Work In Panama

As a foreign resident looking to work in Panama, your options for local employment are limited. Foreign residents are restricted from participating in certain industries.

You can’t become a licensed real estate agent, until you have been a legal resident for five years and have passed the Spanish real estate broker’s exam.

As an expat, you are also unable to practice medicine or law. Also, retail is another sector which foreigners are not allowed to work in  Panama.

You wont be able to act as an official translator, however some expats have found side jobs doing the translating for offices and receive cash payments.

To begin working in Panama you will need to find an employer willing to sponsor you and arrange for your work visa. As competition is high for many positions, there are restrictions on the percentage of foreigners a Panamanian company may hire (generally 10%).

Exceptions do exist for technical positions and temporary situations. According to Panamanian law, only 10% of employees in a company can be foreign. However, there are exceptions.

For example, if a company requires specialized staff that is not readily available in the labor force in Panama, it is permitted to hire technical or specialized staff.

In this case, foreign employees still can’t exceed 15% of all the company’s employees.