PanamaCompany Incorporation Let Our Experts Take Care of Every Step

Everything needed to bring the company into existence and see it through its first year: name check, structure advice, due diligence, drafting and filing of the incorporation documents, the government fee, the statutory registers, digital copies of every document, and the resident agent and registered office for the first year. The Scope of Work section above lists every item; the higher packages add original certificates, apostille and further services.

Our packages start from US$1,499, which covers the government fee, our work and the first year of resident agent and registered office. The pricing section above shows what each package includes; from year two, renewal starts from US$1,099 a year. The figure we quote is the figure you pay.

Yes. The whole process is handled remotely: the initial conversation, the due diligence, the signing of documents and the filing. Nothing requires your presence, and no original document has to be posted to us before incorporation.

We send the documents with every signature point marked and a short note on how to sign each one. You print, sign by hand, scan and return them electronically. Where a document needs to be witnessed or notarised, we tell you in advance so nothing has to be redone.

For every director, shareholder and beneficial owner: a certified copy of a passport, a proof of address issued within the last three months, and a short description of the source of funds and professional background. Corporate shareholders provide their constitutional documents and registers. The Documents section above sets out the list and the certification rules, and an advisor checks each item with you before anything is submitted.

No. Due diligence on every person connected to the company is required by Panama's anti-money laundering law before anything can be filed, and it applies to every client without exception. What we can do is make it quick: one checklist, clear format guidance, and a review of each document as it arrives.

Tell us what the company is for and who is behind it, using the form below or by email. An advisor comes back with the structure we recommend, the exact document list and the full fee. If you decide to go ahead, we issue an invoice and begin the due diligence as soon as it is settled.

No. Expanship is a privately owned company. We are not a government agency, department, registry or regulator, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the Government of the Republic of Panama or the Public Registry of Panama. We advise you, prepare and coordinate your paperwork, and handle the incorporation on your behalf. Whether a company is approved, and when, is decided by those authorities alone.

Our own work: advice on the right structure, due diligence on every member, preparing and coordinating the incorporation paperwork, handling the incorporation on your behalf, and the first year of registered agent and registered office. The government fees are set by the Panama authorities, not by us, and are passed on at cost inside the package price.

Panama taxes on a territorial basis, so a corporation pays no Panamanian income tax, capital gains tax or withholding tax on income earned outside Panama. Income from Panamanian sources is taxable. Every corporation pays an annual franchise tax regardless of where it earns its income.

Partly. The directors, officers, resident agent and articles of incorporation are on the Public Registry and can be searched by anyone. Shareholders are not on any public record; the share register is kept privately. Beneficial ownership is reported to a private register at the Superintendency of Non-Financial Subjects, accessible only to the authorities.

A Panama corporation needs three directors, who also serve as President, Secretary and Treasurer. Two subscribers sign the articles of incorporation, after which all of the shares can be held by a single shareholder. Directors can be individuals or companies of any nationality and need not live in Panama; the same person can hold more than one office. Nominee directors are common where the owner prefers not to appear on the public record.

There is no minimum share capital prescribed. The standard authorised capital is US$10,000, divided into 100 shares, which keeps registration costs at the lowest band; it does not have to be paid in.

A Panama corporation can hold assets and investments, trade internationally, own property and ships, hold intellectual property and act as a holding company. Banking, insurance, trust, securities and similar activities require a licence from the relevant Panamanian regulator, and operating within Panama brings local tax and licensing obligations.

The name must end in Sociedad Anónima, S.A., Corporation, Corp., Incorporated or Inc., and it cannot duplicate or closely resemble an existing corporation. Words implying a bank, trust, insurer or government connection need approval. We check availability with the Public Registry before the deed is drafted.

Yes. Directors and shareholders can be anywhere, and meetings can be held by any means, including by proxy. Managing the corporation from your home country can make it tax resident there, which is worth confirming with a local adviser.

No office or staff in Panama are required. The law requires a resident agent, who must be a Panamanian lawyer or law firm, and a registered office, both included in your first year. Panama's economic substance rules (Law 526 of 2026, effective from fiscal year 2027) apply only to corporations that belong to a multinational group and earn foreign-source passive income; a corporation held directly by individuals is outside their scope.

There is no audit requirement and no accounts are filed publicly. Under Law 52 of 2016, as amended by Law 254 of 2021, every corporation must keep accounting records and supporting documents for at least five years, deliver them or a declaration of where they are kept to its resident agent by 30 April each year, and the resident agent reports onward to the tax authority by 15 July.

It is the fixed annual tax every Panama corporation pays to keep its corporate rights, currently US$300, due by 15 July for corporations registered between January and June and by 15 January for those registered between July and December. Late payment brings a US$50 surcharge and a US$300 fine, suspension of the corporation's rights after three consecutive unpaid periods, and removal from the Registry after ten. Our renewal packages include it.

The annual franchise tax is US$300 and is due by 15 July for corporations registered in the first half of the year and by 15 January for those registered in the second half. A surcharge applies from the day after, and the corporation's rights are suspended if it remains unpaid for three consecutive periods. Our renewal packages include it.

Panama has no annual return. The yearly obligations are the franchise tax and the accounting records requirement, under which the corporation delivers its records or a declaration of where they are held to the resident agent by 30 April, and the resident agent reports to the tax authority by 15 July.

Panama's economic substance regime is narrow. Law 526 of 2026, effective from fiscal year 2027, applies only to Panamanian corporations that are members of a multinational group and earn foreign-source passive income such as dividends, interest, royalties or capital gains; those corporations must show adequate staff, premises and decision-making in Panama or pay 15% on that income. A corporation owned directly by individuals with no related companies abroad is outside the regime, and its foreign income remains untaxed under the territorial system.

An unpaid franchise tax attracts a surcharge and fine, suspension of the corporation's rights after three consecutive unpaid periods, and removal from the Registry after ten. Failing the accounting records requirement is fined from US$5,000 and can lead to suspension too. We hold both dates so this does not arise.

Send us one email. Changes of directors or officers and amendments to the articles are executed as a notarised deed and filed at the Public Registry, which we arrange; a change of name follows the same route and the Public Registry issues an updated certificate. Share transfers are recorded privately in the share register. Most changes are completed within one to two weeks.

Renewal starts from US$1,099 a year and covers the government fee, the resident agent and registered office, the annual filings, secretarial work and the statutory records. The Compliance section above shows what each renewal package includes, and the full detail is on the compliance pricing page.

Yes. A corporation can change its resident agent, and Panamanian law allows a corporation to continue into another jurisdiction or a foreign company to continue into Panama. We handle either filing on request.