HI from PANAMA

[JOE_PANAMA]

My name is [MODERATOR EDIT] im a retire marine and we move to panama me and my wife Steph we found by mistake this forum last year and i always enter to read the topics this is my first post las year my friend from the marines eddy move to panama and since that day i was intersted in moving to somewhere out of the states where i can life with short money like in heaven with just less than 700 a month from my pension and we have a nice place here
..... if you need any help we have lots of contacts now of good and honest people that will treat you like locals well im here to make new friends
I love living in Panama!

We do have plans to buy more apartments here in the future , but we wanted to live here for a while and get
to know the area better before we purchased more.

The people here are very friendly, the infrastucture is excellent, and the scenery is beautiful.
There are a number of excellent restaurants (we've found some very good ones on the
Amador Causeway). We also feel right at home shopping at the local malls: Albrook,
MultiCentro, and... MultiPlaza Pacific, my favorite (and my husband's favorite too
because there's a very large hardware store in the mall).

We have excellent internet access here, and we have an "English speaking channels" cable
TV package (it's actually a bit odd watching CNN or FOX news now
that we don't live in the US anymore -- all the doom, gloom,and hysteria
going on back home seems very strange now, because everything's
so serene and laid-back around here).

The cost of living in Panama is cheaper than it was when we lived in America. And, our
standard of living is higher now, because our money goes much further. We are in the
Panama City area, which I suspect is one of the more expensive areas of the country because
it's a major metropolitan area. Still, it's cheaper to live here than it was when
we lived in Washington D.C. (and much safer too). My Spanish isn't very good; I'm still
learning. But, most of the time it's not a problem, because a lot of people here do speak
some English. We have encountered several people who only speak Spanish,
but we do OK because we can speak enough key phrases to get by (plus we carry a small
English-Spanish dictionary with us at all times, which can come in quite handy).The biggest
problem we ever had was when we called a large company and immediately got an
automated system (press 1 for this, press 2 for that, etc.) and they did not have any
options to get the message in English or a button to push to get an operator
right away. (We solved the problem by going directly to their office and doing business
face-to-face with a Panamanian employee of theirs who spoke English.)

I highly recommend Panama; it's a great place to live. We've been praising it so much that
now a friend of ours wants to move here too.
He's already gotten himself a plane ticket to come visit us for a week so he can see
everything for himself. We did the same thing before we committed to the move; we took a
2 week vacation here and quickly fell in love with the place. That's the smartest way to do it,
IMHO. Do lots of research on the net and all that of course (we did that too), but then come
to Panama and see the place for yourself to make sure it's right for you. At the very least you
will have a wonderful vacation.

[dex]

Thanks for posting

[Sam]

Welcome Joe.

Originally Posted by JOE_PANAMA

... somewhere out of the states where i can life with short money like in heaven with just less than 700 a month from my pension and we have a nice place here
.....

Please tell me more. That sounds extremely attrative. Recently, we got a new member reporting from the Dominican Republic at around 500/month. Several people here do it in Thailand with 1,000 to 2,000/month.

I've been traveling Mexico all the way to Belize, but have not had the chance to really experience Central America. Love to learn more about it before trying may be next year.

[JOE_PANAMA]

panama looks like miami florida is really safe

you can search online panama is the most safe country in latin america almost no crime very ....cheap and modern

here i found something i f you can find this on DR just let me know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgl9M...elated&search=

[MODERATOR EDIT]

[JOE_PANAMA]

The government of Panama has the best incentive program in the world for foreign retirees.

Some of the benefits are:

One-time importation duty exemption on all your personal and household goods up to $10,000.

Importation duty exemption of a car free of taxes every two years. (Other taxes do apply)

All foreigners ( not just retirees) who purchase a home of more than $200,000 have the right to a residency visa.

100% Property tax exemption for sole residence

The following benefits are for all retirees- both Foreign residents and Panamanian:

50% off closing costs for home loans.

25% off both international and domestic airline tickets.

50% off hotel accomodations Monday-Thursday

10% off prescription medicines ( which are inexpensive to begin with)

15% off dental and eye exams.

30% off bus, boat and train fares.

25% Restaurants

25% Airfares


15% Fast Food Restaurants

20% Doctor visits and Surgery


25% Monthly energy, phone and water bill

15% Optometry services

15% Dental

50% Hotel from Monday thru Thursday and 30% on weekends

50% off entertainment including movies, concerts, sporting events and theater everyday. ( This means for example, a movie ticket will cost you $2. And Panamanian cinemas receive American movies about the same time they come out in the States.)

In Panama all banks (mandated by law) have special express lines for Retirees.

And don’t forget, you can hire a full time maid for less than $200 a month. That is probably the most helpful “retiree benefit”.

No doubt about it- Panama is the most Retiree-Friendly country in the world.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by JOE_PANAMA

...
All foreigners ( not just retirees) who purchase a home of more than $200,000 have the right to a residency visa.

...
No doubt about it- Panama is the most Retiree-Friendly country in the world.

2 questions:

What's the advantage of the residency visa?

What's considered a Retiree? Age, lack of employment, both, or what?

[JOE_PANAMA]

in answer to your cuestions SAM

you can retire in panama even if you 18 yrs old you only have bring a letter from a bank or goverment or private institution tha you have enough to recive 500 a month or 600 in case that you are married

from a pension
or your bank accounts
or private pensions or enough money to support you
i just gave all my pappers to my lawyer and i forgot about it after 1 month i recive a call from him to go and collect my visa as a legal panamaniam

here is what you need no more than this

Power of attorney
Complete copy of passport
Letter certifying applicant condition as a retiree and amount earned per month. If it is a private entity, proof of its existence must be supplied.
Photographs, carnet size
Marriage certificate (in case that you are married)
Once the visa petition is filed before the Immigration and Naturalization Directorate, a provisional residence permit, valid for a five year period will be granted to the applicants i recived my pensionado visa in one month right after i got my condo

[martyb]

Hey Joe.....you forgot to mention the fantastic fishing down there in Panama!!! I've never fished offshore. but one of my best buds lived in Nuevo Emperador for about 10 yrs and worked at Howard AFB while it was still ours. I flew down to Panama to visit him for a couple of weeks in ;98 & we fished Gatun Lake & the Canal almost everyday. I caught Peacock bass till I thought my arms would fall off! Man I had a GREAT time in Panama. I only wish my wife was interested in moving down there when I retire in about 5 more yrs, I'd be all over it! You truly have picked a great place to retire! Best wishes.

Marty