Foreign crew working for a Panamanian employer need lawful status with Migración and a work permit from MITRADEL. The employer must also keep foreign ordinary staff within 10% of its workforce, or 15% for specialists. A tourist stamp is not a work permit. Crew on a foreign yacht in transit usually work under their own contract and flag.
A visitor stamp is not permission to work
Most crew arrive in Panama as visitors. Migración stamps them in at the airport or at the port of entry with the boat's crew list (see visa rules for yacht crew). That status lets you stay. It does not let you take paid work for a Panamanian business.
Paid work in Panama needs two things, which are handled separately:
- Immigration status from the Servicio Nacional de Migración, such as a residence permit.
- A work permit (permiso de trabajo) from the Ministerio de Trabajo y Desarrollo Laboral (MITRADEL).
MITRADEL lists immigration status, or online validation of it, among the documents every permit application needs. In practice the immigration side has to be in place, or under way, before the work permit can move.
The 10% and 15% rule
Article 17 of the Código de Trabajo requires employers to keep Panamanian workers at no less than 90% of their ordinary staff. Foreigners with a Panamanian spouse or ten years' residence count on the Panamanian side. Foreign specialist or technical staff may not exceed 15% of the total workforce.
For a small charter company the arithmetic is tight. A crew of five or six leaves little or no room for a foreign marinero under the ordinary 10%. A foreign engineer or experienced captain might fit as a specialist under the 15% line. MITRADEL's permit rules also include a category for micro and small employers, and an employer can ask MITRADEL to raise its percentage, sending its latest CSS payroll with the request.
MITRADEL permit categories that matter to crew
A 2023 executive decree unified more than 20 earlier work-permit rules. MITRADEL's summary of it groups the permits by type:
| Type | Who it covers | Counts against the cap? |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Ten years' residence, a Panamanian spouse, special permanent residence, the parent of a dependent Panamanian, and others | No, treated like local labour |
| Type 2 | Ordinary staff (10%), specialists or technicians (15%), trusted staff (15%), micro or small employers | Yes |
| Types 3–7 | Special zones, investors, humanitarian protection, students, temporary technicians and others | Depends on the category |
Applications go through a lawyer, on the Panamá Digital platform. La Estrella's 2025 summary of the usual requirements lists:
- A notarised power of attorney.
- Passport and residence-card copies.
- An apostilled criminal record from your home country.
- A health certificate, a sworn statement and photos.
- The employer's company papers.
- Certified cheques to the Tesoro Nacional and Migración.
Fees and processing times are not published in one place. Ask the lawyer for a written quote and timeline.
Crew on foreign yachts in transit
Most foreigners who crew in Panama do it on foreign-flagged yachts that are cruising, waiting for the canal or laid up. Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025 lets those yachts stay up to 24 months in transit. Their crew normally have:
- A contract with a foreign owner or management company, paid outside Panama.
- A place on the crew list, filed with Migración and the port captain at arrival.
- Visitor status, kept within the stay on the passport stamp.
If the yacht's captain changes, the change goes through the AMP's Oficina de Turismo Náutico. The new captain gets a temporary permit from Gente de Mar.
The arrangement gets riskier once crew start working for local clients. Examples are day work for a Panamanian charter company, paid line handling, a delivery for a resident owner, or varnish and detailing jobs at the dock. We found no official text that exempts that kind of work from the permit rules, so treat it as work in Panama.
What is actually enforced
- On the canal. Noonsite (a cruiser resource) reports that if the advisor finds unlicensed handlers being paid, the transit can be stopped until licensed local handlers come out, with delay charges on top. It also reports that past cases led to immigration raids and fines affecting other sailors. See canal line-handler work.
- On local boats. AMP and SENAN checks look at the operator's AMP licence and the boat's papers. Every working crew member also needs the right AMP Gente de Mar licence for national waters. A foreign licence does not replace it.
- At the employer. MITRADEL inspections and fines fall on the company that employs foreigners without permits. The permit rules mention fines but do not list amounts.
Florida crew asking the reverse question can read foreign work eligibility in the US.
Your practical starting checklist
- Decide whether you will work for a foreign yacht in transit or a Panamanian employer.
- For a foreign yacht, get on the crew list and keep your stay within the stamp.
- For a Panamanian employer, ask whether your hire fits its 10% or 15% quota.
- Check whether a Type 1 category, such as a Panamanian spouse, applies to you.
- Hire a Panamanian immigration lawyer to handle Migración status and the MITRADEL permit.
- Gather your apostilled criminal record, health certificate and passport copies early.
- Get the AMP licence your role needs before you work aboard.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work on a yacht in Panama on a tourist stamp?
Not for a Panamanian employer. Paid work for a local business needs Migración status and a MITRADEL work permit. Crew on a foreign yacht in transit, employed and paid by its foreign owner, are in a different position, but should keep to their own boat.
What is the 10% rule in Panama?
Article 17 of the Código de Trabajo requires at least 90% of an employer's ordinary staff to be Panamanian or treated as Panamanian. Foreign specialists and technicians are capped at 15% of the total workforce.
Does marrying a Panamanian change the rules?
Yes. MITRADEL treats a foreigner with a Panamanian spouse as local labour (Type 1), so they do not count against the cap, but they still need the permit.
Is volunteering as a line handler work?
Unpaid line handling for friends or other cruisers is normal and accepted. Being paid is different: paid handlers should be licensed and legally able to work in Panama.
¿Necesita permiso de trabajo un tripulante extranjero en Panamá?
Sí, si trabaja para un empleador panameño. Necesita un estatus migratorio válido y un permiso de trabajo del MITRADEL, y el empleador debe respetar el límite del 10% (15% para especialistas).
The next question to answer
Where the work is and who is hiring. Read Yacht crew jobs in Panama.
Stamps, stay limits, crew lists and captain's letters. Read Panama visa rules for yacht crew.
What the Código de Trabajo gives employed crew. Read Crew contracts and pay in Panama.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare Foreign Crew and Work Eligibility: Research Guide.
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.
- Código de Trabajo de Panamá, art. 17 (Órgano Judicial copy) ↗
- MITRADEL: presentación general de permisos de trabajo (2023 decree, categories, requirements) ↗
- La Estrella de Panamá: requisitos para que los extranjeros trabajen legalmente, Jul 2025 (secondary, press) ↗
- Noonsite: Panama Canal general procedures for small craft, Aug 2025 (secondary) ↗