A foreign-flagged boat can cruise Panama as a visitor for up to 24 months under Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025, on an AMP cruising permit. It cannot take paying guests except through a licensed local charter company under AMP Resolution J.D. 089-2020, and it cannot be sold to a local buyer or kept beyond the limit without a definitive import.
What counts as a foreign-flagged boat
A foreign-flagged boat is one registered outside Panama: a US-documented or state-titled boat, a British or Dutch yacht, a Colombian-registered launch. In Panama it is a visitor. Three agencies hold a file on it: Migración holds the crew, Aduanas holds the boat's customs status, and the AMP, Panama's maritime authority, holds its permission to navigate.
The flag tells you which country's law applies aboard: safety equipment, documentation, and the captain's and crew's certificates. Panamanian law applies to how and where you navigate: protected areas, whale rules, fishing licences, speed and anchoring rules, and boardings by SENAN.
How long a foreign boat can stay
Three clocks run at once:
- The boat's transit status: up to 24 months in Panamanian waters under Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025.
- The cruising permit: cruisers report one year, renewable, and the decree grants a free special navigation permit for the first three months. See the Panama cruising permit.
- The crew's immigration stay: personal and usually shorter. See visa rules for boat crew.
The live guide to temporary vs full import covers these limits, leaving the boat while you fly home and what happens at 24 months. This page doesn't repeat it.
What a foreign boat can do
- Cruise both coasts on the cruising permit, with domestic zarpes where the port captain asks for them.
- Transit the Canal under the ACP small-boat procedure. A boat only transiting needs no cruising permit.
- Sit in a marina or on the hard while the owner is away, as long as the permit stays valid. The transit clock keeps running.
- Change captain through the AMP's Ventanilla Única. The 2025 decree lets a replacement captain, Panamanian or foreign, receive a temporary permit from the AMP's Gente de Mar directorate.
- Fish recreationally with the licences Panama requires. Rules for sport fishing change when Executive Decrees 9 and 10 of 2026 take effect on 10 December 2026. See fishing licences and seasons.
- Be sold to a buyer who takes it abroad, under the flag state's rules.
What a foreign boat cannot do
| You can't… | Unless… |
|---|---|
| Take paying guests or charge for trips | A licensed Panamanian charter company takes the boat under a temporary charter contract and it gets an AMP charter permit (J.D. 089-2020 and Decreto Ejecutivo 4) |
| Be sold to a buyer who keeps it in Panama | It is imported definitively first, with duty and any ITBMS |
| Stay beyond 24 months | It is imported, or leaves and the owner takes advice on returning |
| Take Panamanian registration | The foreign registration is cancelled first |
| Work commercially in other ways, such as water taxi or paid deliveries inside Panama | It is imported and licensed for that commercial service |
The charter route is set out in can a foreign-flagged boat charter in Panama. Calling it shared expenses does not change anything: if guests pay to be aboard, treat it as a charter.
Rules that apply on the water
A foreign flag doesn't exempt you from Panamanian rules in Panamanian waters. Expect SENAN to board in anchorages and at sea and to ask for the registration, cruising permit, crew list and zarpe. MiAmbiente's rules apply in protected areas such as Coiba, and its whale rules (DM-0144-2022) set 250 m distance, 4 knots and 30 minutes near whales. Guna Yala has its own fees.
The person in command needs a licence acceptable for the boat. For a private, owner-operated foreign yacht that is normally the flag state's requirement; see using a foreign captain licence in Panama. Check your insurance too. Many US policies have navigation limits that exclude or restrict Panama; see insurance navigation limits.
When to stop being a visitor
Switch from visitor to imported boat if any of these apply:
- you will keep the boat in Panama beyond 24 months;
- you want to sell it locally at a full price;
- you want it to earn money under your own name rather than through a licensed operator.
The decision is in in transit vs imported, and the process is in importing a boat into Panama.
If you are undecided, stay a visitor and keep the dates in view. A customs broker can file the import at any point before the limit, wherever the boat lies, so you do not need to decide on the day you arrive. Do not leave it to the last month: documents from abroad take time.
Your practical starting checklist
- Clear in at a port of entry and get the AMP cruising permit.
- Diary the permit expiry, the crew's stay and the 24-month transit limit.
- Carry registration, permit, crew list and zarpe aboard for SENAN boardings.
- Check that your insurance covers Panamanian waters.
- Do not take paying guests unless you have a licensed operator and a charter permit.
- Import the boat before selling locally or staying past 24 months.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a foreign-flagged yacht stay in Panama?
Up to 24 months in transit under Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025, with a cruising permit that cruisers report as one year and renewable. Crew immigration stays are separate and usually shorter.
Can I charter my US-flagged boat in Panama?
Only by placing it with a Panamanian company licensed for yacht chartering, under a temporary charter contract and an AMP charter permit. You can't charter on a private cruising permit.
Can I sell a foreign-flagged boat in Panama?
Yes, to a buyer who takes it abroad or keeps it on a foreign flag outside Panama. A buyer who keeps it here normally needs a definitive import first.
Does a foreign-flagged boat need a Panamanian captain?
Not for private use. The 2025 decree lets foreign yachts replace their captain with a Panamanian or foreign captain through the AMP's single window. A charter has stricter crew certificate rules.
¿Puede un yate de bandera extranjera hacer chárter en Panamá?
Solo mediante un contrato especial de fletamento temporal con una empresa panameña con licencia de la AMP y un permiso de navegación tipo chárter, según la Resolución J.D. 089-2020 y el Decreto Ejecutivo 4 de 2025.
The next question to answer
The international buying and selling hub. Read Buying and selling across borders.
The licensed-operator charter route. Read Foreign-flagged boat charter.
Time limits and leaving the boat in Panama. Read Temporary vs full import.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare Foreign-Flagged Yachts in Florida.
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.
- Gaceta Oficial: Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 11 February 2025 (nautical tourism) ↗
- AMP: Resolución J.D. 089-2020, yacht chartering auxiliary maritime service ↗