A domestic worker visa status in Panama is a specific type of visa designed for foreign nationals who wish to work in Panama as domestic worker visa status. This category includes roles such as housekeepers, nannies, gardeners, and similar positions typically associated with household maintenance and care.
Eligibility For household visa
You can apply for a Domestic Worker to visit Panama with your employer if you:
- Live outside Panama
- Employed as a domestic worker in a private household setting.
- meet the other eligibility requirements
If you’re currently experiencing Panama as a tourist (not a resident), there’s a possibility for a status shift, especially relevant if you’re interested in a «domestic worker visa status». For this to happen, you:
- Secure a job with an employer ready to back your application,
- Have not exceeded the time boundary attached to your tourist standing,
- Fulfill other qualifying benchmarks.
The roles typically associated with the domestic worker visa include:
- House cleaners
- Chauffeurs
- Cooks or chefs
- Personal care aides for the employer
- Nannies or babysitters.
Professional Visa Assistance
What you need to do
- Check you meet the eligibility requirements.
- Check if you need to apply for a visa to visit Panama.
- Initiating a Domestic Worker visa application process, it’s important to understand that all visa requests made within the Republic of Panama and intended for the National Migration Service must be conducted by a legally authorized representative acting on behalf of the prospective applicant.
What you can and cannot do
You can:
- Travel internationally and subsequently return to Panama to complete your authorized stay
- Move to another domestic worker role within a private household.
You cannot:
- Perform any work other than being a domestic worker visa status in a private household,
- Stay in Panama for periods that extend beyond four years,
- Alter your employment status or quit your job without informing the National Migration Service in advance. Non-compliance might result in the cancellation of your visa.
Domestic worker visa fee
The acquisition of a Domestic Worker Visa fee is subject to a fee of B/.600.00, or equivalently $600 US dollars, with the validity spanning up to 1 year.
Please note that the above-mentioned cost pertains only to the governmental fees for acquiring the domestic worker visa status. This does not include any charges related to our professional services. For information regarding our service fees, please contact us directly.
Documents and domestic worker application form
You must have a passport or travel document that is valid for the whole of your stay in Panama. There must be a blank page in your passport for your Domestic Worker Visa.
- A Notarized Power of Attorney and Application containing your parents’ names and nationalities.
- Three (3) recent photographs.
- An authenticated copy of your passport.
- A Certificate of No Criminal Conviction.
- A valid Health Certificate.
- A sworn Statement of Personal History.
- A verified copy of your country of origin’s Identity Document or residency permit of the domestic household.
- An Employer-paid Guarantee Deposit of five hundred Balboas (B/.500.00) per foreign national, to the National Migration Service.
- A migration service fee of one hundred Balboas (B/.100.00) payable to the National Migration Service.
- A proof of receipt for public utilities, indicating the location of the residence where the domestic service will be performed.
- Evidence of the foreign national’s affiliation to the Social Security Fund, along with a photocopy of their card.
- An Employer’s Letter of Responsibility.
- An Employment Contract.
- A certified copy of the responsible person’s identification or resident card.
- Proof of the responsible person’s financial stability, which could be demonstrated with:
- Letter from employer, along with pay stub.
- Tax return with a corresponding clearance.
- Bank reference letter from a local bank, properly stamped.
- Completed Domestic Worker Application Form.
The duration it takes to receive a decision
After submitting your Domestic Worker Visa application at the consulate in your country, confirming your identity, and providing the required documents, you can generally anticipate a decision on your visa within sixty (60) business days.
It’s important not to finalize your travel plans until your Domestic Worker Visa has been officially granted.
Upon approval of your visa, it’s imperative that your authorized legal proxy makes a personal visit to The National Migration Service (El Servicio Nacional de Migración). Their role will be to ensure that your passport receives the official Domestic Worker Visa stamp.
Domestic worker application form for renewal
For an application seeking an extension of the domestic worker visa, the following materials are required:
- A Notarized Power of Attorney and the filled-out domestic worker application form.
- Migration service fee, amounting to fifty balboas (B/.50.00), made payable to the National Migration Service.
- A utility bill indicating the location of the residence where the domestic service is being rendered.
- A token from the Social Security Fund.
- An Employer’s Letter of Responsibility.
- A copy of the previous identification card.
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