Clearance, permits and the AMP
| Spanish | English | What it means in Panama |
|---|---|---|
| zarpe | departure clearance | The document the port captaincy (capitanía de puerto, AMP) issues when a vessel leaves a port for another port or country. Foreign yachts need a zarpe to leave Panama and often a domestic zarpe between regions. Keep the last one from your previous country; Panama will ask for it on arrival. |
| permiso de navegación | cruising permit | The AMP permit that lets a foreign-flagged yacht stay and move in Panamanian waters. Issued at the port of entry, time-limited and renewable. Confirm the current fee and validity with the capitanía. |
| patente de navegación | navigation patent / flag certificate | The AMP document showing a vessel is registered under the Panamanian flag. Provisional first, then permanent. It is the boat's "registration card". |
| licencia de navegación | navigation licence | Used loosely for the operator's licence to drive a boat (recreational or commercial). The formal AMP terms are titulación de gente de mar for professionals and licencia de patrón for smaller craft; ask which one a job or a marina actually requires. |
| matrícula | registration number / registration | The vessel's registration with the AMP, and the number painted on the hull. "Está matriculada" means it is registered. |
| Registro Público de Naves | Public Vessel Registry | The AMP directorate that records ownership (título de propiedad), mortgages and liens. Where you check who owns a boat and whether it is encumbered. |
| capitanía de puerto | port captaincy / harbour master | The AMP's local office in each port. Issues zarpes and cruising permits, receives arrival declarations, inspects vessels. |
| capitán de puerto | harbour master | The official in charge of a capitanía. |
| gente de mar | seafarers | The AMP directorate (and the general term) for licensed crew. Licences and the libreta de embarco come from here. |
| libreta de embarco | seaman's book / discharge book | The AMP-issued booklet that records a seafarer's licence and sea service. Needed for commercial crew jobs on Panamanian-flagged vessels. |
| manifiesto | manifest | The list of crew and passengers (and cargo) presented to the capitanía, Migración and Aduanas on arrival or departure. |
| declaración general | general declaration | The arrival form (crew, passengers, last port, health) filed with the ACP and port authorities; the ACP requires it before a canal transit. |
| cuarentena | quarantine / health clearance | The health inspection on arrival from abroad. The yellow Q flag goes up until you are cleared. |
| aduana | customs | The Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas. Handles temporary import of a foreign yacht and permanent import (with duty and ITBMS) if you flag or sell it here. |
| importación temporal | temporary import | The customs status that lets a foreign-flagged boat stay in Panama without paying duty while its permit is valid. |
| migración | immigration | The Servicio Nacional de Migración. Stamps crew in and out and issues work and residence permits. |
| agente naviero / agente marítimo | ship's agent / yacht agent | A licensed agent who handles clearance, canal paperwork and permits for a fee. Optional for yachts, common for a first canal transit. |
Buying, owning and the paperwork
| Spanish | English | What it means in Panama |
|---|---|---|
| traspaso | transfer of ownership | The sale and re-registration of a boat to a new owner. Done by escritura pública (notarised deed) and filed with the AMP's Registro Público de Naves. |
| título de propiedad | title / proof of ownership | The registered ownership document. Ask for the AMP certificate before you pay. |
| gravamen | lien / encumbrance | A mortgage (hipoteca naval), seizure or claim recorded against the boat. The AMP issues a certificado de gravámenes; get one before closing, as our lien check guide explains for Florida. |
| hipoteca naval | ship mortgage | A loan secured on the vessel and recorded in the registry. Must be cancelled (cancelación de hipoteca) before a clean transfer. |
| escritura pública | notarised public deed | The notary-executed document Panama uses for sales, company formation and most registrations. |
| notaría | notary office | Where the escritura is signed. Notaries in Panama are public officials, not a stamp at the bank. |
| sociedad anónima (S.A.) | corporation | The standard Panamanian company. Many boats and all charter businesses are owned through one. Compare the US discussion in owning a boat through an entity. |
| fundación de interés privado | private interest foundation | A Panamanian structure used for holding assets, including yachts, for estate planning. Needs a lawyer; not a shortcut around registration. |
| aviso de operación | notice of operation (business licence) | The registration every business in Panama needs before it trades, obtained online through Panamá Emprende. A charter company needs one, plus ATP and AMP registration. |
| Registro Nacional de Turismo | National Tourism Registry | The ATP registry for tourism businesses, including marinas and maritime tourist transport (charters and boat tours). |
| ITBMS | sales tax (7%) | Impuesto de Transferencia de Bienes Corporales Muebles y la Prestación de Servicios. Panama's VAT-style tax, 7% on most goods and services including slip fees and charters. Marinas quote "plus 7%". |
| RUC | tax ID number | Registro Único de Contribuyente, the tax number a company or sole trader needs to invoice. |
| factura | invoice / receipt | Ask for one for every yard job and slip payment; you need it for a dispute and for ITBMS. |
| seguro de casco | hull insurance | Insurance on the boat itself. Marinas usually require liability (responsabilidad civil) at minimum. |
| peritaje / perito naval | survey / marine surveyor | A pre-purchase or insurance survey and the person who does it. Few are AMP-listed; ask who the insurer accepts. |
Boats, people and places
| Spanish | English | What it means in Panama |
|---|---|---|
| yate | yacht | Any pleasure boat big enough to sleep on; in Panama used for everything from a 30 ft cruiser to a superyacht. |
| lancha | launch / open motorboat | The everyday word for a centre-console or open boat. "Tour en lancha" is a boat tour. |
| bote | boat / small boat | Generic small boat; also the dinghy. |
| panga | panga | The open fibreglass fishing skiff with a high bow, usually with an outboard, used everywhere on both coasts. |
| cayuco | dugout canoe | The traditional wooden canoe of the Guna and other communities; also the name of the annual ocean-to-ocean cayuco race through the canal. |
| velero | sailboat | Most cruising boats passing through the canal. |
| capitán de yate | yacht captain | The licensed master of a pleasure vessel; the AMP licence category depends on tonnage and area. |
| patrón | skipper | The person in charge of a small boat; also the AMP's licence name for operators of smaller craft (patrón de yate, patrón de pesca). |
| marinero | deckhand / seaman | Entry-level crew. On charter boats the marinero handles lines, fenders, anchoring and guests. |
| tripulación | crew | Everyone working aboard. "Contratar tripulación" is to hire crew. |
| armador | owner / operator of a vessel | The legal term for the person or company that operates a boat commercially, whether or not they own it. |
| varadero | boatyard / haul-out yard | Where boats are hauled, stored and worked on. Flamenco, Shelter Bay, Linton Bay and Vista Mar have one. |
| astillero | shipyard | A yard that builds or does major work on vessels; bigger than a varadero, mostly commercial. |
| muelle | dock / pier | A fixed dock. "Muelle fiscal" is the government dock where clearance happens in smaller ports. |
| atracadero / amarre | berth / slip / mooring | Your spot in a marina. "Amarre" is also the act of tying up. |
| fondeo / fondeadero | anchoring / anchorage | "Fondear" is to anchor. Las Brisas and La Playita are the Panama City fondeaderos. |
| boya | buoy / mooring ball | Navigation buoy or a rented mooring (boya de amarre). |
| rampa | boat ramp | Few and tide-dependent in Panama City; see boat ramps and fuel docks. |
| comarca | indigenous territory | A self-governing indigenous region. Guna Yala (San Blas) is the one boaters meet; it sets its own fees and anchoring rules. |
| calzada | causeway | Calzada de Amador: the causeway joining Naos, Perico and Flamenco islands, home to Panama City's marinas. |
Tides, weather and water
| Spanish | English | What it means in Panama |
|---|---|---|
| marea | tide | On the Pacific side the range is 4–6 m; the ACP publishes the tables for Amador. |
| pleamar / marea alta | high tide | When ramps, dinghy docks and the Las Perlas anchorages are easiest. |
| bajamar / marea baja | low tide | When the Bahía de Panamá mudflats appear and some fuel docks are out of reach. |
| aguaje | spring tide (very large tide) | Local word for the biggest tides around new and full moon. "Hay aguaje" means expect extreme highs and lows and strong currents. |
| corriente | current | Strong around the canal entrance and between the Perlas islands on an aguaje. |
| chubasco | squall | The short, violent rain and wind cell of the rainy season, usually afternoon, often with lightning. |
| temporada lluviosa / invierno | rainy season | Roughly May to November. Panamanians call it invierno (winter) even though it is hot. |
| temporada seca / verano | dry season | Roughly December to April. Strong northerly winds on the Pacific side, big swell on the Caribbean side. |
| mar de fondo / marejada | ground swell | The long swell that makes Caribbean anchorages uncomfortable from December to March. SINAPROC issues avisos when it is dangerous. |
| aviso de prevención | weather / swell warning | SINAPROC's public warning; marinas and SENAN may hold small craft in port. |
| bajo | shoal / reef | "Bajo" on a chart or in local advice means shallow rock or coral. Take it seriously. |
| carta náutica | nautical chart | See boating zones and official charts for what exists for Panama City. |
Common questions
¿Qué es el zarpe?
El zarpe es la autorización de salida que emite la capitanía de puerto (AMP) cuando una embarcación zarpa hacia otro puerto o país. Los yates extranjeros lo necesitan para salir de Panamá. In English: the departure clearance.
Is a patente the same as a permiso de navegación?
No. The patente de navegación is the flag certificate of a Panamanian-registered boat. The permiso de navegación is the cruising permit a foreign-flagged boat needs to stay in Panama.
What does "más ITBMS" on a quote mean?
Plus 7% sales tax. Almost every marina and yard quote excludes it.