Yesterday, Ray received a return email from our attorney in Panama with the infamous list of all the paperwork necessary for obtaining the Pensionado VISA. The Easter holiday makes for a bit of delay in getting answers back plus we will have to pay her something soon, I suppose, if we are going to call her our attorney. Yes, she replied that it is pretty early still to start VISA process but she will be around in January (after Martyr's Day holiday) when we think our next a trip to Panama will be. But since the process is apparently so overwhelming, we will absorb and digest it all first, and then take baby steps. First thing first, I sent an email to our financial planner asking if he will be able to write a letter to the Panamanian government guaranteeing us a "pension for life". This will be interesting. Then there are a few more questions I have floating around:
How long does an FBI background check take? Do we start now?
Can we start getting the letters written out to us now from the bank and from our pension company and then get them apostiled within a few months of our trip to Panama?
Do we really give up our marriage license? I know our passport is taken and then returned, but do they take our original marriage license? One website states that it is kept, and we have to pay to retrieve it after it is approved. But I know Ray and I mailed away for copies, so this isn't really trouble.
Do we (and we know to ask attorney, but I should list all my questions now when thinking about them) snail mail our attorney the stack of letters and papers or FAX them to her? Does she then have time to go through papers getting them translated into Spanish?
Do we plan on being in Panama City for seven business days even though our attorney told us to give her five business days to run around? Will seven be enough in case we need a roll over day or two? (Let's say power goes out, or the employees are out sick or on strike.)
Ugh. How great it will be when this is done. What an accomplishment it will be! When the papers are sent off and all systems are a go. For now, it will be an unknown angst. What do we do first. When do we start. What I do know though is that spring will soon show up here. It is very warm in Panama right now, and here, we are just now getting into the sixty degree range. Next week it will be in the seventies. We are starting to see some sunshine. Blue skies. Time to spring clean. Time to think about being outside rather than the "what's, when's and how's" of all this Panamanian paperwork. Our grass here in Stafford had to be mowed (great job, Pablo)! The lake house lawn needed to be mowed. Sticks were picked up. Leaves were raked, again. Shrubs were removed. Gutters were cleaned. Kayaks were brought out and actually used (!). Bluebirds have shown up. All signs of another new season. Ray and I just need to take deep breaths. The fresh air and being outside will help us with this, and knowing us, it will all get done quickly and efficiently whenever we are told we can start it all.
Joel has been working on it for months. Fingerprints had to be redone, something took forever to get here in the mail.... This is Panama. Panama = Patience.
ReplyDeleteBut, you don't have to get it done at any particular time. There are people who have lived here for years on tourist visas and just cross the border to get their passports stamped every 3 months. So, don't sweat it. Just keep doing a step at a time and you'll get there.
We also had friends who couldn't get a copy of their marriage license and had to get remarried here!
It's actually getting cooler here now and we've gotten a bit of rain. I spent part of today raking the tons of leaves that have fallen in the dry season.
PS Joel looked and it took about 2 months for his stuff to make it through the FBI process.
Oh, good to know about the whole FBI processing length of time. So it may seem that we can work on paperwork little by little and get it apostiled all at the same time within few months of actually going to offices. If this is correct (I will check), this is good, too! I raked a ton yesterday at our lake house. Darn leaves just won't drop all at once! Thanks for info! Stay cool with the rain and change in season.
ReplyDeleteHey, I just found your blog. We are also moving to Boquete - June 12 - and are completing the pensionado paperwork. We had our fingerprints but they came so late that there wasn't enough time for the apostile. Then we went to Boquete so must start the process again as a visit to Panama makes our FBI report no good. So we are hoping to begin anew once we get there again in June. Craziness!
ReplyDeleteIs the writing on the wall that Ray and I HAVE to visit Boquete when we rent, since so many of my virtual friends are now in Boquete! Cannot wait to meet up with everyone there someday!
ReplyDeleteCindy--my biggest concern is the timing of it all. But like Kris said, there are people in Panama that just haven't done it yet. Ray and I hope to get the VISA before we get there, so that will be one thing we have already paid for (while still working).
Allison, is there anything in your "packet" that mentions how recent the documents have to be?
ReplyDeleteHugo--Nope. We are waiting to get email back from attorney. Ray will resend email this week. I also asked Patrick on "Americans in Panama" yahoo group. He just wrote a super long, detailed post about all of this paperwork (and yes, for everything signed, it is $30 a dcoument), so I asked him this question: all the paperwork is gathered, notarized, and signed. Do the papers have to be apostiled within "X" amount of months before taking them to the immigration offices with attorney in Panama? Our understanding is that it has to all be done within three months. I will let you know what I find out.
ReplyDeletecare to share name and contact info (email?) of your attorney in R de P? I may be a little ahead of you in the paper gathering arena and am nearing a point where I want to email a few attorneys to see which one I get the best responce from and proceed from there.
ReplyDeleteWe were given the name of Tanya Coronado of PTY Lawyers. Www.PTYLawyers.com She is in Coronado on Mondays. Friends of ours referred us to her. Mind you, we have only just had one visit with her which went extremely well, and the rest has been email. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteA visit to Panama makes the FBI report no good? I haven't heard that before. We are in Panama now! A friend took Joel's fingerprints and FBI stuff to the consulate to get it apostiled, had it sent back to her and then sent it along to us.
ReplyDeleteWe explained to our attorney that our FBI report came in too late to get them apostiled. Even though we had everything else, he told us that we needed to begin again and start the process when we returned. The problem was that my prints are hard to read so it took 2 attempts. I am hoping that this time the first time will work. It took 6 weeks for my husband to get his back, mine took an additional 4 weeks. Lucky for us is that the Panamanian Consulate and the USDA office (for our cats) are in Miami and close to one another. The Consulate requires 3 working days to do their thing though so it's at least 2 trips to Miami.
ReplyDelete