Almost every office a boater needs in Panama City sits within a 15-minute drive of the Amador causeway. The Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) registers boats and licenses crew from its headquarters at Diablo Heights; the Canal authority (ACP) runs the Pacific entrance from Balboa; SENAN has a station on the causeway; the tourism authority (ATP) is in a tower on Avenida Balboa. This page says what each one does and how to reach it, with addresses and numbers only where we could confirm them from the agency itself.
Who does what
Before the addresses, the division of labour, because it is not the same as in the United States:
- AMP (Autoridad Marítima de Panamá): vessel registration (Registro Público de Naves), seafarer licences and training (Gente de Mar), ports and marina concessions, port captains (Capitanías de Puerto) who issue zarpes and inspect vessels. The AMP is the Coast Guard's licensing half, the state's title office and the harbourmaster in one body.
- ACP (Autoridad del Canal de Panamá): everything in Canal waters, including the Pacific entrance, the Balboa anchorage, small-craft permits and transits.
- SENAN (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval): maritime law enforcement, boardings, search and rescue, departure checks and passenger manifests.
- ATP (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá): registration of tourism businesses, including marinas and marine tourist transport.
- ARAP (Autoridad de los Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá): fishing licences and fisheries rules.
- Servicio Nacional de Migración: immigration for arriving crew and visitors.
- Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas: customs, including temporary import of foreign boats.
- MiAmbiente: protected areas and environmental permits.
The official resources page lists each agency's main website; this guide is about the physical offices in the city.
The offices, in one table
| Agency and office | What boaters go there for | Where | Contact (confirmed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMP headquarters, incl. Dirección General de Registro Público de Propiedad de Naves and Gente de Mar | Boat registration, title, mortgages, seafarer licences, marina concessions | Diablo Heights, Calle Demetrio Porras, Balboa Ancón (north of the Bridge of the Americas, off the Balboa–Albrook road) | +507 501-5000; [email protected]; amp.gob.pa |
| AMP Capitanía de Puerto, Balboa | Zarpes, vessel inspections, local port matters | Historically inside the Balboa port complex; confirm the current window with AMP headquarters | Via +507 501-5000 |
| ACP Transit Operations / Admeasurement (Pacific) | Yacht transit booking and admeasurement, small-craft route approvals and permits | Balboa, ACP operations area; admeasurement is now largely handled online and by email | Transit Operations 272-4218; Pacific admeasurement [email protected]; Flamenco Signal VHF 12 |
| SENAN station, Amador | Departure checks, manifests, boardings, SAR | Isla Perico, Calzada de Amador (reported location of the new facilities) | No published direct line confirmed; emergency 911 and VHF 16 |
| ATP | Registro Nacional de Turismo, marina and marine tourist transport registration | Edificio BICSA Financial Center, Piso 29, Avenida Balboa y Aquilino de la Guardia | +507 526-7000; Mon–Fri 8:00–16:00; atp.gob.pa |
| Servicio Nacional de Migración | Visas, crew immigration, extensions | Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro (Tumba Muerto), Panama City | +507 504-3580; [email protected] |
| Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas | Temporary import of foreign boats, imports of parts | Confirm current office for vessel matters with Aduanas | aduanas.gob.pa |
| ARAP | Sport and commercial fishing licences | Confirm office location with ARAP | arap.gob.pa; WhatsApp +507 6954-4239 (listed on site) |
| MiAmbiente | Protected-area permits (Coiba, wetlands), environmental matters | Confirm with MiAmbiente | miambiente.gob.pa |
Where the table says "confirm", we could not open an official page giving the address, and older cruiser reports place offices in buildings that have since changed. Ring the headquarters number first.
AMP: Diablo Heights and the Capitanía
The AMP's head office is at Diablo Heights, in the former Canal Zone townsite between Balboa and Albrook, a ten-minute drive from the causeway across the Bridge of the Americas approach road. The Registro Público de Naves (the ship registry) and the Gente de Mar directorate (seafarer licensing) both work from here, and the AMP's online services, including a chatbot and a status-check portal, are run from the same site. Bring originals and copies: title documents must be notarised, and the registry charges fees for each certificate "previo pago de los derechos correspondientes" without publishing a tariff on the page, so ask for the current fee at the window.
The Capitanía de Puerto for the Pacific side has historically sat inside the Balboa port complex; phone headquarters first and ask where it is receiving the public. For what the AMP registers and licenses, see registration in Panama; for vocabulary, the glossary.
ACP at Balboa and SENAN on the causeway
The ACP does not have a walk-in counter for boaters in the way the AMP does. Yacht transits are booked through the online admeasurement portal and by email with the Pacific admeasurement unit; the transit scheduler and Transit Operations Division answer the numbers in the ACP's handline-transit procedure and in notice N-11. On the water, the ACP's voice is Flamenco Signal Station on VHF 12. If you run a tour boat, water taxi or charter tender in Canal waters, the Office of Maritime Safety registers your craft annually and the Transit Operations Division approves your routes; start by phone. The canal transit sub-hub covers the yacht transit process in full.
SENAN is the agency most likely to board you. Its Pacific presence around the city includes a station on the Amador causeway, reported to be at Isla Perico after a planned Flamenco site was dropped, and the naval base at Vacamonte to the west. Charter operators file passenger manifests with SENAN before departure; private boats meet SENAN at sea. There is no published public counter number we could confirm; in an emergency call 911 or use VHF 16. See enforcement in Panama.
ATP, Migración, Aduanas, ARAP
ATP is in the BICSA Financial Center tower on Avenida Balboa, floor 29, open weekdays 8 to 4. This is where marina operators and marine tourist transport businesses file for the Registro Nacional de Turismo under Executive Decree 82 of 2008. Book parking or take a taxi; the tower is in the banking district.
Migración has its main public office on Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro. Yacht crews arriving by sea have historically been processed by immigration officers posted near the Balboa Yacht Club and at Flamenco; ask the marina where the officer is receiving when you arrive, and go to the main office for extensions and visas.
Aduanas handles the temporary import permit for a foreign-flagged boat that stays in Panama, and duties on imported parts. We could not open the agency's site to confirm an office; call ahead. Arrival clearance explains the sequence for an arriving yacht.
ARAP issues sport-fishing licences. Its site lists a WhatsApp line and regional offices but no headquarters address on the home page; message first, then go.
Your practical starting checklist
- Decide which agency owns your question: registration and licences are AMP; Canal waters are ACP; tourism registration is ATP; enforcement and manifests are SENAN.
- Phone the headquarters number first to confirm the window that handles your case and its hours.
- Assemble originals plus one photocopy of each document, your passport and cash for fees.
- Go early in the morning, in person; most windows stop taking new cases before closing time.
- Ask for the current fee at the counter and a receipt; published tariffs are rare.
- Keep copies of every stamped document aboard for SENAN boardings.
Frequently asked questions
¿Dónde quedan las oficinas de la AMP en la ciudad de Panamá?
La sede de la Autoridad Marítima de Panamá está en Diablo Heights, Calle Demetrio Porras, Balboa Ancón, teléfono +507 501-5000. Allí funcionan el Registro Público de Naves y la Dirección General de Gente de Mar. Para la Capitanía de Puerto de Balboa confirme la ubicación actual llamando a la sede.
Where do I get a zarpe in Panama City?
From the AMP Capitanía de Puerto for Balboa. Its counter has historically been inside the Balboa port complex; confirm with AMP headquarters (+507 501-5000) before you go, and bring the crew list and vessel documents.
Does the ACP have an office I can visit about a yacht transit?
Transits are handled through the ACP's online admeasurement portal and the Pacific admeasurement unit ([email protected]), with the transit scheduler by phone. There is no boater walk-in counter; the ACP's canal-waters rules for small craft are enforced from Flamenco Signal Station on VHF 12.
Where is the ATP for registering a charter business?
Edificio BICSA Financial Center, floor 29, on Avenida Balboa at Aquilino de la Guardia, +507 526-7000, weekdays 8:00 to 16:00.
How do I reach SENAN?
In an emergency, 911 or VHF channel 16. For manifests and departure checks, the causeway station (reported at Isla Perico) deals with Amador operators; we could not confirm a published public line, so ask your marina for the current contact.
The next question to answer
Clear into Panama at a port of entry: fly the Q flag, see Migración, then the AMP port captain for your cruising permit; Aduanas and health where posted. Read Arriving in Panama by boat: how to clear in.
Panama's cruising permit is issued by the AMP port captain to foreign yachts that stay and cruise: who needs it, what it costs, validity, renewal. Read Panama cruising permit (permiso de navegación).
Every agency's website in one list. Read Panama official boating resources.
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: sede principal, dirección y teléfono (Diablo Heights, Calle Demetrio Porras; +507 501-5000) ↗
- AMP: Registro Público de Naves, tipos de inscripción (Dirección General de Registro Público de Propiedad de Naves) ↗
- ACP: Procedures for securing a handline transit, form 4352 (Pacific admeasurement email, scheduler phone, Flamenco Signal channels) ↗
- ACP: OP Notice N-11-2026 (Transit Operations Division and Office of Maritime Safety contacts) ↗
- ATP: Registro Nacional de Turismo (address Edificio BICSA piso 29; +507 526-7000; hours) ↗
- Servicio Nacional de Migración: sitio oficial (Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro; +507 504-3580) ↗
- ARAP: sitio oficial (WhatsApp line) ↗
- La Prensa: SENAN facilities at Isla Perico, Amador (Oct 2024) — secondary ↗