1.
Panama – How to Form an
Offshore Company in Panama?
www.bizlatinhub.com

2.
ABOUT US
The Biz Latin Hub Group was established in 2014 to
assist both local and foreign companies doing business
in Latin America, by providing a full suite of multilingual
Commercial Representation and Back Office Services.
The group is owned and managed by an experienced
team of local and expat professionals, dedicated to
assisting clients to navigate their way through the
complexities of Latin American business environment.
www.bizlatinhub.com

3.
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What is an Offshore Company?
• Offshore companies, often called
international business companies,
are companies that do not conduct
substantial business activity (often
none) in the country in which they are
formed. Due to this, the companies are
not bound by the local tax jurisdictions.
• An offshore company is a business
strucutre that ensures effective wealth
managment. There are many negative
connoations that surround offshore
banking; most of which are untrue.

4.
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Why Should You Set Up an Offshore
Company in Belize?
• Straightforward set up process
• No income tax for income earned outside
of Panama
• High levels of assest protection
• Full confidentiality

5.
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7 Steps

6.
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Key Considerations When Forming a
Company in Panama
• Yes
Can Company Sponsor
Foreign Employees?
• Zero
Capital Controls
• 2-3 weeks
How Long Does It Take
(Including Bank Account)
• Panamanian Balboa
Currency
• 2
Min # of Shareholders
• Yes
Is Foreign Ownership
Allowed?

7.
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Step 1 – Choose the Type of Company
You Want to Form
Sociedad
Anonima
There are different kinds of companies
you can choose from to start your
business. The most common company
types used by foreign investors are:
• Sociedad Anonima
• Limited Liability
• Sociedad en Comandita
The majority of companies that are set up
in Panama are Sociedad Anonimas.
This presentation will outline the process
of setting up a:

8.
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Step 2 – Structure of the Company
Get the ball rolling…
• The client (or their legal representation)
will be required to fill in a Company
Incorporation Form with the following
information:
• Three (3) possible names of the
corporation; in order of preference
• Name(s) and address(es) of all of the
shareholders
• Names of the 3 mandatory members of
the Board of Directors/Officers; namely
the President, Secretary and Treasurer
• Physical address where corporate
documents will be sent.

9.
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Naming an Agent
• By law, every company must have a
resident or registered agent.
• The resident or registered agent is
normally a lawyer or a law firm in
charge of the legal representation of
the company in Panama.
• In addition, this person will be in
charge of paying the annual fees of the
company as required by law in
Panama.
Step 3 – Resident Agent

10.
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Step 4 – Certification of Incorporation and
Bylaws
Elaborating the Articles of
Incorporation…
The company representative will have to
organize the certification of the
incorporation and bylaws.
The corporation has the option to adopt
bylaws for the regulation of its internal
affairs and procedures.

11.
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Step 5 – Tax Registration
• Every Panamanian corporation has to
pay an annual tax for an amount of
US$300.00 imposed by law.
• The law requires corporations to pay
this amount in order to remain in good
standing. Good standing is taken to
mean having a valid registration at the
Public Registry of Panama.
• If the company is not involved in
business activities in the country for the
specific fiscal year (for example, when
it is solely used for holding assets),
formal tax registration is not required.
Paying annual tax to ensure good
standing...

12.
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Step 6 – Registration in Public Registry of
Panama
Once the tax registration is completed, you
will be able to obtain the registration of the
company in the Public Registry of
Panama.
One step closer to completing the
process…

13.
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Step 7 – Bank Account
Put the Champagne on Ice!
Finally, you will need to open a corporate
bank account to conclude the offshore
company formation process in Panama.
• Accounts are approved and opened
within two (2) weeks or less by the
bank’s compliance department,
depending on each financial institution.
• Once an account is approved and
opened by the bank, the client is
generally notified by e-mail of its
account number and asked to make
the initial deposit.
• Depending on the institution, these
deposits may range between
US$500.00 to US$3000.00.

14.
CONTACT US
www.bizlatinhub.com
Buenos Aires – Argentina
Argentina@bizlatinhub.com
Panama City – Panama
Panama@bizlatinhub.com
Belize City – Belize
Belize@bizlatinhub.com
São Paulo – Brazil
Brazil@bizlatinhub.com
Guayaquil – Ecuador
Ecuador@bizlatinhub.com
Santiago – Chili
Chili@bizlatinhub.com
Bogotá – Colombia
Colombia@bizlatinhub.com
México City – México
Mexico@bizlatinhub.com
Lima – Peru
Peru@bizlatinhub.com

15.
OUR SERVICES
www.bizlatinhub.com
• Commercial Representation Services
• Company Formation Services
• Visa Processing Services
• Accounting & Finance Services
• Legal Services
• Due Diligence Services
• IT Support Services
• Recruitment Services

16.
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