A paid trip in Panama needs a captain who holds an AMP licence from the Dirección General de Gente de Mar for that boat's size and service, and crew licensed for national waters. A foreign licence does not replace it. If you employ them, the Código de Trabajo applies: contracts, social security, hours, and a cap on foreign staff, each of whom needs a MITRADEL work permit.
The captain's licence: AMP Gente de Mar
The AMP's Dirección General de Gente de Mar issues the licences for anyone who operates or crews a boat in Panamanian waters. The AMP's Gente de Mar page lists the national-waters licences (Licencias de Aguas Nacionales) that matter for charter and tour boats:
| Licence | Scope as listed by the AMP |
|---|---|
| Marinero | Crew working aboard |
| Operador de lanchas de 2da. clase | Boats under 12 m |
| Operador de lanchas de 1ra. clase | Cargo and/or passenger transport, 12 to 20 m |
| Patrón de nave de placer de 3ra., 2da. y 1ra. clase | Pleasure craft under 8 m, 8 to 20 m, and over 20 m |
| Patrón de cabotaje | Up to 100 or 500 TAB (gross tonnage) |
| Patrón de pesca de 2da. y 1ra. clase | Fishing boats to 12 m, and over 12 m |
For larger yachts the AMP issues yacht titles: oficial de yate and capitán de yate (up to 200 TAB, up to 500 TAB, and unlimited). Press reports of recent licensing drives list a medical certificate, cédula or passport, photos, fiscal stamps, basic maritime safety training (nautical terms, survival, first aid, firefighting) and, for the boat-operator grade, a drug test. Match the grade to your boat's length, tonnage and service, and confirm requirements and fees with Gente de Mar before you hire.
A USCG, RYA or MCA licence proves competence and helps with insurers. It does not license someone to work in Panamanian waters. The career side is in captain jobs in Panama City.
Crew on yachts in the charter regime
AMP Resolution J.D. 089-2020, the yacht chartering service, sets its own crew rule:
- On a crewed charter yacht under the Panamanian flag, captain and crew need a valid AMP title or document for their position.
- On a crewed charter yacht under a foreign flag, captain and crew need a valid certificate for their position from a state party to the 1978 STCW Convention, as amended.
- On a bareboat yacht, the person operating it needs certification from their country of residence for a similar vessel, plus a temporary permit letter from Gente de Mar (see bareboat charter in Panama).
For a foreign yacht in transit that needs a new captain, Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025 lets you process the change at the Ventanilla Única of the AMP's Oficina de Turismo Náutico. The replacement gets a temporary operating permit from Gente de Mar, the office has 48 hours to accredit them once requirements are met, and the replacement may be Panamanian or foreign. The yacht may stay in Panamanian waters but not sail until the new captain is accredited.
Libreta de embarque, STCW and first aid
The libreta de embarque is the AMP seafarer's book, an identity document and record of service. It is required for seafarers on Panamanian-flagged ships and STCW-rated crew. A marinero on a day boat in national waters normally works on the national-waters licence instead. If your boat runs to the Caribbean coast, carries crew abroad or sits under the charter regime on a foreign flag, ask Gente de Mar which document each role needs.
First aid is part of the basic safety training for the national-waters licences. STCW basic training is the norm on larger yachts and is what a foreign-flag charter yacht's crew must hold under J.D. 089-2020. If your routes touch Canal waters, the ACP's commercial small-craft rules add first aid, CPR, swimming, eye and hearing checks for the operator; see starting a charter business in Panama City.
Employing crew: the Código de Trabajo
Once a Panamanian company employs someone in Panama, the Código de Trabajo applies. The basics for a charter operator:
- A written contract in Spanish, registered with the Ministerio de Trabajo y Desarrollo Laboral (MITRADEL).
- Caja de Seguro Social registration and monthly contributions; confirm current rates with the CSS or your accountant.
- The décimo tercer mes, paid in three instalments a year.
- Hours: the day shift is capped at eight hours and 48 a week, with overtime premiums. Long charter days need rosters that pay overtime rather than hide it.
- Thirty days' paid vacation a year.
The hiring process, trial days and contract terms are in hiring yacht crew in Panama City.
Foreign captains and crew: the 10% and 15% caps
MITRADEL's work-permit rules, under the Código de Trabajo and Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2023, allow foreign ordinary staff within 10% of an employer's total workforce, and foreign specialists, technicians or trust staff within 15%. Each needs a MITRADEL work permit. Other permit types exist, including categories under special laws, for micro and small employers, and for the self-employed; an immigration lawyer can tell you which fits.
In practice, a small operator with a handful of Panamanian employees often cannot put a foreign captain on its own payroll. Foreign crew on a foreign-flag yacht in transit are a different case, governed by the flag state and their immigration status; see visa rules for boat crew. Do not let a tourist stamp stand in for a work permit.
What the operator must check before each trip
SENAN and the AMP check the operator's licence on the water along with life jackets, lights and flares. Under the ATP's minimum requirements, the operator must have qualified personnel. So the licences are your problem, not only the captain's. Keep a copy of each licence and medical, note expiry dates, and match each captain's grade to each boat. The insurance side is in charter insurance and liability in Panama.
Your practical starting checklist
- List every boat with its length, flag and service, and the licence grade each needs.
- Collect a copy of each captain's and crew member's AMP licence and medical, with expiry dates.
- Ask AMP Gente de Mar to confirm the grade required for any boat over 12 m.
- Sign written Spanish contracts, register them with MITRADEL and enrol crew with the CSS.
- Count foreign staff against the 10% and 15% caps and confirm each has a MITRADEL permit.
- Build rosters that respect the eight-hour day and pay overtime.
- Re-check licences before each season and before any captain moves to a bigger boat.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run charters in Panama on my USCG licence?
Not on its own. Working in Panamanian waters requires an AMP licence from Gente de Mar; a USCG licence helps you get the job and the insurance, not the right to operate.
What licence does a marinero need?
The AMP national-waters licence for crew (marino or marinero), which requires a medical certificate, ID, photos and the basic safety training.
How many foreign crew can a Panamanian charter company employ?
Ordinary foreign staff within 10% of the workforce and specialists or technicians within 15%, each with a MITRADEL work permit, unless another permit category applies.
Does the crew on a foreign-flag charter yacht need Panamanian licences?
Under Resolution J.D. 089-2020, captain and crew on a foreign-flag charter yacht need valid certificates from an STCW state party for their positions.
¿Qué requisitos necesita un capitán de lancha de turismo en Panamá?
Licencia de la Dirección General de Gente de Mar de la AMP acorde a la eslora y el servicio: operador de lanchas de 2da. clase (menos de 12 m) o de 1ra. clase (pasajeros, 12 a 20 m), o patrón de nave de placer o capitán de yate según el tamaño, más certificado médico y cursos de seguridad.
En español: requisitos de capitán y tripulación
Todo capitán y marinero que trabaja en aguas nacionales necesita licencia de la Dirección General de Gente de Mar de la AMP. La AMP lista, entre otras, marinero, operador de lanchas de 2da. clase (menos de 12 m) y de 1ra. clase (pasajeros, 12 a 20 m), patrón de nave de placer por eslora y capitán de yate por tonelaje. Si la empresa contrata extranjeros, aplican los porcentajes del Código de Trabajo y el permiso de trabajo del MITRADEL.
The next question to answer
Contracts, CSS, trial days and where to find marineros. Read Hiring yacht crew in Panama City.
Where captain work is and how to get it. Read Captain jobs in Panama City.
The renter's temporary permit and its limits. Read Bareboat charter in Panama.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare How to Verify Captain Credentials.
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.
- AMP: Dirección General de Gente de Mar ↗
- AMP: Resolución J.D. 089-2020, yacht chartering auxiliary maritime service ↗
- Gaceta Oficial: Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 11 February 2025 (captain replacement, Art. 14) ↗
- MITRADEL: presentación general de permisos de trabajo ↗
- La Prensa: licencias de marino de aguas nacionales, requisitos y costos (press) ↗