Panama Driver’s License or No Panama Driver’s License

While we waited for our passport to be returned, we tackled the second errand…obtaining our Panamanian driver’s licenses.  We considered that we had 90 days before this would be an absolute requirement.  However,  a small problem that Marianna told us about could have been a very BIG problem had we not asked about the process. 

Seems that as a tourist our U.S. driver’s license would have been fine to drive with for 90 days.  However, now that we started our visa process and the papers filed we were no longer considered a ‘tourist’ which immediately rendered our U.S. driver’s license null and void.  If we should be stopped by the Policia, we could be dragged off to jail for driving without a valid license.  Not happenin’!

Obtaining a Panama DL is very different than doing so in the U.S.  We first had to visit the U.S. Embassy to have our U.S. DL’s authenticated and to fill out the request form for a Panama DL.   So we set off from Bella Vista with me driving under an invalid license, in a car we had purchased but had not yet transferred title completely, because we had to be in Boquete to sign papers.  Using WAZE, we managed to weave through traffic and arrived at the U.S. compound in under 30 minutes without a Policia detail.  (sigh of relief)

U.S. Embassy Panama

The grounds were beautifully manicured with security at every corner.  We were waved into the parking area, walked through the checkpoint and entered the building.  Once inside, we were scanned similar to an airport security point and our keys and cell phones confiscated.  Apparently, anything that could detonate a suicide vest was held until we returned in one piece to claim our property.

The inside of the building was sparse, clean and spacious.  We took a number and sat down.  Most of the chairs were empty with little crowd in the building.  I could not help notice that the appearances of the Dell computers were several generations old.  I wondered exactly what kind of ‘authentication’ process actually occurred and how long it might take.  Of course, this step required a fee and a rubber stamp insignia with an original signature.

We were called to the window where a gringo had us fill out forms, asked a few conversational questions, took our driver’s licenses and passport copies we had made (as Immigration still had our passports) and pointed us back to the chairs.  Shortly we were called to the Caja, or cashier, to pay the fee and pointed back to the chairs.  About 30 minutes later, we were called to a different window where we received an authenticated copy of our U.S. driver’s license with the appropriate signature and stamps as well as our original documents. 

Ministry Office above the bank

On to the next step… a visit to the Panama Ministry of Foreign Affairs to authenticate the U.S. Embassy’s authentication of our U.S. driver’s license.   Another fee, another stamp and then on to the next step.. we needed our blood typed.  This isn’t information  required for U.S. driver’s licenses but is required for a Panama DL.  Tumba Muerto!

Blood typing must be done by a lab certified by Panama’s Transit Authority.  A list of those labs is on the Sertracen website, which we quickly learned is not kept up to date.  On the second try, we located a lab.  Pay a fee, get a blood draw.  Sertracen is a private entity that is subcontracted by the Panama government to process driver’s licenses.

The blood test was finally accomplished on a Wed afternoon and the results would be available on Thursday morning. We were due to pick up our passports Thursday at 2P at our attorney’s office.  We needed them to complete the final step at Sertracen late Thursday afternoon and actually obtain the license before we left Panama City on our drive west to Boquete on Friday morning.   Not much time margin for issues.

 All went according to timeline until we tried to get an Uber.  The system seemed to be malfunctioning that day and after a third Uber driver confirmed a pick up and then cancelled, we opted for a cab.  We were standing in front of a Holiday Inn Express in the financial district and the Uber drivers apparently could not find us!  Watching all of this action was a well dressed gentlemen chatting with a driver of a large black SUV. He came over to us and offered a ride to our destination for about $17.  Thinking we were being scammed, we declined. 

Bryant offered about $6 to two other cabbies and they drove away in disgust.  Finally the third took us on only to pull over a few streets later and explain in reasonable English that the destination was on the other side of the city and would cost about $17 and we would be stuck in traffic for a time.  Sertracen was due to close at 4:30P and it was almost 3:30P.  Do or die time!    We know we likely overpaid a few dollars but cabbies in Panama City seem to be like sharks.  They can smell frustration.

Sertracen is not at all like the DMV in California.  We walked in, were immediately helped at a Jubilado (foreign retiree) window where we registered, had our documents copied and then waived to the chairs.  Within minutes we aced the eye and hearing exams after some trouble filling out the forms….in Spanish….with little English being spoken from the agents.  Another 10 minutes in the chairs and we were called to pay the fees and obtain our Panamanian DLs. It was 4:30P.  We felt as if we had just completed floor gymnastics at the Olympics and were given the gold medal!

The Gold Medals! (Details removed)

The best website for a detailed explanation on getting a Panama DL is here.  We love our attorney, Mayra, but this other legal site has much more detail for research.