Thread: Pondering retiring to Pacific coast somewhere

I need ideas before I come to visit. Funds are very limited. My adult son has a progressive disorder - possibly fibromyalgia - so we need to be not too far from Johns Hopkins in Panama City.

The closer to a beach the better! I live in New Orleans, so the weather is familiar.

Any suggestions are more than welcome.

Originally Posted by bayou8928

I need ideas before I come to visit. Funds are very limited. My adult son has a progressive disorder - possibly fibromyalgia - so we need to be not too far from Johns Hopkins in Panama City.

The closer to a beach the better! I live in New Orleans, so the weather is familiar.

Any suggestions are more than welcome.

My thoughts:

- Forget the beach if being close to Johns Hopkins and public transportation are important considerations; beaches you'd want to go to are 45 minutes to an hour away.

- You might be financially better in the U.S. if you or your son qualify for public assistance even though medical care is far cheaper than the U.S. Panama does not offer the safety net of social programs as the U.S. does.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks. He only needs to check in with an MD every two-three months, so traveling an hour isn't too bad.

Also remember you are going to be here on a tourist visa which is currently good for 90 days. Then you will have to leave the country for 72 hours before coming back into PANAMA.

When you say you are on a limited budget you need to look at the various visas available. There are other visa that are available but it is based on having $300K in the bank of if you qualify for a pensionado Visa ($1000/month guaranteed income usually a government pension). There are also other visas available but you need to check with a lawyer. For the pensionado visa it usually costs between $800-1200 that you will have to pay a lawyer.

Mary
www.whypanama.com

My idea is to visit for a month or so to see if Panama is for me. If so, we'll return and eventually apply for the pensioner visa (I believe it requires 12 months' residency in Panama first).

Baby steps!

Hi!

That is incorrect.

Until you have applied for the pensionado visa ($1000/month income from a guaranteed "government" source) you will be here under a tourist visa. After you have made an application then you will be able to stay under a temporary visa that your lawyer will handle for you.

There are a lot of websites out there that have incorrect information on a pensionado visa - you need to talk to a lawyer to get the correct information.

Mary

Or you can check the a lawyer's website. 95 % of them says that you need an HIV test, which has been incorrect for probably half a decade. Apparently a birth certificate is no longer needed - unless they have filed the application recently they probably wont' know. Send a PM to Gwilson - he just filed so should be up to date. In Panama information and facts seldom match reality.

Originally Posted by whypanama

There are a lot of websites out there that have incorrect information on a pensionado visa - you need to talk to a lawyer to get the correct information.

Thanks for all the information. Everyone has been so helpful.