Panama's Executive Decree 17 of 2026 changed the property route to Qualified Investor residency. A new home bought from the developer still qualifies at $300,000 or more. A resale home now needs $500,000 or more. The decree was signed on September 8, 2026 and published in Official Gazette 30613 on September 16, 2026. It replaces Decree 722 of 2020.
That split matters to anyone who sells Panama property to foreign buyers. In August, a listing could say a $300,000 home gets you residency. For a resale condo, it is now wrong. This post covers what the decree changed and what to fix on your website.
Under Decree 17, the $300,000 property route covers only a first sale. That means a new, empty unit sold by the developer. A home that was sold, lived in or rented before is a resale. It needs $500,000 or more. So a residency label now depends on two facts, the price and the sale type, and every listing needs both.
What Did Decree 17 Change?
Decree 17 rewrote the Qualified Investor program. It is Panama's route to permanent residency for people who invest there. The law firms PMA Lawyers and Pacífica Legal summarize the same core changes. Here they are side by side.
| Route | Minimum under Decree 17 | What else applies |
|---|---|---|
| New property, first sale from the developer | $300,000 | The unit must be new and unoccupied |
| Resale property | $500,000 | Any unit sold, occupied, leased or transferred before |
| Pre-construction, through a promise to purchase | $300,000 | Held in a trust or backed by a bank instrument |
| Securities through a licensed firm | $500,000 | Held for at least five years |
| Fixed deposit at Banco Nacional or Caja de Ahorros | $500,000 | Held for five years |
| Fixed deposit at a private bank | $750,000 | Held for five years |
Every route has to be held for at least five years. The money must be the buyer's own, and it must come from abroad. Gifts from other people do not count toward the minimum. The buyer also has to show where the money came from, with bank or legal records.
What Counts as a First Sale?
A first sale is a new, empty unit sold by the developer, the promoter or its successor. Pacífica Legal notes that the buyer proves this with a Public Registry certificate. Where they apply, the building and occupancy permits help too.
Both firms describe resale the same way: a unit "previously sold, occupied, leased or transferred to an unrelated third party." That covers more than the obvious secondhand condo. Take a unit that an early buyer resells before handover. It has already been sold once. It may look brand new, but the test is the unit's history, not its condition. Ask the buyer's immigration lawyer before you label a unit like that.
The listing price is not always the value the authorities accept. PMA Lawyers says they may order an independent appraisal when a price looks out of line. The value they count is generally the lower of the price paid and the market value. Take care with a unit listed just over a line.
What Changes on Your Listing Pages?
Most Panama listing sites carry the old rule somewhere: a residency banner, a search filter, a blog post or a line in every description. Each fix is small, but together they touch every listing.
- Add a sale-type field. Each listing records if it is a first sale, a resale or a pre-construction sale. The residency label, the filter and the text all read from that one field.
- Let the system set the residency label. Show a label such as "Qualified Investor eligible" on a first sale at $300,000 or more. Show it on a resale only at $500,000 or more. Work it out from price and sale type. Don't type it by hand.
- Fix the search filter. A filter that checks only the price will call a resale unit at $350,000 eligible. It needs to check the sale type too.
- Remove the dated lines. Older guides often say the $300,000 route "ends in October 2026" and stop there. Decree 17 kept that route for new property, and set a higher bar for resale. So the line is wrong on both counts.
- Date your residency pages. Add "Updated for Executive Decree 17 of 2026" to any page that explains residency. A buyer can then tell the page is current.
- Point legal questions to a lawyer. A short line such as "Residency depends on your own facts. Ask an immigration lawyer." keeps a listing from reading like legal advice.
Here is a quick way to find the pages that need work on your own site.
- Search your site for "300,000", "300k" and "qualified investor".
- Open every result and check whether it separates new and resale property.
- Check your residency filter with a resale listing priced between the two thresholds.
- Look for any banner, popup or footer line that mentions residency.
- Read your most visited blog post about moving to Panama, and update its date and figures.
What About Pre-Construction Sales?
Off-plan sales still qualify from $300,000 under a promise to purchase. The decree adds protection for the buyer. The money can be held in a licensed Panamanian trust. Or the buyer can pay the full price to the developer before the building is done. In that case, a licensed Panamanian bank must back the payment with an irrevocable instrument, such as a standby letter of credit.
A buyer can hold residency on a promise to purchase alone for three years at most. After that, the purchase has to complete. If the developer causes a delay, the buyer can swap in another investment within set time limits.
For a developer's website, this means the project page should say how buyer funds are held. A buyer weighing a residency application will ask. The answer belongs next to the payment plan, not in an email three weeks later.
Do Older Deals Still Use the Old Rules?
Some do, in two cases. First, an application already filed before the decree took effect stays under the rules of its filing date. Second, a deal signed before then, with no application yet, can still use the old rules if the application is filed within six months of the decree taking effect. Pacífica Legal puts that deadline at roughly March 2027.
If some of your buyers are in that position, a direct email to each one is worth more than a banner on your site. Their lawyer tracks the deadline, not your website.
What Your Site Should Not Promise
Your listing can show that a unit meets the minimum. It cannot promise residency. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries certifies the investment. The National Immigration Service decides the application. PMA Lawyers gives their review times once a file is complete: up to 15 business days for the investment certificate, and up to 30 for the immigration decision.
Write the residency copy as information, then hand off. Say which route a unit fits, link to a page that explains the routes, and tell buyers to confirm their own case with an immigration lawyer. This keeps the page accurate the next time the rules change.
Why take this from us
This post is by Kiran Dasgupta, founder and lead strategist at Kihan Marketing. He plans and builds websites for real estate agencies, including agencies that sell to buyers moving from abroad. He is not a lawyer, so every rule here comes from the law firm summaries linked above. For a real estate agency in Panama, our team runs SEO: guide pages, near-me pages, better listings and blog posts. From March to August 2026, against the six months before, its organic clicks in Google Search Console went from 88 to 695.
What to Do First
- Run the check above. Make a list of every page that mentions residency, and mark the ones that treat new and resale property the same.
- Add the sale type. Record first sale, resale or pre-construction on every listing, starting with units priced between the two thresholds.
- Rewrite and date the residency pages. Split new and resale, add the update line, and point buyers to an immigration lawyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum property investment for Panama's Qualified Investor visa?
Under Executive Decree 17 of 2026, a new property bought from the developer needs $300,000 or more. So does a pre-construction promise to purchase. A resale property needs $500,000 or more. The investment must be held for at least five years and paid with the buyer's own funds from abroad.
Does a resale condo still qualify at $300,000?
No. Under Decree 17, a unit that was sold, lived in, rented or transferred before is a resale. The resale minimum is $500,000 or more. Only a new, empty unit sold by the developer qualifies at $300,000 or more.
When did Decree 17 take effect?
It was signed on September 8, 2026 and published in Official Gazette 30613 on September 16, 2026. Pacífica Legal treats September 16 as the day the new rules began. The decree replaced Decree 722 of 2020, which set the earlier Qualified Investor rules.
Can buyers who signed before September 16, 2026 use the old rules?
In many cases, yes. A deal made before the decree took effect can use the old rules if the residency application is filed within six months. Pacífica Legal puts that at roughly March 2027. An application already filed stays under the rules of its filing date. Each buyer should confirm with their lawyer.
Should every Panama listing mention residency?
No. Mention it where it helps the buyer: on units that meet a threshold, and on one guide page that explains the routes. Keep the wording factual, show the sale type, and tell buyers to confirm their own case with an immigration lawyer.
