Panama Government plans to process visas over the Internet

The Panama government announced plans to ease up the visa processing steps. The government realized that the foreigners interested in getting Panama’s visa spend quite a long time at the Dirección de Migracións.

As the government is determined to increase the flow of foreign visitors in the country, it feels, the visa processing should be as easy as it should be. Therefore, the government plans to process requests for visas and other immigration related papers through the Internet.

If the plan gets implemented, many of the steps will be done electronically, so the foreigners need not stand in the queue at the visa offices anymore. They can go to the specific website and apply online. The applicants will just have to enter the information in the government’s database and pay fees using their credit cards or any other electronic payment methods. The visa authority than will contact the applicants. The applicants then have to report to Migración for security protocols and to collect the required documents.

In a recent press conference, the Secretario de Innovación Gubernamental de la Presidencia Gaspar Tarté said that, foreign tourists can apply for multiple entry visas and permanent or temporary residence without leaving their home.

Introduction of the electronic visa processing system will eliminate some traditional procedures as well. For instance, the the Ministerio de Trabajo will not ask for a ‘documentation of immigration status’ from the foreigners to process work permits.

Foreigners from across the world welcomed the move and feel; it will give a new boost to the tourism sector of the country. Investors and real estate executives also appreciated the move.

The Panama government recently made major changes to its immigration laws, easing up the visa process is the outcome of those changes. Nowadays, general visas are stamped and have a risk of being counterfeited. Once the new procedure takes place, chances of counterfeit will be eliminated.

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