Immigration, Authentications, Fees and Lots of Stampings

Our days are filled with scheduled meetings with our attorney for the visa process, appearances at the Immigration Office to pay fees and obtain official stamps and walking the neighborhood of Bella Vista.  A visit to the U.S. Embassy as a start to obtain Panamanian driver’s licenses is to come later.

After a first meeting with Mayra Lamboglia de Ruzzi (of Italian descent and born in Panama), our immigration attorney, we received the schedule… or at least what the schedule could be providing the interim steps took place as hoped for.

She instructed us to fill in our immigration forms guiding us as to the correct information that would pass scrutiny of the officials.  Her assistant then took the forms to a notary, located downstairs in the building, for authentication.  Once that was done, the forms would be delivered to immigration and we would appear 2-3 business days later to pay the fees and provide fingerprints, answer a few questions and then wait for the next step.  Except… the notary was taking a long lunch and it was unclear if he would return.  The other two notaries in the city were too far away and not familiar with immigration forms.   Mayra released us from waiting and said she would send an email indicating our schedule for the appearances once the notary returned.  If he returned today.  Otherwise, our schedule would just push back a bit.

As promised, we received an email later that evening and appeared early on the designated day.  On our past visit, we had used Uber to get around the city successfully and did so on this day.  The Servicio Nacional de Migration office was located on a street that the locals knew as Tumba Muerto, in English ‘Dead Grave’.   I wondered if that had to do with the driving accidents on this particularly busy stretch of road or because the immigration office was located there along with several other public offices.

Our Uber driver dropped us off and we joined the line outside the door.  After a few bewildered looks from non-gringos, we got out of line and just walked in the door through what appeared to be security with a metal detector.  We walked through security without as much as a question or a buzz from the detectors.  Apparently neither the security guard or the metal detectors were working. 

At the appointed location downstairs near the vending machines, we met other wanna-be expats.  A couple from Canada and another couple from the mid-west that were missionaries to be focused on working with the indigenous Ngobe tribe.  The couple from Canada were still almost a year away from making the transition, but applications could be started far in advance of a move provided you appeared in Panama at Immigration twice along the process.  Linda and Greg were applying for a Friendly Nations visa so Linda could continue to run her exclusive custom travel business once they moved.  Exclusive… meaning fly by private jet, stay on private yachts or private homes and obtain access to private venues globally. Could make for interesting stories.  Greg was to retire from a forestry job.  We traded emails to stay in touch.

Mayra’s daughter, Marianna also an attorney, appeared a bit later than expected and descended on the group with energy and positivity.  Her English was very understandable and delivered with a big smile and lots of drama.  Her hands waved in the air, her eyes rolled about with each point to be made and her efficiency was fabulous!  Without her guidance on what to expect, at which window/agent to expect it, upstairs or downstairs, and when to be at that window, we could have been going in circles for most of the day.  Our first visit to Immigration, to register, took less than two hours.  The final visit took less than 3 hours.  Speed records from what we were to understand later.  After the second and final visit, it would take 3 days before our passports would be returned and we could leave the city.  On to the task for a Panama driver’s license.

There are no pictures of this excursion because we did not know how that would sit with a government office...gringos snapping pictures of every step.