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Panama opens a Working Holiday visa for ages 18 to 30

Panama has created a short-stay Working Holiday visa (Vacaciones y Trabajo) for young foreigners who want to spend up to a year in the country and take temporary jobs. Executive Decree 21 of the Public Security Ministry, dated 13 October 2026 and published in the Gaceta Oficial on 14 October, put the category into force the same day. It sits under non-resident immigration rules. Only nationals of countries that already have a bilateral Working Holiday agreement with Panama may apply. The decree does not name those countries. Temporary work still needs a Mitradel permit. The visa is not a bridge to permanent residence.

How the visa works

  • Who: applicants aged 18 to 30 at the time of filing, from a country with a current bilateral Working Holiday agreement with Panama (Nexo; SNIP citing Decreto Ejecutivo 21).
  • How long: up to 12 months, no extension. Holder must leave Panama when the programme ends (decree arts. 2–3, 5 per secondary coverage).
  • Work: temporary jobs only, with a Mitradel work permit (art. 6). Permanent employment and a switch into a residence category during the stay are barred.
  • Where to file: in person at Migración's Oficina de Proyectos Especiales. Cancillería and Migración jointly manage the programme (Nexo; SNIP).
  • Documents typically cited: notarised passport copy in Panama, three passport photos, apostilled birth certificate and criminal record from the home country, Cancillería certificate that the person is in the programme, medical insurance covering the full stay, and proof of enough funds to live in Panama. The decree sets no minimum solvency amount (SNIP; Nexo).
  • Not the same as: the short-stay remote-worker / digital-nomad visa under Executive Decree 198 of May 2021, which is for people paid from abroad (SNIP).
  • Reciprocity: Australia's Home Affairs still lists Panama among countries with which it is negotiating a Work and Holiday deal. That is negotiation, not an active bilateral yet (Nexo).

What it means for expats

  • If you are 18–30 and your country already has (or soon gets) a Working Holiday pact with Panama, this is a legal way to stay up to a year and work seasonally in tourism, hospitality or similar roles, once Mitradel issues the permit.
  • Until Cancillería publishes the partner list, quotas and any solvency floor, treat the visa as created on paper, not yet bookable for a specific passport. Do not assume your nationality qualifies.
  • It does not replace Friendly Nations, pensionado, or other residence paths, and you cannot convert it into residence while you hold it.
  • Hostels, restaurants and tour operators get a clearer legal channel for seasonal foreign youth labour, subject to Mitradel.

Sources

  • Nexo - Panama creates Working Holiday visa for ages 18 to 30 - 14 Oct 2026
  • SNIP / noticiasdepanama - Panama creates visa for young foreigners who combine holiday and work - 15 Oct 2026