Clearing into Panama by boat is a round of offices rather than one form. Migración stamps the people in, the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) port captain (capitanía) handles the vessel and issues the cruising permit, Aduanas deals with the boat as goods, health quarantine clears the vessel, and SENAN (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval) may inspect on arrival. The two documents you then live with are the permiso de navegación, the cruising permit tied to your registration, and the zarpe, the clearance you request each time you move between Panamanian ports or leave the country.
People ask three things: where can I clear in, what does the permit cost and how long is it good for, and do I really need a zarpe to move from Colón to Panama City. Ports of entry exist on both coasts, including Colón, Panama City, Bocas del Toro and El Porvenir. Cruiser reports put the permit at up to a year, capped at your registration expiry, but practice varies by office, so confirm the current fee and term with the AMP capitanía where you clear. A domestic zarpe is expected for moves between ports, and a missing one is the first thing a SENAN boarding asks about.
This collection will cover the full arrival process, the cruising permit, zarpe domestic versus international, ports of entry and what each office handles, visas and stay limits for skippers and crew, leaving Panama by boat, and temporary import versus full import for a yacht staying longer.
Readers from the US will find no exact Florida twin, because Florida has no inbound yacht clearance of its own; the nearest page is the Florida to Bahamas boat trip guide and its companion on returning to Florida by boat.