Research tool 03
Compare Residency Routes
Set official routes side by side. We show supported differences without a score, ranking, or declared winner—and leave unconfirmed fields plainly marked.
Evidence-only preset: a fixed example across supported investor and pension routes. It is not a ranking or recommendation.
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| Field | PanamaInversionista Calificado | Costa RicaPensionados | ParaguayResidencia Permanente para Inversionistas Extranjeros (SUACE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official pathway | Inversionista Calificado | Pensionados | Residencia Permanente para Inversionistas Extranjeros (SUACE) |
| Country | Panama | Costa Rica | Paraguay |
| Route type | General investment | Retirement | Business investment |
| Applicant basis | Foreign-source investment through qualifying real estate, Panamanian securities, or a qualifying fixed-term deposit | Stable qualifying pension | Qualifying foreign investment under the SUACE route |
| Initial status | Direct permanent residence after MICI certification and a separate favorable SNM decision. | Temporary residence. | Permanent residence. The DNM describes the residence card as definitive and requires the card to be renewed every ten years. |
| Financial basis | Current minimums differ by form: B/.300,000 for qualifying real estate or the approved promise-of-sale structures, B/.500,000 for qualifying securities, and B/.750,000 for a qualifying five-year fixed deposit. | USD 1,000 per month in qualifying foreign pension income. | Resolution MIC 0283/2026 describes four modalities rather than one universal threshold: productive industry, commerce, or services from USD 70,000 with a business plan and at least five formal jobs; financial instruments from USD 200,000 maintained for at least two years; business-use real estate from USD 200,000; and tourism investment from USD 150,000 with a business plan. The applicant must follow the evidence rules for the selected modality. |
| Renewal | Permanent residence does not remove the investment-maintenance and annual certification duties. The qualifying commitment must remain supportable for the applicable five-year period. | Temporary residence may be renewed when the route conditions and current renewal requirements continue to be met. | Renew the permanent-residence card every ten years under the current DNM card-renewal procedure. |
| Dependents | A spouse or dependent may be included with relationship and responsibility evidence. Decree 193 permits qualifying co-ownership or joint holding among a spouse or dependents when the beneficial-ownership conditions are met. No current per-dependent payment is stated here. | The statute permits dependents to be included for migration purposes without stating an additional income increment in Article 81. | No route-specific dependent conclusion is stated here. A family member must qualify under the procedure applicable to that person. |
| Work rights | No unrestricted local-employment right is inferred from the investment category. | This page does not infer employment authorization from pensioner status. | The sources support investment and business-establishment use of the route but do not establish unrestricted employment rights, so no broader work-rights claim is made. |
| Presence considerations | Current MICI guidance says the investor must visit Panama at least once every two years while maintaining the qualifying investment for five years. | Residence and naturalization use separate continuity rules. | No route-specific physical-presence maintenance rule is stated in the cited package. |
| Permanent-residence relationship | This is direct permanent residence, but MICI certification verifies the investment layer and does not replace SNM's final migration decision. | Permanent residence is a separate later application when a statutory basis is met. | This is a direct permanent-residence procedure; the current DNM and MIC material does not require the investor first to hold ordinary temporary residence. |
| Citizenship relationship | Citizenship is separate. No physical-presence waiver or guaranteed nationality timeline is published from the controlling sources. | Naturalization periods depend on nationality and official residence. | Citizenship is a separate legal process. This route does not itself establish citizenship eligibility or a guaranteed timeline. |
| Information available | Detailed information available | Detailed information available | Detailed information available |
| Last checked | 2026-08-08 | 2026-08-04 | 2026-08-05 |
| Sources | Pathway page · Official source | Pathway page · Official source | Pathway page · Official source |
An unconfirmed field is not a negative finding. It means the current research does not yet support a sufficiently specific statement for that route.