Promote:
Find public support
The organizations that help companies export from and invest in Panama, grouped by what you need. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
1. Where to start
PROPANAMÁ, MICI and ANA: the guide’s first stops, of the 17 organizations below.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
- Get advice
Investment and export promotion office
PROPANAMÁ
Oficina para la Promoción de la Atracción de Inversiones y Promoción de Exportaciones
Promotes investment attraction and exports as the office created by Law 497 of 2025.
Visit PROPANAMÁ (opens in a new tab)Source: PROPANAMÁ, legal framework page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Get advice
Commerce and industry ministry
MICI
Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias
Runs the investment regimes for multinational headquarters, free zones and qualified investors, and promotes trade through its offices.
Visit MICI (opens in a new tab)Source: MICI, release on the investment ecosystem, October 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 23, 2026
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
ANA
Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas
Sets and enforces the customs rules on export and re-export declarations.
Visit ANA (opens in a new tab)Source: ANA, news release on export declarations, March 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026
2. Export development and market information
5 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
Investment and export promotion office
PROPANAMÁ
Oficina para la Promoción de la Atracción de Inversiones y Promoción de Exportaciones
Promotes investment attraction and exports as the office created by Law 497 of 2025.
Visit PROPANAMÁ (opens in a new tab)Source: PROPANAMÁ, legal framework page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Get advice
Export promotion directorate
DNPE
Dirección Nacional de Promoción de las Exportaciones
Runs the VUCE export single window, which endorses certificates of origin and export declarations.
Visit DNPE (opens in a new tab)Source: MICI, what the single window VUCE is (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Trade intelligence office
INTELCOM
Oficina de Inteligencia Comercial
Publishes market reports, tariff search, agreement guides and export dashboards for Panamanian exporters.
Visit INTELCOM (opens in a new tab)Source: INTELCOM, trade intelligence platform (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Get advice
Small business authority
AMPYME
Autoridad de la Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa
Keeps the registry of micro, small and medium companies and runs programs to develop them.
Visit AMPYME (opens in a new tab)Source: AMPYME, small business authority home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Research markets
National statistics office
INEC
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo
Publishes official trade, price and national account statistics, including export dashboards.
Visit INEC (opens in a new tab)Source: INEC, home page with CPI and GDP indicators (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
3. Investment and business setup
5 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
Commerce and industry ministry
MICI
Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias
Runs the investment regimes for multinational headquarters, free zones and qualified investors, and promotes trade through its offices.
Visit MICI (opens in a new tab)Source: MICI, release on the investment ecosystem, October 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 23, 2026
- Get advice
Free zones directorate
DGZF
Dirección General de Zonas Francas
Acts as technical secretary of the commission that approves free zone licenses.
Visit DGZF (opens in a new tab)Source: MICI, release on free zone approvals, June 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of June 18, 2026
Special economic area agency
APP
Agencia Panamá Pacífico
Promotes and administers the Panamá Pacífico special economic area and registers companies there through its SIT window.
Visit APP (opens in a new tab)Source: APP, company registration benefits page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Get advice
Free zone authority
ZLC
Zona Libre de Colón
Administers the Colón Free Zone, a logistics and trade zone for importing and re-exporting goods.
Visit ZLC (opens in a new tab)Source: ZLC, weekly summary, August 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Land administration authority
ANATI
Autoridad Nacional de Administración de Tierras
Administers land titles and issues cadastral certifications that investors check before they buy or lease property.
Visit ANATI (opens in a new tab)Source: ANATI, land administration authority home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
4. Customs and tax
2 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
ANA
Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas
Sets and enforces the customs rules on export and re-export declarations.
Visit ANA (opens in a new tab)Source: ANA, news release on export declarations, March 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026
- Meet requirements
Tax authority
DGI
Dirección General de Ingresos
Registers taxpayers in the RUC and collects national taxes, including the annual single rate tax of companies.
Visit DGI (opens in a new tab)Source: DGI, taxpayer registration frequently asked questions (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
5. Standards and sector requirements
3 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Meet requirements
Agriculture ministry
MIDA
Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario
Registers agro-exporters and issues phytosanitary export certificates through its plant health directorate.
Visit MIDA (opens in a new tab)Source: MIDA, phytosanitary certification of exports (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
National standards body
DGNTI
Dirección General de Normas y Tecnología Industrial
Sets national technical standards, certifies products and keeps catalogs of the standards and technical regulations in force.
Visit DGNTI (opens in a new tab)Source: DGNTI, about the standards body (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Aquatic resources authority
ARAP
Autoridad de los Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá
Licenses fishery activities and handles the catch certificates that fish exporters need for some markets.
Visit ARAP (opens in a new tab)Source: MICI, fishery export requirements guide, August 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
6. Chambers and industry associations
2 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
Exporters association
APEX
Asociación Panameña de Exportadores
Represents exporters, runs workshops and trade missions, and sits on the commissions of the CEFA and PROMAGRO incentives.
Visit APEX (opens in a new tab)Source: APEX, about the exporters association (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Industrial manufacturers union
SIP
Sindicato de Industriales de Panamá
Represents manufacturers in policy dialogue and runs business meetings for industrial companies.
Visit SIP (opens in a new tab)Source: SIP, industrialists union home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Compare Panama with other countriesSet Panama beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
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Promote:Panama is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.