ABOUT PANAMA
Official name: Republic of PANAMA
Capital: PANAMA CITY
Official language: Spanish
Gentilic: Panamanian
Government: Presidential
Total area: 75,516.3 km2
Population: 3.6 million
GDP (Total 2013 est.): US$61.5 billion
GDP per capita 2012: US$10,916
Currency: US Dollars and Balboa
Exchange rate: 1US$ = 1 Balbos $
Time zone: CST (UTC-5)
Borders: Costa Rica to the west, Columbia to the east and south, the
Pacific Ocean to the south and the Caribbean to the North.
 Geographic division: 5 provinces: Panama City,
Balboa, Boquete, Boca Chica, and Colon.
 Transportation Infrastructure:
o Panama's major airport is the Tocumen
International Airport outside of
Panama City, which offers
international flights to destinations
around the Americas.
o The roads into Panama from the north
(Costa Rica) are another potential way
to enter the country, either by bus or by
car, on the highway)
o Boat is another option for transport into Panama, with cruise lines
that travel the Panama Canal, and the Panama Canal
Railway is another popular method of transport
o The Panama Metro which is the metropolitan transport system,
was opened April 5, 2014. It currently consist of a 13.7 km line
with 12 stations.
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EXPORT PROCEDURES TO PANAMA
Upon exporting to Panama, the Comision Panama de Normas Industrias y Tecnicas
(COPANIT) must be contacted prior to exportation. COPANIT is charged with the
responsibility to develop standards and technical regulations. COPANIT is also closely
aligned to Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards, as it has adopted many of
the standards from Codex. COPANIT can found on the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry (MICI) website at www.mici.gob.pa. Manufacturers and importers must ensure
all products standards and guidelines adhere to these guidelines in order to be eligible
to enter the market.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
• Find a legally registered representive in
Panama to be an importer/distributor
• Obtain certificate of free sale in Jamaica with
seal from Panamanian Consulate
• Register each product with The Panamanian
Food Safety Authority (AUPSA)
• Custom Broker is expected to handle the
clearance of products at the ports once
product has arrived
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXPORTS
Export pre-requirements are as follow:
 Must have an established and registered importer/distributor.
 In order for the product to be registered a letter of request must be sent
stating the Name of the Product, Manufacturers name, Country of Origin,
Description of product and Name of importer. Attached to the Letter of
Request should be: the Certificate of Free Sale, Formula (ingredients),
Manufacturers flowchart of production, Information on preservation
conditions and stability of product, Production and expiration date, Four
labels, Digital picture showing label and package, Lot code description or
explanation.
 Import Requirements structure includes the Justification and the
Documents required. The justification of the product is a legal document
done by AUSPA which states and highlights the reason the product is
being imported into Panama. The requirements include the Customs
Harmonized Code, Sanitary Certificate and declarations include free of
specific diseases, treatments and plant implementation of HACCP and
pre-requisite programs.
 Import
notification,
this
is
done
online
at
http://www.aupsa.gob.pa/aupsaweb/index.php?option=com_content&view=a
rticle&id=136&Itemid=75
 Two samples of the product. These products are not subjected to the
registration process but must meet sanitary regulations and customs
procedures. Products are tested based on risk categorization. High risk
products will be subject to more scrutiny and testing such as milk.
 AUPSA offers all these services free of cost as the agency is government
regulated. The team from AUPSA includes MIDA (agriculture), Customs
Authority, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce, Consumer’s Authority,
Laboratories and others.
 Depending of the availability of all documents and procedures the
process can be completed in as soon as a week.
LABELING REQUIREMENTS
The label can be in English and there is no mandatory labeling requirement for
labels to be in Spanish, according to the Trade Regulation Standards, Article 36
of Law 45 of October 31, 2007, except with respect to medicines, agricultural
chemicals, toxic products, and food products that require specific instructions or
warnings because of risks to human health, such as health enhancers and the
like, the label has to be in Spanish:
 Name of product
 Kind of product
 Net contents and drained weight
 List of ingredients
 Country of origin
 Name and address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor, importer,
exporter or vendor of the food
 Lot identification
 Date of expiry
 Instructions for use
Labels for alcoholic beverages must contain in Spanish:
 Type of alcohol beverage (e.g., rum, white wine, vodka, etc.)
 Alcohol content must be expressed in percent by volume (% vol.)
 Net content
 Importer’s name and address
 Country of origin
 Best by or Consume by Date, for alcohol beverages with less than 10
percent alcohol by volume
 Ingredients required only for specialty-type products. Note, the
declaration of any food additives is required for all type of food products.
 Warning: Instruction of usage and effects
The name of the product, alcohol content, and net contents must be prominent
and appear in the same field of vision.
IMPORT PROCEDURES
It is mandated by the customs authority that a customs broker be used to clear
goods and must be a registered broker. The services of an accredited Customs
Agent must be utilized in order to obtain goods from the Department of
Customs. This is in accordance with Article 33 of the General Customs Law which
stipulates that Customs agents are the only individuals authorized to provide
such services.
It is the duty of the importer/distributor to provide the Customs Agent with the
appropriate documentation. Amongst other duties the Customs Agent will be
required to classify the imported product and determine the import permits
required and complete the Customs Import Form then submit all documents to
the appropriate Customs port of entry.
The process of testing products for Sanitary and Phytosanitary conformance is
done based on the product risk category. The customs authority checks
approximately 0.0026% of each cargo. This 0.0026% only represents high risk
goods. It takes an average of two a days to clear goods from the ports.
The following documents are required for the customs clearance:
 Commercial invoice
 Bill of lading or airway bill
 Customs declaration from exporting country
 Value declaration form
 Import license
 Certificate of free sale with seal (this can be done by the Panamanian
consulate in Jamaica)
 Copy of the importer’s identification document, legal identification for
business entity.
 The import of certain products, depending on its nature, requires the prior
approval of various governmental institutions (Ministry of Agriculture,
Ministry of Health, etc).
TAXES/TARIFFS
Currently there are no trade agreements between Jamaica and Panama.
Therefore Jamaica has no access to preferential treatment from Panama.
Various tariffs and duties are applied to products depending on the country of
origin. The following are the tariffs and import fees in Costa Rica:
 Import duty tariff (DAI) is applied at the border and is estimated between
1% for capital goods and 18% for finished goods.
 Sales tax (IVA) is 7% applied to all products
 Consumption tax applied at various rates to luxury goods between 0 and
25%
 Most Favoured Nation (MFN) duty rate 4.5% - 20%
The Importer or Customs Agent should advise of all applicable fees and tariff.
Information
on
product
tariffs
can
be
obtained
at
link
http://ana.gob.pa/index.php/component/k2/itemlist/category/3.html
EXPORTERS’ TIPS
For companies interested in exploring the Panamanian market, please contact
the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama, CAMARA DE
COMERCIO, INDUSTRIAS Y AGRICULTURA PANAMA. The web site is
www.panacamara.com/ or contact directly Mrs. Michell Espinosa M., Economic
Adviser, email: [email protected], phone: (507) 207-3400 ext. 3310.
The Chamber can provide a comprehensive list of distributors and arrange
business meetings with key agencies and distributors. A representative may also
accompany you to meetings and provide translation services.
It is important to acquire the services of a trade consultants, lawyers and
advisers regarding exporting, e.g. drafting contract, SPS and TBT issues. The most
important agency in this process is AUPSA you may contact Ms. Carmela
Castillo, the head of Sanitary and Phytosanitary evaluations. She may be
contacted at [email protected] or by telephone, (507) 522-0000.
DOCUMENTS TO REMEMBER
Certificates Required
Product Category
Sanitary and Phytosanitary
certificate
Fresh produce, animal products and
prepackaged foods
Import License
All products
Health License
Pharmaceutical and chemical products
CONTACTS
Company
Representatives
Function
Website
Distributor listing and
Trade shows
www.panacamara.com
Mrs. Michell
Espinosa M.
The Chamber of Commerce,
Industries and Agriculture of
Panama
Economic Adviser
Ms. Itzel Galvez
Commercial
Promotion Assistant
Customs Authority of Panama
Virna Luque
Director
Panamanian Commission
Industrial Standards and
Technical (COPANIT)
Panama Trade and Invest
Authority (PROINVEX)
Jorge Cerrud
Project Manager
Import Permits
application
www.ana.gob.pa/
Standards and Labeling
requirements for
products
www.mici.gob.pa
Trade Agreements and
Investment Incentives
www.proinvex.mici.gob.pa
/
Cesar Maure
Ministry of Agricultural
Development (MIDA)
Executive Director
of Agricultural
Quarantine
Ms. Carmela
Castillo
The Panamanian Food Safety
Authority (AUSPA)
Head Officer of
Sanitary and
Phytosanitary
Evaluations
Sanitary Certificates for
fresh produce
www.mida.gob.pa
Sanitary and
www.aupsa.gob.pa/aup
Phytosanitary certificates
saweb/
for prepackaged foods