Panama and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Panama since 4 August 1991
- Issued by
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores), Department of Authentication and Legalisation, Panama City
- Language
- Spanish, sworn translation
- Register
- Registro Público de Panamá (online)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 2010, in force 2011 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Association Agreement with Central America, trade part since 2013
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Panama
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Panama.
Proof of address in Panama, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Panamanian notario público. The Department of Authentication and Legalisation in Panama City then apostilles the signature.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores), Department of Authentication and Legalisation, Panama City.
Good to know. The Panamanian register leaves out the shareholders. The Dutch notary will ask for the share register or for the registered agent’s declaration of the real owners.
If a company from Panama becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Registro Público de Panamá. Order a certificate of the company (certificado de Registro Público) showing directors and the registered agent. Shareholders of a Panamanian limited company (an S.A.) are kept private, so add a share certificate or a notarised shareholder declaration. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Panama and the EU
Trade in goods between the European Union (EU) and Panama fell to €4.6 billion in 2025, from €5.5 billion in 2024, with EU exports of €3.9 billion. The EU ranked third among Panama's trading partners in 2025, with 9.1% of Panamanian trade.
Chemical products made up 45.7% of EU exports to Panama in 2025, and transport equipment 49.2% of EU imports from Panama. The Panamanian Free Trade Zone is the second-biggest in the world, so Eurostat data tends to overestimate EU exports to Central America.
The trade pillar of the EU-Central America Association Agreement, signed on 29 June 2012, has applied provisionally with Panama since 1 August 2013. The whole agreement has applied provisionally since 1 May 2024.
Global Gateway projects in Panama include the regional Copernicus data centre for Latin America and the Caribbean, and universal access to energy in the Ngäbe-Buglé region.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Your next step from Panama
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