Expat Community > Panama

802mark
Joined 2007
Posts: 1109

180 VISA DRIVE 90 WHY?

13 years ago

Ok many people are happy about the 180 day visa but not being able to drive for 90 days of it and don't understand why that is. I will try to explain it.

Four years ago we had a visa dept. that took all your filed paperwork and stuck it in a room, where it stayed piling up. people were waiting years for a visa that should have taken three months.

well we got a new president and he fired all of them. or most of them and put his lady friend in charge. she cracked the whip and got that whole room of paperwork done. visa's were flying out the door. once the back load was out of the way she took care of everyone else that walked in their doors. great job I must say.

She then looked at ways to cut down on wait time and other troubled spots that her office had to deal with.

One problem was people who were living here illegal without a visa.. she saw that panama had to arrest these people and pay for their flight back to their country. This was costing panama a lot of money and time and man power to get done.. she understood that many of these people had been living here for a long time, many had jobs, kids born here, husbands or wifes that were born here.

so she came out and said anyone that has been living here for two years or more can come in pay 750.00 and get a visa.

Thousands of people lined up and camped out for 4 days just to get inside. Now I don't have the numbers but I would guess that they handed out around 20k visa cards in those four days as well as doing this in other area's around the country.

Not sure on the money they pulled in either but 20k times 750.00 would be close. so instead of panama having to pay that amount to fly these people out of here, and the man power and time needed to handle it, she turned all that around to be a big plus for panama and all the people she helped.. yeah girl!!!

then after that she was sitting there looking at what she could do next to cut down on their work load.. tourist visa's... why not give people 180 day's that way these people wouldn't have to leave and go to c.r. or come down here to apply for more time it would help everyone so she posted this out to the world that panama was giving 180 day tourist visa's. yeahhh

well the boy's who run the government yelled FOUL!! YOU nor your office has the power to set a law like that. we must be the ones that vote on doing that and we have NOT.. Your 180 day visa is illegal..

but it has been sent out to the world that you get 180 days and they don't want to look bad at having to tell everyone NO. 90 days. so there it is.. these guys have not gone back to vote on letting tourist drive for 180 days either. so it's still 90 days.

They can't vote to change your driving time to 180 days, because the 180 tourist visa is illegal. they must first vote and pass that the 180 days is legal then they can vote so you can drive all that time here.. that is where it's at. and right now they all are still mad that she changed it without them and have their backs turned to this problem.

meantime she or her office was nailed for charging 40k for a visa here, and she has been removed from the visa dept.. a real shame really.

GeoBlue

Top-quality coverage for people who live, work, study and travel internationally.
Get Quote

GeoBlue

Top-quality coverage for people who live, work, study and travel internationally.
Get Quote

Living in Panama Guide

Our Guide to Living in Panama is a perfect primer for readers interested in Panama. Covers healthcare, cost of living, best places to live, residency, visas, real estate, moving tips and the pros and cons of living in Panama.

Panama Forum
Join our Panama forum to meet other expats and talk about living in Panama.

Contribute
Help other expats and newcomers by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Panama.

Best Places to Live in Panama

If you're dreaming about living in Panama, here are the 15 Best Places to Live in Panama in 2023.

Healthcare in Panama

Expats have differing opinions about healthcare in Panama. Many advice against public hospitals and healthcare, but some recount good experiences. This article covers public vs private healthcare, cost of healthcare, obtaining prescription medications and much more.

Cost of Living in Panama

Expats in Panama enjoy a relatively low cost of living. However, it's important to do your research to make sure you'll actually enjoy those saving while creating a high quality of life as an expat in Panama.

Moving to Panama Guide

Do you have to buy a round trip ticket when moving to Panama? How difficult is it to bring my dog? Should I buy a home in Panama? Can I find health

Real Estate in Panama

Real estate listings in popular cities and towns in Panama.

Pros & Cons of Living in Panama

Take off your rose-colored glasses and learn what expats have to say about the biggest challenges and the greatest rewards of living in Panama.

Retiring in Panama

Advice for people retiring in Panama.

Panama Visa & Residency Guide

This article covers the ins and outs of the most common tourist and residency visas that expats and global nomads obtain when moving to and living in Panama.

10 Tips for Living in Panama

If you've recently arrived in Panama, here are 10 tips for digital nomads living in Panama.

Additional Information:

Visit our Panama Index for a Full List

GeoBlue

Top-quality coverage for people who live, work, study and travel internationally.
Get Quote

GeoBlue

Top-quality coverage for people who live, work, study and travel internationally.
Get Quote

Contribute
Help others in Panama by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Panama.

Login

Or, Send Login Link

Expat Community > Panama

180 VISA DRIVE 90 WHY?

Login