Recently I stumbled across some frank advice in regards to getting your 90 day tourist visa renewed in Panama. For those of you who are unaware of Panamanian law the US Department of State outlines the following:

“Panamanian law requires that travelers present a passport valid for at least three months, and must either purchase a tourist card at the airport in Panama before clearing customs, or obtain a multiple entry visa from a Panamanian embassy or consulate before traveling to Panama. Further information may be obtained from the Embassy of Panama, 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20009, tel. (202) 483-1407, or the Panamanian consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan or Tampa.

As of August 26, 2008, U.S. tourists are allowed to stay in Panama for 90 days, without extension. If they want to stay longer, a “change of migratory status visa” should be requested through a Panamanian lawyer before the expiration of the 90 days in country. An initial fee of $250.00 must be paid for the “change of migratory status visa.” Please note that the approval of the change in migratory status falls under the Panamanian Immigration Office’s discretion.”

Most people travel to Costa Rica, which is all fine and dandy, but don’t expect to cross over and back in a day. You need to stay several days outside of the country to be able to re-enter with e new tourist visa. If you consider it a mini-vacation you will likely enjoy yourself much more; take the time to explore Central America!

Another option that is becoming increasingly popular is flying Spirit to Ft.Lauderdale for a few days. Spirit flights can be incredibly cheap; often cheaper than flights to closer Central American country. If you don’t want to pay through the nose to fly to Costa Rica, or don’t feel like enduring the long bus ride from Panama City, check into Spirit Airlines.

In regard to extending your visa longer without leaving the country, let me tell you what Alvaro Aguilar has to say about it: “The cost of lawyer fees, aggravation of getting fingerprinted at Immigration’s lovely installations and paperwork is about the same as the cost of the Spirit flight to Ft. Lauderdale. This is coming from a lawyer.”

So there you have it – best bet for renewal is exiting the country, with Florida looking like the cheapest, most hassle free option.