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1. Start here: Panama

Start here if you are new to Panama. This section maps the legal gateways a foreign investor crosses: equal treatment and free repatriation under Ley 54 de 1998 in an economy where the balboa is at par with the US dollar, forming a sociedad anónima under Ley 32 de 1927 with a resident agent and beneficial ownership record, the Aviso de Operación, the headline tax and social security figures, a first 90 days plan, the compliance calendar, the agencies that matter, a reform tracker and a glossary, each tied to the official text. Panama has no tax treaty with Argentina; the Argentine side of cross border questions is covered in The Argentine Thread guide.

Investor view. A dollarized economy, free repatriation by law, a territorial 25 percent tax system and simple company formation make Panama an easy place to start and scale a regional business.

• Start here: the legal gateways every foreign investor crosses in PanamaPanama gives foreign investors the same rights as nationals and guarantees free repatriation of capital, dividends, interest and profits, in an economy where the balboa is at par with the US dollar an
• The first 90 days in Panama: from the pacto social to the first monthly filingsSetting up in Panama is a short sequence: sign and authenticate the pacto social, protocolize and register it, let the resident agent record the beneficial owners within 15 business days, file the Avi
• Tax and compliance calendar for a company in PanamaA Panamanian operating company files ITBMS and stamp tax monthly within 15 calendar days after each month and deposits tax withheld on payments abroad within ten days. Each year it files its income ta
• Who regulates what in Panama: a map of agencies for investorsTaxes sit with the Dirección General de Ingresos of the Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, customs with the Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas, and companies with the Registro Público, which collects the f
• Reform tracker: what changed in Panamanian business law in 2025 and 2026 and what starts in 2027Already in force: the Caja de Seguro Social reform of March 2025, the oral Código Procesal Civil from 11 October 2025, the dissolution of suspended companies that began on 27 February 2026 and the Aug
• Panama business and legal glossary: Spanish terms explained in EnglishPanamanian law uses Spanish terms that have no exact English equivalent: the pacto social and junta directiva of a sociedad anónima, the tasa única, the agente residente and the beneficiario final. Ta

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