Panama
Why choose Panama now? Panama has used the US dollar as legal tender since 1904, and its constitution bans a standing army. Taxation is territorial: income earned outside Panama is generally not subject to local tax, and there are no taxes on wealth, estates, inheritance, or gifts.
Climate: two seasons, no winter. Panama, nine degrees north of the equator, has no distinct summer or winter, only a dry season from mid-December to mid-April and a green season from May to November. Temperatures are stable, while rainfall varies. The highland estate in Coclé enjoys cooler nights due to its elevation.
Panama’s forests sequester more carbon than the country emits. At COP26 in 2021, Panama joined Bhutan and Suriname as one of the few carbon-negative nations. About 56% of the country remains forested, and approximately one-third of its land lies within national parks and other protected areas.
Panama produces highly prized coffee, with Geisha from Boquete setting the 2025 auction record at US$30,204 per kilogram. It hosts 1,018 bird species — more than the US and Canada combined — and wildlife including howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, hummingbirds, and morpho butterflies. The country has two UNESCO Natural World Heritage sites: Darién and Coiba.
Security
Coclé province recorded 13 homicides in 2025, a rate of 4.7 per 100,000 — compared with a US rate of 4.1 per 100,000, according to the FBI. Panama is outside the hurricane belt and has no history of hurricane landfalls.
Residency
Each casita sits on a titled half-acre plot in Panama’s Public Registry, about 21,500 sq ft (0.2 ha, ~2,000 m²). Titled, lien-free Panamanian property can qualify you for the Qualified Investor permit, granting permanent residence. The current threshold is US$300,000, temporarily down from US$500,000, expected to revert after 15 October 2026. Permanent residents, including US citizens, may own firearms and apply to carry them. Naturalization may be possible after five years.