documents (4)
- Money you need to show on entry
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: migracion.gob.pa (National Immigration Service: entry requirements, entry/exit card, USD 500 proof of funds, 90-day maximum stay); panamadigital.gob.pa (Traveler's Sworn Health Declaration, mandatory health form); ana.gob.pa and declaraciondeviajero.ana.gob.pa (National Customs Authority: USD 10,000 cash declaration, USD 500 baggage allowance every 6 months) (checked 18/08/2026). Passport validity: migracion.gob.pa (National Immigration Service FAQ, entry requirements for visitors), checked 31 October 2026.
Panama sets its entry regime by nationality: most passports from the Americas and Western Europe enter visa-free for up to 90 days, while other nationalities need a prior consular visa. The National Immigration Service requires proof of at least $500 in economic solvency (cash, credit card, bank reference, or an employment letter), on top of the passport and, if required, the entry visa.
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2 November 2026. Published: 20 August 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Andorra | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Armenia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Austria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bahamas | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Barbados | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Belarus | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Belgium | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Belize | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bhutan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bolivia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Botswana | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brunei | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bulgaria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cambodia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Colombia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Comoros | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Croatia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cyprus | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Czech Republic | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Denmark | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Dominica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ecuador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Estonia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Fiji | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Finland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| France | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Germany | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Greece | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Grenada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guyana | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hong Kong | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hungary | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Iceland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ireland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Italy | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Jamaica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Japan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Kiribati | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Kuwait | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Latvia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Liechtenstein | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Lithuania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Luxembourg | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Madagascar | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Maldives | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malta | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Marshall Islands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mauritius | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mexico | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Micronesia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Moldova | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Monaco | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mongolia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Montenegro | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Namibia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nauru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Netherlands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nicaragua | Visa-free | 90 days |
| North Macedonia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Norway | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Palau | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Poland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Portugal | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Qatar | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Romania | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Russia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saint Lucia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Samoa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| San Marino | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Serbia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Seychelles | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovakia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Slovenia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Solomon Islands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Africa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Spain | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Sweden | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Taiwan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Thailand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Tonga | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Turkey | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Tuvalu | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ukraine | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 180 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Vanuatu | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Vatican | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Vietnam | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa required | — |
| Albania | Visa required | — |
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Angola | Visa required | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa required | — |
| Bahrain | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Benin | Visa required | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa required | — |
| Burundi | Visa required | — |
| Cameroon | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa required | — |
| Chad | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Djibouti | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| DR Congo | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Eritrea | Visa required | — |
| Eswatini | Visa required | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa required | — |
| Gabon | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Georgia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa required | — |
| Haiti | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Iran | Visa required | — |
| Iraq | Visa required | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kazakhstan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Kosovo | Visa required | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa required | — |
| Laos | Visa required | — |
| Lebanon | Visa required | — |
| Lesotho | Visa required | — |
| Liberia | Visa required | — |
| Libya | Visa required | — |
| Macao | Visa required | — |
| Malawi | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Mauritania | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Mozambique | Visa required | — |
| Myanmar | Visa required | — |
| Nepal | Visa required | — |
| Niger | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| North Korea | Visa required | — |
| Oman | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Palestine | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | — |
| Rwanda | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa required | — |
| Somalia | Visa required | — |
| South Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Suriname | Visa required | — |
| Syria | Visa required | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa required | — |
| Tanzania | Visa required | — |
| Timor-Leste | Visa required | — |
| Togo | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa required | — |
| Uganda | Visa required | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa required | — |
| Venezuela | Visa required | — |
| Yemen | Visa required | — |
| Zambia | Visa required | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa required | — |
Panama rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
How much money you need to show
At least 500 balboas (US$500), and more for a long stay
The amount has to match the length of stay you declare and can never be under 500. Under-18s do not need to show it.
Source: National Migration Service of Panama, frequently asked questions. Checked on 1 November 2026.
Vaccinations
- No mandatory vaccines for entering Panama. The yellow fever vaccine is recommended for travellers over 9 months of age visiting mainland Panama east of the Canal (the Emberá and Guna Yala comarcas, Darién province and areas of Colón and Panamá east of the Canal); it is not recommended for Panama City, the Canal zone, the Pearl Islands or San Blas.
Customs limits
- Cash
- Declare to the National Customs Authority if entering with USD 10,000 or more in cash, financial instruments, or equivalent valuables.
- Alcohol
- The National Customs Authority’s official allowance is value-based: up to US$500, once every six months. Travel sources additionally cite, without full agreement, a personal-use margin of around 5 litres of alcoholic beverages (or 3 bottles) per adult; best confirmed with the ANA (ana.gob.pa).
- Tobacco
- The ANA does not publish a specific cigarette limit; the general value-based allowance (US$500) applies. Travel sources cite a personal-use margin of around 500 g of tobacco (or 200 cigarettes) per adult, unconfirmed against the ANA.
Overstay penalties
Commonly cited fine of USD 50 per month of overstay, payable before being allowed to leave the country (boarding is refused if unpaid); may come with a separate immigration regularisation process. Figure not confirmed against the current official text of the Servicio Nacional de Migración, only against secondary sources that cite it consistently.
Grounds for refusal
- Failing to show financial solvency: proof of means of support for the length of stay is required, and it may not be less than 500 balboas. Under-18s are exempt from showing it.
- Holding a passport or travel document with less than 3 months of validity.
- Not holding a confirmed booking to leave the country within the established period.
- Needing a visa and not holding one, or having a recorded entry impediment.
- Not meeting the health rules laid down by the Ministry of Health.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
If your country isn't listed, try IATI's international site.
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Do you need a different visa for Panama City, Bocas del Toro, or David?
No. Panama sets the requirements, so entering through Panama City asks for the same as entering through Bocas del Toro or David. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to Panama
Panama fits almost entirely into a few days, and everything happens near the capital. The Canal: with the Miraflores Visitor Centre to watch ships transit: is the must-see; its expanded locks and the colonial trans-isthmian route are part of the World Heritage listing. In Panama City, the colonial-street Casco Antiguo and the ruins of Panamá Viejo, the first European settlement on the American Pacific, are both World Heritage. Outside the city, the Caribbean archipelago of San Blas (Guna Yala), the mountain valley of Boquete (coffee and quetzals) and the remote Darién park, also World Heritage. Panama has 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites. A week covers the Canal, the capital and San Blas or Boquete. The dry season (December-April) is best; the rest of the year it rains in the afternoon.
Sources for this section: tourismpanama.com (Panama Tourism Authority); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 5 sites in Panama); UK FCDO travel advice for Panama. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in Panama
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Seeing the featured activities here needs advertising cookies. In the meantime, you can open them directly:
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Where can Panama passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.