The Discreet Investor
Company formation
Panama
The original offshore heavyweight, still standing at the crossroads of world trade: 0% tax on foreign income, no annual reports, closed registers — in a dollar economy that banks the whole hemisphere.
Transparent pricing
Cost of a Panama company
Three ways in — including one of the cheapest serious offshore setups on the market. Every package puts a live Panamanian company in your hands.
Free consultation
A confidential call on cost, process and requirements — and an honest answer on whether Panama fits your case at all.
- +Initial consultation
- –Turnkey company formation
- –Company contact person
- –Registered legal address, 1 year
- –Remote incorporation
- –Notary services
- –Company secretary
- –Nominee shareholder
- –Accounting, 1 year
- –Long-term POA
- –Apostilled document set
- –Ongoing legal support
- –Corporate bank account
Basic package
Everything needed to start operating in no time: your Panama company incorporated, addressed and documented.
- +Initial consultation
- +Turnkey company formation
- +Company contact person
- +Registered legal address, 1 year
- +Remote incorporation
- +Apostilled document set
- –Notary services
- –Company secretary
- –Nominee shareholder
- –Accounting, 1 year
- –Long-term POA
- –Ongoing legal support
- –Corporate bank account
Full package
The whole machine — nominee shareholder, secretary, accounting, standing legal support and a corporate account — priced to your exact structure.
- +Initial consultation
- +Turnkey company formation
- +Company contact person
- +Registered legal address, 1 year
- +Remote incorporation
- +Notary services
- +Company secretary
- +Nominee shareholder
- +Accounting, 1 year
- +Long-term POA
- +Apostilled document set
- +Ongoing legal support
- +Corporate bank account
What a Panama company is used for
Popular structures
The insulation layer
The classic Panama play: a holding that owns property, bank accounts, shares and IP worldwide, sitting as a legal barrier between you and your assets. Tax planning, estate planning and confidentiality in one structure — with profits and dividends flowing where you direct them.
Discuss a holdingICO special purpose vehicles
Panama offers entity types genuinely suited to token launches — most founders pick the corporation or the LLC. Company first, then TIN and bank account, then raise. We sequence all of it.
Discuss an ICO SPVHolding what matters
Confidentiality, tax treatment, ease of incorporation, a stable dollar currency and a strategic address: the standard reasons securities, real estate and portfolios end up held through Panamanian companies.
Discuss asset holdingThe canal advantage
The bridge between two continents and two oceans. A Panama trading company sits inside the world's maritime artery, with logistics, ports and banking built around exactly this business.
Discuss a trading companyVirtual asset ventures
Crypto businesses run from Panama when the structure is built by people following the legal developments closely. It's doable and done — with the right wrapper, the right compliance posture and no improvisation.
Discuss a crypto setupThe details
Panama formation in depth
Documents & requirements
The file is refreshingly thin: passport copies of shareholders and directors, a description of the activity, an office address, and names with emails of everyone involved. No minimum share capital — invest what you consider necessary, and do the whole thing remotely.
Territorial, means territorial
Panamanian law is blunt: income earned outside the country isn't taxed in it. An offshore company operating and earning abroad owes no corporate income tax. Double tax agreements with Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, Mexico, Israel, Barbados and the Czech Republic round out the picture.
Books & audits
No annual filings, no mandatory audits. Keep accounting records for your own visibility — knowing your numbers is good business even when no regulator asks for them.
Who can see what
The Public Registry records the company itself — but neither directors nor shareholders appear on any publicly accessible register. Those details live in internal records at the company's local office (names, addresses, IDs, shareholdings), open to regulators and shareholders when the need arises. Nominee directors and shareholders are legal, adding a further lawful layer of distance.
Presence rules
No residency requirements — directors and shareholders can live anywhere and never visit. Every company keeps a local registered address through its resident agent, which we provide. Fuller substance expectations — office, staff, meetings in Panama — attach only where a business operates locally or claims local regimes; the standard offshore structure carries none of that weight. We'll tell you exactly which side your project sits on.
Accounts in a banking nation
Panama's banking sector is the region's deepest — local and international institutions side by side. One honest quirk: corporate accounts still run on physical paperwork, with hard-copy originals returned to the bank. You don't fly anywhere — our people on the ground handle the papers, the language and the choice of bank matched to your transaction profile.
Corporation, LLC, trust, foundation
The corporation (SA) for general international business; the LLC blending partnership flexibility with corporate protection; and Panama's famous trusts and private interest foundations — privacy and asset-protection machines respected worldwide.
Step by step
The full process
Plan & prepare Preparation
Objective first, then structure, then name. We settle the shareholding, appoint directors and draft the Articles of Incorporation — name, purpose, share structure, Panamanian office address.
Incorporation 1 week
We file with the Public Registry and manage the process end to end with email updates throughout. On completion you receive the corporate document set — quick, simple, done.
Bank account 4 weeks
Three moves: a local team on your side, a bank matched to your actual transaction needs, a complete document file. The paperwork is physical and the banks are choosy — which is precisely why our local attorneys carry it, not you. No commercial licence needed unless you earn revenue inside Panama.
General overview
Getting started with Panama
A dollar-based economy between two continents, a state that treats local and foreign business identically, and confidentiality written into the culture. Here's what matters.
No taxes +
The zero-tax outcome has one clean condition: the income must arise outside Panama. Operate abroad, earn abroad — pay nothing locally. Individuals meeting the immigration criteria can pair the company with Panamanian residency for personal tax planning. International rules still apply to you at home, so plan ahead — that's what the free call is for.
Fast setup +
Registration completes in about one business week — often just 2–5 days — with no visit to the country required at any point.
Double tax agreements +
Panama has signed treaties against double taxation with fourteen partners, including Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, Mexico, Israel, Barbados and the Czech Republic — real infrastructure for cross-border structuring.
No annual records +
Offshore companies file no annual records. In parallel, Panama has tightened transparency against evasion and laundering — the privileges stay, and the jurisdiction expects clean conduct in exchange.
No residency required +
Owning a Panama company requires no residency and no visit — the entire setup runs remotely, with our specialists keeping you compliant with local law throughout.
Strategic location +
Between Costa Rica and Colombia, joining the Pacific to the Atlantic through the canal: Panama is a working artery of global trade. Shipping, goods, banking — everything moves through here, and a company registered here sits in the middle of it.
Our clients also considered
Alternatives to Panama
Canada LP
Costa Rica
Hong Kong
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
St Kitts & NevisFAQ
About Panama registration
Is there a minimum share capital for a Panama company? +
No. The standard share capital is USD 10,000 — but it never has to be deposited anywhere. It's a number on paper, not money in a vault.
What are good alternatives to Panama? +
Depends on the objective: St Kitts & Nevis for a whitelisted flag with asset protection, Hong Kong for Asian trade, Marshall Islands for maximum simplicity. One call and we'll shortlist it for your business model — including if the answer isn't Panama.
Is Panama considered a tax haven? +
Yes, and we won't sugar-coat it: Panama sits on the OECD's lists and on the EU's blacklist for non-cooperation on tax information. That's the source of both its privacy advantages and its banking friction. Whether that trade-off works for your project is exactly what the free call determines — some businesses profit from it, others should pick a whitelisted flag instead.
Is Panama good for business? +
For the right model, exceptionally — the rules of operation are among the most benign anywhere. But it doesn't fit every plan, and pretending otherwise would cost you money. Bring us the project; we'll tell you straight.
Do Panama companies get a certificate of incorporation? +
Yes — the Public Registry issues the original Certificate of Incorporation, confirming the company's legal existence. It's the final step: articles submitted, fees paid, company on the register.
How long does it take to open a business in Panama? +
On average 2–5 days for the registration itself, with the full journey (name, legal steps, tax registration, notary work, bank account) depending on your business type. Physical presence is never required.
Is Panama good for offshore banking? +
One of the best on the continent: a deep banking sector, territorial taxation, and accounts that can be arranged remotely through our lawyers handling the physical paperwork on the ground. The system is conservative and document-hungry — which is also why it has stayed solid.
Schedule a free consultation
Let's match you with the right expert
Four quick questions, one minute of your time. We'll come back within one business day with a tailored plan and an exact quote.
Tell us about your business
Pick the closest fit
Holding & asset protection
Owning companies, IP, property or portfolios
International trade
Import, export, shipping, logistics
Crypto / Web3 project
Exchange, wallet, DeFi, token issuance
Other
Something else — we'll tailor the path
What do you need help with?
Select all that apply
Company formation
Incorporate and register the business
Bank account opening
Corporate or private, offshore or onshore
Second citizenship or residency
Passports and golden visas
Not sure yet
I'd like expert advice first
Where are you planning to operate?
Select all that apply
Offshore
Panama, BVI, Seychelles, St Kitts…
Europe
Cyprus, Estonia, Gibraltar…
Asia / Middle East
Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong…
Recommend something
Help me choose the jurisdiction
Where should we send your tailored plan?
A specialist replies within one business day
The canal. The dollar. The silence.
A Panama company from €890 in 2 working days: 0% tax on foreign income, no annual reports, no public registers — at the crossroads of world trade. Free consultation, reply within 24 business hours.
Book a free call now