Whether you are coming to Panama to work or to retire, you will need your passport. Make sure before you leave that your passport has at least six months before expiration or Panama will not start processing your papers. In other words, they do not care if you plan to start your pensionado visa and return to Toronto while you wait for the papers to process. They want six months remaining on your passport.So, check your passport and get if renewed if you are that close to expiration.

You will also need certified copies of your birth certificate. That is those with the embossed seal. Considering that you will be a long way from home and certified copies of birth certificates are not that expensive, get three.

You will need five passport photos. They are cheap and easy to get in Panama, but it is easier to do before you leave home.

If you are planning on getting married in Panama, especially if that is your route to residency, bring your divorce papers if you were previously married. These should be obtained from the records department in the county where you were divorced and not a copy.

A small notebook is a great idea for writing down lawyer’s names, phone numbers, and address. In this electronic word we rely on cell phones and Blackberries, but if you forget or lose you charger, you will be out of luck on day five.

The other issue is organization and not losing your documents. A pocket folder of the kind you can buy in an office supply store is a good place for all of your documents. Then plan on carrying that in your carry-on luggage.

For more information regarding your move to Panama, click here.