Start my Panama company
Panama company formation

Your name off the public record, and 0% on income earned abroad

A Panama S.A. with three directors from us, your yearly records handled and every government fee inside. US$1,590 to start and US$1,090 a year, run from anywhere.

Formed through a Panama law firm as your resident agent. No visit needed.
Start my Panama company See what's public
  • Three directors included
  • Yearly records handled
  • Nothing charged until you sign
0%Panama tax on business done outside Panama
3Directors the law asks for, all provided
US$0Minimum paid-in capital
US$Panama runs on the dollar, with no currency to convert
01The record

What a search of a Panama company shows

The owner isn't the name people find. The directors are, so that's what we change. Switch between the two and watch the record.

Panama Public RegistryYour company S.A.
Directors and officers
Resident agent
Your Panama law firm
Shareholders
Not namedUnder the articles we use
Accounts
Never filed here
  1. The publicThis record, free online.
  2. Your resident agentKnows you, and holds your share records and accounts.
  3. The private owner registerAnyone at 25% or more. Closed to the public, open to Panama's authorities.
  4. Your bankAlways identifies who stands behind the company.

02The new rule

Does Panama's new 15% touch your company?

From 2027, Law 526 of 2026 taxes some foreign passive income inside international groups. For most single-company founders, nothing changes. Pick your setup.

03Off the lists

Is Panama still on the EU blacklist?

No. EU ministers moved it off on 9 October 2026, and plenty of pages haven't caught up. It now sits on the EU's watch list until a review is done.

  1. Feb 2020Put on the EU blacklist
  2. Oct 2023Off the FATF grey list
  3. Aug 2025Off the EU money laundering list
  4. Oct 2026Off the EU blacklist, onto the watch list

The October change takes effect when the EU publishes it in its Official Journal. Panama's next FATF evaluation is due in 2027.

04The yearly job

Panama company annual requirements, done for you

"No filings" is out of date. There's one yearly delivery and one yearly tax, and both sit inside your US$1,090. What did your company do last year?

By 30 AprilRecords to your agentNot published, and a summary needs no audit.
By 15 JulyYour agent's report to the tax officeA sworn list. The accounts aren't attached.
15 July or 15 JanuaryUS$300 yearly tax paidThe date depends on the half of the year the company was registered in.

In 2026 the government dissolved 180,346 companies in a single block, after years of unpaid fees. Nothing of yours waits on you remembering a date.

05Company or foundation

Panama corporation or private interest foundation?

They do different jobs. A company earns. A foundation keeps, and passes things on. How a foundation compares with a trust is in our offshore trust guide.

S.A.

Sends invoices, signs contracts, holds a bank account, and has owners who can sell their shares.

Yearly government tax
US$300
Starting money
None required
With us
US$1,590

Foundation

Has no owners. It holds assets for the people you name, for family and succession rather than for trading.

Yearly government tax
US$400
Starting money
US$10,000 in assets
With us
Quoted first
06Crypto

A Panama company for crypto: no law, no ban, no licence

The Supreme Court struck down the one crypto bill that passed, on 6 June 2023. So there's no crypto regime to apply to. That can change, so weigh it against other places.

Today
  • No crypto licence to apply for
  • No ban on a company holding crypto or being paid in it
  • Foreign-source income treated like any other
Watch
  • New bills are pending in the Assembly
  • Panama signed the OECD crypto reporting pact in December 2025
  • Panama banks stay careful with crypto companies, so we plan banking early
07The whole bill

Panama company formation cost, directors included

Most prices you'll see leave out the three directors, the yearly records, or both. Ours has them in, in year one and every year after.

Year one

Government and notaryFirst yearly tax, registry and notary, about this amount for a standard companyUS$550
HeirsonResident agent and office, three directors and officers, articles, owner register filing, bank account set up with youUS$1,040
You payUS$1,590

Every year after

GovernmentYearly tax, at costUS$300
HeirsonResident agent and office, three directors and officers, records delivery by 30 April, remindersUS$790
You payUS$1,090

BookkeepingQuoted firstIf you'd rather not prepare the yearly summary
FoundationQuoted firstAlongside the company or on its own
Apostilled documentsQuoted firstFor a bank or contract partner abroad

Add a nominee to your Panama company if you want one, never to hide an owner from banks or authorities. How nominees work.

Nominee shareholderUS$480 a yearHolds the shares on trust for you, with a declaration of trust you keep

Comparison: about 30% below the lowest package we could add up with three directors and bank help, about US$2,250 and then US$1,650 a year, in November 2026. A Panama company with operations inside Panama pays Panama tax and needs more; ask us first.

Questions

Panama company questions, answered

Weighing up other places with private records? Compare the BVI or the Seychelles.

How much does it cost to form a company in Panama?
With Heirson, US$1,590 in year one and US$1,090 a year after. That includes government fees, your resident agent, three directors and the yearly records delivery.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a Panama company?
Yes. Any nationality can own it from anywhere, and one shareholder is enough once it's formed. The law doesn't ask directors or owners to live in Panama.
Do I have to pay tax on foreign income?
Panama taxes income from Panama, at 25%, and not business done outside it. Dividends from a company with no Panama operations and no Panama income aren't taxed in Panama either, on the current rules. Your own country may also tax you. More in our Panama tax guide.
Is a Panama company anonymous?
It's private, not secret. With directors from us your name stays off the public record. Your resident agent, your bank and, on request, the authorities can still identify you.
Are nominee directors legal in Panama?
Yes. Panama regulates them through transparency: the resident agent tells the supervisor which companies use them. A nominee is never treated as the real owner. What a stranger can read about a Panama company is in our Panama company search guide.
Does Panama still allow bearer shares?
Only under a custody regime since 2015, where a custodian identifies the holder, and the government announced a bill in 2026 to ban them outright. We use named shares, held privately.
Does a Panama company have to keep accounts?
Yes, since the 2021 rules. Records or a signed summary reach your resident agent by 30 April, and a company with no activity gives one sworn certification. Nothing is published. Every date and what each costs late: Panama annual fees and filings.
Do I need to visit Panama?
Not to form it. Your law firm handles the registration and the Spanish paperwork. A Panama bank may ask to meet you, which is why we look at the banking route with you early.
Can I open a bank account for a Panama company?
Yes, and we handle the application with you. Panama banks can ask for a deposit and a visit, so we also look at banks and accounts abroad, and the application almost always goes through. What banks ask a Panama company for: Panama corporation bank account.
How long does it take?
Usually one to two weeks after your documents are accepted. Registration itself takes days. A bank account is a separate step, often one to three weeks more.
Next

A dollar company, with someone else's names on the board.

US$1,590 for the first year, with directors, agent and records inside. Payment comes after you sign.

Start my Panama company Check the 15%
Panama companyUS$1,590, then US$1,090 a yearStart