If a multinational headquartered in Panama hired you, you do not apply for an ordinary work permit: your employer files an SEM visa for you with the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), and after five years you can apply for permanent residence with the National Migration Service. Using the official requirement sheets, this guide explains which documents to gather, in what order, and what to check before filing.

In short

  • The SEM visa is filed by the employer (which holds a Multinational Company Headquarters license) on your behalf, at the MICI.
  • The permanent-staff visa lasts five years and can be extended, according to the MICI.
  • Permanent residence can be requested once five years have passed since the visa was approved.
  • Foreign documents must be apostilled or authenticated and, if not in Spanish, translated by an authorized public translator.

What an SEM is and why it matters to you

SEM stands for Sede de Empresa Multinacional (Multinational Company Headquarters). It is the special regime of Law 41 of 2007, as later amended, for companies that set up their regional headquarters in Panama. The MICI states that the permanent-staff visa gives you the right to work in Panama while you work for the company holding the SEM license.

In practice, your employer must hold a valid license. One of the documents in the procedure is a certification from the Technical Secretariat of the Licensing Commission confirming it.

The visas available to staff

According to the MICI:

VisaWho it is forDuration
SEM permanent staffForeign staff of the SEM and their dependentsFive years, extendable for the same period, unless the employment contract is shorter
SEM temporary staffStaff providing technical or training services to the SEMUp to three months, with one extension of three more months

Documents for the permanent-staff visa

The MICI’s official sheet (TMS-DC-001, revised November 1, 2017) asks for:

  1. Power of attorney and application, granted by the SEM’s legal representative and by you.
  2. Three passport-size photos (not photocopies).
  3. A complete copy of your passport, checked against the original by a Panamanian notary or accompanied by the certification of the relevant diplomatic representation.
  4. A criminal record certificate from your country of origin or residence. If you have lived in Panama for two years or more and have not left for more than 30 consecutive days, you may submit the one issued by the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ), together with your migratory movement record.
  5. A health certificate, from a licensed doctor in Panama, no more than three months old.
  6. A sworn statement of personal background, provided by the National Migration Service, fully completed and signed.
  7. An employment and responsibility letter from the company, with a notarized signature. It must state your name, job title in Spanish, length of contract, duties, salary, the source of the salary, the insurance that will cover you and your family, and that the company takes responsibility for repatriation if necessary.
  8. A medical insurance policy, group or individual.
  9. A certification from the Technical Secretariat of the SEM Licensing Commission.

For an extension, the same documents are required, except the criminal record certificate, together with a copy of the card that approved the visa.

If you bring your family: the dependent visa

Your partner and children apply for the dependent-of-permanent-staff visa (sheet TMS-DC-004). In addition to the items above for each person, the MICI asks for:

  • Proof of relationship: marriage certificate, your or your children’s birth certificates, or a court document of guardianship or custody.
  • For couples who have lived together for at least five years in a stable, exclusive relationship: a certification from the SEM’s legal representative and a sworn statement from both partners before a Panamanian notary.
  • A letter of responsibility from you toward your dependents, with their names and family relationship.
  • Proof of address during the stay: a utility bill, lease, or hotel reservation.
  • Adult children under 25: certification of full-time or regular studies, and a certification or sworn statement of being single.

Before filing anything: the preliminary email

The MICI requires a step many people miss. Before filing the application for any SEM visa, a digital copy in PDF, in separate files, must be emailed to sem@mici.gob.pa, containing:

  1. Power of attorney and application.
  2. Passport (personal data page and registration stamp).
  3. Employment letter.
  4. Medical insurance policy.

Each file must carry the document’s name and the foreign applicant’s name. After that, the application and documents are filed in original at the MICI’s General Directorate of Multinational Company Headquarters (Plaza Edison, 3rd floor, according to the official sheets).

Other rules from the same sheets:

  • Foreign documents must be apostilled or authenticated.
  • Anything not in Spanish must be translated by an authorized public translator.
  • Amounts in foreign currency must be accompanied by a conversion to dollars issued by the Banco Nacional de Panamá.
  • Passports must be valid for at least three months.
  • If you held another type of visa, its renunciation or withdrawal is filed beforehand with the National Migration Service.

Permanent residence after five years

The MICI states that permanent residence for SEM permanent staff and their dependents is requested once five years have passed since the visa was approved. If you still work for an SEM, the official sheet (TMS-DC-006, revised July 19, 2019) asks for the following, addressed to the National Migration Service:

  1. Authenticated power of attorney and application.
  2. Three photos and a copy of your passport (with the registration stamp from Migration).
  3. A health certificate (three months at most) and a sworn statement of personal background.
  4. Payment of B/.250.00 to the National Treasury for the application fee.
  5. A company letter from the SEM-licensed employer, on letterhead and notarized, addressed to Migration: job title, exact time worked, salary, duties, and that you continue to work for the company. If you worked for several SEMs, prior letters, visa cards or resolutions are added, plus a sworn statement that adds up the five years.
  6. A bank certification from a bank licensed in Panama, issued in the month before filing, showing at least the balance stated on the sheet (“cuatro cifras medias”, four mid-range figures), plus one thousand balboas per dependent.
  7. Proof of Social Security (Caja de Seguro Social) enrollment, for example a copy of the card.
  8. Dependents: partner (sworn statement and a certification from the local corregidor, with five years together) or children (proof of studies and of being single, up to age 25). A dependent can apply for permanent residence this way only if they held the dependent-of-permanent-staff permit for at least two years.

The MICI also warns that once you obtain permanent residence you can continue working for an SEM, but you become subject to income tax, social security contributions and educational insurance.

If you have already left the SEM

Those who worked as permanent staff and are no longer with the company have a different sheet (TMS-DC-005). Instead of the letter saying you still work there, it asks for proof of investment in Panama of at least B/.150,000: a fixed-term deposit of at least three years free of liens, real estate in your name free of liens, or a combination. It also asks for the company letter confirming that the employment ended and the Technical Secretariat certification.

Mistakes worth avoiding

Based on what the official sheets require:

  • Filing without the preliminary email to sem@mici.gob.pa.
  • An incomplete employment letter: every item the sheet lists must be there.
  • Foreign documents without an apostille or without an official translation.
  • A passport with less than three months’ validity.
  • An employer without a valid SEM license, which cannot obtain the Technical Secretariat certification.

Frequently asked questions

Who files the application, me or the company?

The powers of attorney are signed by the SEM’s legal representative and by you. The MICI states that the procedure is handled by the Multinational Company Headquarters through the Technical Secretariat.

Do I need a separate work permit?

According to the MICI, the permanent-staff visa gives you the right to work while you work for the SEM-licensed company.

Can my family come with me?

Yes, with the dependent-of-permanent-staff visa, which has its own requirements (above).

When can I apply for permanent residence?

Once five years have passed since the permanent-staff visa was approved, according to the MICI.

What to do now

These sheets were revised by the MICI between 2017 and 2019, and the procedure may have changed: confirm the current requirements with the MICI (sem@mici.gob.pa) before gathering documents. If you want to review your case with an immigration attorney, message me directly on my phone and we will go over it before you file. To understand how the process is organized in general, read how procedures work before the National Migration Service.

This article is informational and does not replace advice from an attorney.

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Sources: the MICI’s SEM visas page and requirement sheets TMS-DC-001, 004, 005 and 006 from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, consulted on November 5, 2026. The sheets carry revision dates of 2017 and 2019.