Removals to Panama from the UK
Shipping to Panama
Fast Secure Road & Sea
Full and part load
How do removals to Panama from the UK work?
Removals to Panama from the UK go by sea, in a full container or a part load sharing space with other households. We survey, pack and wrap everything, handle the export side here, and a Panamanian agent clears the shipment against your residency documents and a bank reference from a Panamanian account.
Panama is one of the more welcoming destinations in the region if you hold the right residency category, and one of the more expensive if you do not. The visa you are arriving on is therefore the first question rather than the last.
One coordinator runs the move throughout, and the inventory built at the survey is what the clearance runs on.
How long do removals to Panama take?
Your transit time is confirmed in writing on your quote, because it depends on the sailing schedule and whether you book a full container or a part load. A shared container waits until it is full before it sails, so it always takes longer than a container of your own.
There is also a deadline at the Panamanian end. Guidance indicates your shipment should arrive within about six months of your own arrival, and you need to be in the country when it lands, so the booking is planned around your travel rather than the reverse.
Do I pay duty on my belongings going into Panama?
Panama grants duty-free entry on used household goods to several residency categories, with the pensionado retirement visa the best known. The exemption is normally a one-time benefit rather than something you can use repeatedly, and sources differ on whether a value cap applies.
The point most people miss is that duty free is not tax free. Published guidance indicates household goods still attract Panama’s transfer tax, commonly stated at seven per cent, even where customs duty is relieved. Budget for it rather than being surprised at the port.
You also need to be in Panama when the shipment arrives, and the goods should land within roughly six months of your own arrival.
Sources disagree about the exemption cap and about which visa categories are covered, so we do not publish a figure on this page. Your coordinator has our Panamanian agent confirm your eligibility and the current treatment before anything is loaded.
What documents do I need for removals to Panama?
You will need your passport and a Panama-notarised copy of it, your residency visa card with a notarised copy, two original transport documents, an inventory in English or Spanish, and a bank reference letter from your Panamanian account addressed to the national customs authority.
The bank reference is the item that surprises people, because it means opening a Panamanian bank account is effectively part of the moving process rather than something to sort out afterwards.
If your residency card has not been issued yet, a letter from a Panamanian attorney confirming the application is pending is normally accepted instead. Tell your coordinator which situation you are in before the container sails, because the clearance is set up differently.
Which Panamanian port will my shipment arrive at?
Most household shipments from the UK arrive on the Caribbean side at Colon, which sits at the Atlantic end of the canal and is one of the busiest transhipment hubs in the Americas. From there the road to Panama City and the interior is short by regional standards.
That is a genuine advantage of moving to Panama rather than to its neighbours. The country is narrow, the main road network is good, and the inland leg is rarely what shapes the cost or the date.
Tell your coordinator the delivery address and the access, particularly if you are moving into a tower in Panama City or a gated development on the coast, and it is planned into the quote.
Can I send a part load to Panama?
Yes. A part load means you pay for the space your belongings actually take inside a shared container rather than hiring a whole one, which suits the many people retiring to Panama into a furnished or part-furnished property rather than moving a full household.
The care is identical. The difference is the schedule, because a shared container sails once it is full, so the date moves with the other households in it.
Given the arrival window and the need to be in the country, your coordinator will say plainly whether a shared load fits your dates. There is more on our part load removals page.
Which parts of Panama do you deliver to?
We deliver across Panama, including Panama City, Colon, David, Santiago, Chitre, Penonome, Boquete, Coronado and Bocas del Toro, as well as towns reached by road from those centres. The country is narrow, so the drive from the port is short almost everywhere.
Boquete and the Pacific coast developments are popular with British arrivals and bring their own access questions, from mountain roads to gated communities with their own delivery rules. Bocas del Toro adds a water crossing to the final leg.
Where a full-size lorry cannot reach the property, the final leg transfers to a smaller vehicle, which is planned into the quote rather than appearing as an extra.
What sets the price of removals to Panama?
How much you are sending, whether you book a full container or a part load, how much packing you want us to do, and the access at the Panamanian end. The transfer tax that applies even to exempt shipments is the other variable, and your quote states what has been allowed for.
Sea freight is priced on the space your belongings occupy rather than their weight, which is why the survey beats a phone estimate.
We quote in writing with the inclusions listed, and anything excluded says so rather than appearing later.
Moving elsewhere in the region? We also run removals to Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico, and every route is listed on our Americas destinations page. Sending less than a full household? Part load removals explains shared containers.
Why people trust us with a move
These are not our words. They are our customers, on a review site we do not control.
- 4.6 out of 5 from 110 reviews on Trustpilot, rated Excellent
- Over 10,000 moves completed
- Typically replies within 24 hours, as shown on the Trustpilot profile
- Our own yard and storage at Riverside Industrial Estate, Fazeley, Tamworth
- Members of Approved Movers in the UK, and we only work with overseas agents who are members of BAR or FIDI
- Reviewing since October 2020, and still collecting them every month
From contact to collection everything has been really smooth. All emails were answered promptly. The three guys that came and collected our things were super friendly, helpful and extremely careful with our belongings.
Vanessa, May 2026 – verified Trustpilot review
Removals to Panama: frequently asked questions
Does the pensionado visa get me a duty-free move?
It is the best known of the categories that attract relief, and the exemption is normally a one-time benefit. Sources differ on whether a value cap applies, so your agent confirms your specific position before anything is loaded.
Is duty free the same as tax free?
No, and this is the point most people miss on Panama. Guidance indicates household goods still attract the transfer tax, commonly stated at seven per cent, even where customs duty is relieved. Budget for it.
Why do I need a Panamanian bank reference?
Because customs commonly asks for a letter from your Panamanian bank addressed to the national customs authority. In practice that means opening the account is part of the move rather than something to do once you have settled in.
What if my residency card has not arrived?
A letter from a Panamanian attorney confirming that your application is pending is normally accepted in its place. Tell your coordinator before the container sails, because the clearance is prepared differently.
Do I need to be in Panama when my things arrive?
Yes. Guidance indicates the owner needs to be in the country when the shipment lands, and that it should arrive within about six months of your own arrival. We plan the sailing around your travel for that reason.
Can you deliver to Boquete or Bocas del Toro?
Yes. Boquete involves a mountain road and often a gated community with its own rules, and Bocas del Toro adds a water crossing. Both are planned into the quote rather than discovered on the day.
Is my shipment insured?
Cover is arranged against the value you declare, and the level of cover depends on that declaration and the terms in our agreement. Our guide to removals insurance explains it in full.