To sell boat tours or charters to tourists in Panama you register with the Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP) as a marine tourist transport service, under Decreto Ejecutivo 82 of 2008. The ATP asks for your AMP registration, an aviso de operación, a civil liability policy, safe boats with set equipment, qualified staff and a public office.
What the ATP registers, and under which rules
The ATP was created by Decreto Ley 4 of 2008 and regulates tourism businesses through what its own documents call the Registro Nacional de Empresas y Actividades Turísticas, usually shortened to the Registro Nacional de Turismo. Ley 80 of 2012 ties tourism incentives to that registration.
Within the register, the ATP has a specific procedure for marinas and marine tourist transport services. The minimum requirements for the transport service come from Decreto Ejecutivo 82 of 2008, which regulates the ATP's founding decree. If you take tourists out by boat for money, whether by the seat on a tour or as a private charter, this is the category you are in.
The ATP does not license the boat or the captain. That is the AMP's job; see AMP commercial vessel licensing. The ATP registration says you are a recognised tourism business; the AMP papers say your boat and crew may legally carry passengers.
The minimum requirements, in full
The ATP's published minimum requirements for marine tourist transport, citing Decreto Ejecutivo 82 of 2008, are:
- An administrative office to attend the public and sell tickets.
- Boats and engines in good mechanical condition.
- Qualified staff.
- Navigation equipment: compass, radio and nautical chart.
- A civil liability insurance policy.
- A life jacket for every passenger and an awning (toldo) against sun and rain.
- Registration with the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá.
- An aviso de operación from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI).
Two of these catch people out. The office must be real and open to the public; a phone number and a dock are not enough. And the AMP registration must already exist, so the ATP is the last stop in the chain, not the first.
Documents to bring
The ATP publishes its checklists in a compilation of procedures. For marine tourist transport it gives the minimum requirements above rather than a separate document list, so build your folder from them and confirm the current checklist at the ATP before you file:
- Company documents: the Registro Público certificate for your S.A., the legal representative's ID, and your RUC.
- The aviso de operación printed from Panamá Emprende.
- For each boat: the AMP patente de navegación, the certificate of fitness and the radio licence.
- The civil liability policy certificate, showing the insurer and the limits.
- Proof of the office: a lease or title, and photos.
- Crew licences from AMP Gente de Mar.
The ATP's checklists for other activities in the same compilation ask for notarised IDs, title or lease for the premises and a land-use certificate. Expect the same standard of paperwork here.
How the application works
The ATP's offices are in Panama City on Avenida Balboa; see marine offices and contacts. Go in person with originals and copies. Ask three questions at the window: which form applies to marine tourist transport, whether the ATP will inspect the boats or the office before approval, and what the fee and the turnaround are. None of the three is published online, so confirm the current fee with the ATP.
If you are coming from Florida, there is no direct US equivalent: a state or county business licence plus the Coast Guard covers what Panama splits between the MICI, the ATP and the AMP. Budget time for each office separately.
Once you are registered you can apply to the ATP's quality programmes; registration in the national register is a precondition for them. If your staff guide guests ashore, note that the ATP also licenses tour guides separately, and its rules say no individual may present themselves as a tour guide without that licence.
Renewal, changes and what guests can check
The ATP does not publish a renewal procedure for marine tourist transport. Keep every underlying document current, because the registration rests on them: an expired AMP patente or a lapsed policy undermines it. Tell the ATP when you add or sell a boat, move office or change the legal representative, and confirm the renewal term when you register.
A guest checking a charter can ask for three things: the company's ATP registration, the boat's AMP patente for commercial service, and the name of the insurer. The AMP also publishes a list of companies with current operating licences, updated on the 15th and 30th of each month. A legitimate operator will not mind the question; see how to spot an illegal charter.
Your practical starting checklist
- Get the aviso de operación and the AMP vessel papers first.
- Buy the civil liability policy and keep the certificate.
- Set up a real office that is open to the public.
- Check each boat has a life jacket per passenger, an awning, compass, radio and chart.
- File in person at the ATP and confirm the fee, inspection and turnaround.
- Diarise renewals of every underlying document.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need ATP registration to run boat tours in Panama?
Yes. Selling boat trips to tourists is marine tourist transport, which the ATP registers under Decreto Ejecutivo 82 of 2008. It sits alongside the AMP licences, not instead of them.
Does the ATP require insurance?
Yes, a civil liability policy is one of the minimum requirements. The ATP does not publish a minimum amount; confirm the limit when you apply.
Can I register with the ATP before I have the boat?
Not in practice. The ATP asks for your AMP registration, so the boat has to be registered for commercial service first.
Can a guest check whether an operator is registered?
Ask the operator for the ATP registration and the AMP patente. The AMP's public list of operating licences is a second check.
¿Cuáles son los requisitos de la ATP para un operador de turismo marítimo?
Oficina de atención al público, naves y motores en buen estado, personal idóneo, brújula, radio y carta náutica, póliza de responsabilidad civil, chaleco salvavidas por pasajero y toldo, registro de la AMP y aviso de operación del MICI.
The next question to answer
The master checklist and renewal table. Read Every licence and permit a Panama charter needs.
The boat and operating licence the ATP asks for. Read AMP commercial vessel licensing.
The policy the ATP requires, and what else to buy. Read Charter insurance and liability in Panama.
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- ATP: Reglas de procedimientos (requisitos mínimos, transporte turístico marítimo, D.E. 82 de 2008) ↗
- ATP: Ley 80 de 2012 (incentivos turísticos, Registro Nacional de Turismo) ↗
- AMP: list of companies with current operating licences ↗