Countries › Panama › Guide › 13. Regulation › Consumer protection in Panama: ACODECO, price display, warranties, door to door sales and the 2027 pricing changes

Consumer protection in Panama: ACODECO, price display, warranties, door to door sales and the 2027 pricing changes

Last verified: 2026-10-29 · Status: Changing

Ley 45 de 2007 sets consumer rights and supplier duties enforced by ACODECO: clear cash prices, honoured advertised prices, warranties with 30 day repair or replace duties, and a 3 business day cooling off right for door to door sales. Fines reach B/.25,000 (B/.50,000 where health is at risk), and ACODECO decides consumer claims up to B/.5,000 (B/.30,000 for vehicles). New rules on all inclusive prices and sale pricing (Ley 473 de 2025) start on 1 July 2027.

Panama's currency, the balboa (B/.), is at par with the US dollar, which circulates as legal tender; the Superintendencia de Bancos states that the balboa's value is on a par with the US dollar (checked 29 October 2026). USD figures therefore equal the balboa figures.

Key facts

Maximum fine for consumer protection breaches	25000 PABLey 45 de 2007 art. 104 num. 3, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Maximum fine for consumer breaches affecting health	50000 PABLey 45 de 2007 art. 104 num. 5, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Consumer authority claim limit (general)	5000 PABLey 45 de 2007 art. 115 per Ley 14 de 2018, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Cooling off period for door to door sales	3 business daysLey 45 de 2007 art. 71, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
Minimum new vehicle warranty	1 year or 30,000 km textLey 45 de 2007 art. 47 per Ley 14 de 2018, as of 2026-10-29 · in force
All inclusive price display (Ley 473 de 2025)	From 1 July 2027 textLey 531 de 2026 art. 1, as of 2026-10-29 · pending

The rule

1. Consumers have the rights listed in art. 35, including being heard individually or collectively, receiving effective compensation for damage attributable to the supplier, and protection against false or misleading advertising.Ley 45 de 2007 as amended by Ley 14 de 2018, art. 35 nums. 5, 7 and 8, 2018-02-21 official text · verified 2026-10-29

2. Suppliers must accept legal tender coins and notes of any denomination without asking for the consumer's ID and give exact change.Ley 45 de 2007 as amended by Ley 34 de 2016, art. 36 num. 2, 2016-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-29

3. Current price rule: the cash price must be displayed clearly and visibly; the supplier must charge exactly the advertised or marked price and, if two prices are marked, the lower one. Only financing costs, legal taxes and fees, and non inherent extra charges may be added; tips are voluntary and may only be suggested if the invoice shows the total with taxes and the suggested tip separately.Ley 45 de 2007 as amended by Ley 34 de 2016, art. 56, 2016-08-03 official text · verified 2026-10-29

4. From 1 July 2027, art. 56 requires the total cash price including all taxes and national fees to be displayed in every establishment or sales channel, and art. 64 requires sale items to show the lowest price charged in the previous three months next to the new sale price.Ley 473 de 19 de junio de 2025, as amended by Ley 531 de 18 de junio de 2026, Ley 473 arts. 1, 2 and 5; Ley 531 art. 1, 2026-06-18 official text · verified 2026-10-29 · changed: Ley 473 de 2025 rewrote arts. 56 and 64 of Ley 45 with entry into force one year after promulgation (June 2026); Ley 531 de 18 June 2026 moved its entry into force to 1 July 2027.

5. Warranty: if a product fails within the warranty period because of a defect, the supplier must repair or replace it within 30 days of the claim, or replace it or refund if repair is impossible. For motor vehicles and sophisticated technology the term is up to 105 calendar days; past 60 days the supplier must lend a similar vehicle, and past 105 days it must replace the vehicle with a new one.Ley 45 de 2007 as amended by Ley 14 de 2018, art. 46, 2018-02-21 official text · verified 2026-10-29

6. Suppliers of new motor vehicles must give a minimum warranty of one year or 30,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.Ley 45 de 2007 as amended by Ley 14 de 2018, art. 47, 2018-02-21 official text · verified 2026-10-29

7. In door to door sales of goods, the consumer may revoke acceptance within three business days from delivery or contract, whichever is later, at no cost; return costs are borne by the supplier. The right cannot be waived.Ley 45 de 2007, art. 71, 2007-10-31 official text · verified 2026-10-29

8. ACODECO decides consumer complaints concurrently with the courts up to B/.5,000, or B/.30,000 for motor vehicle claims; two municipal courts in Panama City and one in Colón hear claims within the same limits.Ley 45 de 2007 as amended by Ley 14 de 2018, arts. 115 and 127, 2018-02-21 official text · verified 2026-10-29

9. Fines: from warnings up to B/.25,000 for breaches of consumer rules; up to B/.50,000 where the breach affects or may affect human health; up to B/.10,000 where no specific sanction exists. For repeat offenders ACODECO may ask the Ministry of Commerce to cancel the commercial licence.
Example: A retailer that charges more than the shelf price faces up to B/.25,000 per sanction. / Up to US$25,000; up to US$50,000 if the product endangers health.Ley 45 de 2007, art. 104 nums. 3 to 5, 2007-10-31 official text · verified 2026-10-29

10. Consumer claims prescribe five years after the consumer relationship is concluded, or from knowledge of the harm for hidden defects and defective product liability.Ley 45 de 2007, art. 108, 2007-10-31 official text · verified 2026-10-29

Worked example

A customer buys a B/.900 (US$900) laptop that fails in month four of a one year warranty: the store has 30 days from the claim to repair or replace, and if repair is impossible must replace it or refund B/.900.
A B/.4,000 (US$4,000) furniture dispute can go to ACODECO; a B/.25,000 (US$25,000) car claim also can, under the B/.30,000 vehicle limit.

Step by step

Check shelf, online and app prices against art. 56 and plan the switch to tax inclusive pricing by 1 July 2027.
Keep three months of price history per item to support sale prices under the new art. 64.
Set warranty workflows with 30 day (or 105 day for vehicles) clocks.
Use a pro forma with the art. 68 data and a revocation notice for door to door sales.

Common traps

The lower of two marked prices binds the seller.
Ley 473 de 2025 does not apply yet: its entry into force was postponed to 1 July 2027 by Ley 531 de 2026, so displays can change once more before then if the law is amended again.
Tips cannot be added automatically unless the service was pre contracted with a set tip.

Sources

← Cartels and abuse of dominance in Panama: absolute and relative monopolistic practices, fines up to B/.1,000,000 and treble damagesPersonal data protection in Panama: Ley 81 de 2019, ANTAI enforcement, 72 hour breach notice and cross border transfers →

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