Thread: Moving soon !!!

I'll be completely residing in Panama in 5/11...My question is:

What do you use for address? What do you do with your old USA address and still would like to cast your vote in USA???

How about Social Security? How does Social Security communicates with you?
(There is no Postal Carriers in Panama)

Maybe, someone might elaborate for me???? thanks...r

I suggest getting a "Mailboxes Etc..." (or something similar) when you come here. They will provide you a Miami address. Then forward all your mail (and change all your US addresses) to that address. I've been doing that for 5 years. Is it perfect? No -- I do get 99% of the packages and mail.

Mailboxes Etc is no longer a UPS company. The US/Canada operations have been separated from the Latin American MBE. They have built a new center in Miami. Now they are run by an Italian group and are losing mail at an alarming rate (at least in my experience). After about 10,000 dollars was gone I switched to Earth Class Mail - I use them in conjunction with Aeropost so I have tracking to the door for everything.

For your case it would be cheaper to use direct deposit for your pension to a US account and register yourself at a friend's address in the US.

Originally Posted by No-Non-Sense-Matt

I suggest getting a "Mailboxes Etc..." (or something similar) when you come here. They will provide you a Miami address. Then forward all your mail (and change all your US addresses) to that address. I've been doing that for 5 years. Is it perfect? No -- I do get 99% of the packages and mail.

I am going slightly off topic.
Maybe I am asking the obvious.. can anyone tell me why there is no postal service in Panama (City)? Is postal service considered a basic amenity? I've heard that they used to have it, but dropped it. Are there any plans on having one? Look, they have modern skyscrappers, wifi, going to have subway ... so why not something as basic as postal service?

I've got a letter (important papers) and a small package send to me to the "normal" panama postal service from The Netherlands and both arrived. I used a Postal office at Plaza Tocumen and asked them to wich exact adress it needed to be send (from Holland) to arrive at that specific postal office in PLaza Tocumen (near airport). It was pretty easy: my name plus "entrega general" and the number of that particular postal office + "Republica de Panama". My package from Holland arrived in 2 weeks (week of carnival included) and my letter arrived in 5 weeks. I was scared my letter wouldnt arrive but they told me at the postal office that mail from Holland (and I imagine for other countries in EU or USA the same)gets a number in Holland and with that number the postal services in Panama can check if it arrived and where exactly it is. I didn't had any bad experience with the postal services other than my letter being a bit late..

Originally Posted by EdBowers

Mailboxes Etc is no longer a UPS company. The US/Canada operations have been separated from the Latin American MBE. They have built a new center in Miami. Now they are run by an Italian group and are losing mail at an alarming rate (at least in my experience). After about 10,000 dollars was gone I switched to Earth Class Mail - I use them in conjunction with Aeropost so I have tracking to the door for everything.

For your case it would be cheaper to use direct deposit for your pension to a US account and register yourself at a friend's address in the US.

Thanks for the tip Ed!! Where is earth class mail based out of? I think private mail carrier companies will become more common as the USPS goes belly up.

Thanks for your tip...got me an Airbox Express address ---

Now, would you have your SS chk mailed to your Panamanian Bank or keep it in America???

Originally Posted by Rok Alwar

Thanks for your tip...got me an Airbox Express address ---

Now, would you have your SS chk mailed to your Panamanian Bank or keep it in America???

I have direct deposit for my retirement check and my disability check. I wouldn't mess around with mailing something as important as a check - especially to Panama!

They lost 50,000 dollars in checks for me. Worst company I have dealt with in the whole country.

A Panama PO Box for $20 a year is better than any of the mail forwarding companies in Panama.

Originally Posted by Rok Alwar

Thanks for your tip...got me an Airbox Express address ---

Now, would you have your SS chk mailed to your Panamanian Bank or keep it in America???

Yeah, right. They sure like to overstate their technical capabilities here - what you describe below does not exist (except in their dreams). You haven't figured them out yet have you?

Originally Posted by Annepannetje

they told me at the postal office that mail from Holland (and I imagine for other countries in EU or USA the same)gets a number in Holland and with that number the postal services in Panama can check if it arrived and where exactly it is.

Good answer.. but, direct deposit in America or Panama????

Do you have a bank account in Panama?

Originally Posted by Rok Alwar

Good answer.. but, direct deposit in America or Panama????

Originally Posted by EdBowers

I switched to Earth Class Mail - I use them in conjunction with Aeropost so I have tracking to the door for everything.

Earth Class Mail has a great website, as you know, and provides a much needed service. One tip to Rok Alwar or anyone relocating abroad -- avoid the knee-jerk reaction of filing a change of address with your local post office. Think about how few important items are actually delivered by USPS. In my case I can think of (i) persons mailing me checks for my services and (ii) the custodian of investments assets. Believe me, they'll know where I am. Besides these, I really don't want my forwarding address -- whether at Earth Class or otherwise -- a public record. There's a reason why current US Mail volume has fallen to the level it was in the 1930s -- it's unreliable, slow and unnecessary.

Yeah I know Panamanians talk alot.. and I already didnt think the letter would arrive anymore. But at least it did arrived..