Atracción de inversión, nearshoring, zonas francas y régimen comercial.
Agreements 107 and 108 of 2026 of the Aguadulce Municipal Council authorize the mayor to sign agreements with the Panamanian Sports Institute for works on two municipal properties, subject to works starting within two years.
Resolution No. 025 of 2026 of the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture adopts a single post-earthquake assessment form and certificates that must be posted at each building, subject to re-inspection if a strongly felt aftershock occurs.
Resolution No. 024 of 2026 of the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture approves and authorizes the Azuero Panel alternative system for small single-family homes, subject to the Human Safety Regulation and the REP-2021 criteria.
Law 561 creates the National Road Signage Program for Public Works, requires contractors to provide traffic controllers and local governments to file mitigation plans, subject to a regulation that sets the amount of the fines.
Preliminary Bill 218 would add grounds for exceptional procurement under Law 22 of 2006. Classroom construction would require a technical declaration from the Ministry of Education.
Preliminary Bill 221 proposes a pharmaceutical, scientific and health technology free zone. Its location and operating rules would require subsequent decisions by the Executive Branch.
Preliminary Bill 217 would prohibit asbestos extraction, production, trade and use, while establishing a replacement program for installed material and requiring implementing regulations within six months.
Agreement 314 reclassifies specialized miscellaneous and infrastructure plans in the District of Panama. Exceptions to ordinary land-use checks retain safeguards and do not eliminate other applicable approvals.
Resolution 857 establishes import and oversight procedures for laboratory reagents exempt from health registration, under the National Directorate of Medical Devices, with permits valid for ninety days.
Preliminary Bill 219 proposes waste separation, closing reports and penalties for large events. The regime would take effect six months after promulgation, if the initiative becomes law.
Agreement 10-2026 adds an exception to the politically exposed persons catalogue for certain nonvoting board members, limited to the guide’s expressly stated conditions.
The subcommittee report on Bill 581 proposes revised admission checks for accommodation providers and continued consideration at first debate; its recommendations are not yet binding requirements.
San Carlos Mayor’s Decree 089 suspends specified November civic activities in defined locations as the municipality focuses its response on earthquake damage and affected households.
Preliminary Bill 213 proposes a national drill on the second Monday of October, with private establishments participating according to their risks. It provides alternatives for essential services and is not yet a legal obligation in force.
Municipal Agreement 313 changes vacancies, removal and tied votes at the Planning Board. Sentinel compares five aspects of the reform with related rules and identifies the limits of the analysis.
Preliminary Bill 210 proposes stronger evidentiary treatment for interviews with child victims of sexual offences. It remains subject to the legislative process.
Mayoral Decrees No. 012-2026 and No. 013-2026 regulate the use and water protection of Cerro Cabra without constituting its first protected designation or authorizing individual developments.
Cabinet Decree No. 14 of October 13, 2026 extends controls on the marketing of roasted coffee for six months without itself establishing a new selling price.
Law 560 of October 14, 2026 changes marine ecosystem protections from October 16 without turning the regulation of activities into blanket authorization for projects.
Executive Decree 6 of 2026 creates Panama's National Carbon Market System, distinguishes domestic use from international transfers, and leaves emissions-reporting and offsetting thresholds to future regulations.
Resolution DM-0551-2026 extends the closure through December 31. Discrepancies in Articles 4 and 7 require clarification before the lobster fishing exception can be described as an operational guide.
The resolution distinguishes private and commercial vehicles and retains contractual exceptions for certain policyholders.
The resolutions redirect users to La Chorrera and headquarters; permanent closure was set for October 16.
The rules require clinical assessment and follow-up; publication does not mean universal eligibility or immediate supply.
The October 14 presentation distinguishes damage, closures and alternative care; it is not an inventory updated to October 17.
Law 558 provides for hospital, home-based and virtual education, with gradual implementation and entry into force at the start of the following fiscal year.
Preliminary Bill 206 would separate housing assistance from registered ownership without granting property rights or removing other eligibility requirements.
Executive Decree 21 creates a temporary stay subject to bilateral agreements and distinguishes immigration approval from permission to work.
Supreme Court Agreement 595 replaces the 2015 framework for alternative dispute resolution and includes duties concerning impartiality, confidentiality and professional training.
Health Ministry Resolution 832 activates the health emergency operations center following the October 9 earthquake and assigns responsibilities for facility assessments and critical resources.
Ministry of Health Resolution No. 0864 establishes renewable five-year certificates and requires a new assessment when relocating, subject to verification of licensing conditions for the services provided.
Bill 742 amends the Criminal Procedure Code to allow conciliation, withdrawal, suspension of the proceeding and agreements between the prosecution and the accused to be used at any stage and up until the debate is declared open, subject to the debates still pending in the Assembly.
Bill 623 institutes the Corpus Christi, Octava and Corazón de Jesús festivity of the Parita district as a national cultural, tourism and folkloric event and orders the State to allocate annual funds for its promotion, subject to the debates still pending in the Assembly.
Acuerdo 9-2026 of the Superintendency of Banks amends Acuerdo 6-2026, which reforms the banking-information transparency rules, to extend its entry into force to March 31, 2027.
Bill 199 amends Law 8 of 2000 and creates within AMPYME a legal-guidance service for all MSMEs and free public defense for microbusinesses billing up to fifty thousand balboas a year, subject to its adoption and the debates in the Assembly.
Cabinet Council Resolution No. 104 authorizes prequalifying bidders for the operation and maintenance and works contract of the Enrique Malek airport, in David, and Scarlett Martínez, in Río Hato, prior to the best-value tender that Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen, S.A. will call.
The consolidated text of Bill 705 proposes measuring the 30% limit against installed capacity, strengthening customer rights and changing distributors' duties. It remains pending a second debate.
Bill 257 amends Law 28 of 2014 to reactivate the commission on rare diseases, give statutory rank to its advisory body and create a National Care Program, subject to approval by the floor and to regulation by the Ministry of Health.
Resolution No. 108 of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry adopts technical standard DGNTI 402-2026, which sets the sampling and analysis methods to determine the quality of paddy rice and fortified white milled rice, and will take effect six months after its enactment in the Official Gazette.
Bill 198 amends Law 22 of 2006 on public procurement and Law 93 of 2019 on public-private partnerships to create the figure of the Project Supervisor, a mandatory independent technical contractor on the largest state works, subject to committee adoption, approval and regulation.
Bill 196 amends Law 51 of 2017 to reserve for national carriers the cargo leaving customs premises, free zones and ports, and to condition foreign carriers on the principle of reciprocity, still subject to committee adoption and the three debates.
Law 555 creates the Sugarcane Mill Route, a tourism, cultural and gastronomic circuit in Panama's panela-producing regions, and grants artisanal producers training, financing and partial tax exemptions, subject to the regulations the Executive must issue within six months.
The Cabinet Council approves transitional contracts with APMT and TIL to ensure continuity of operations at the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal.
The Cabinet Council approves the hiring of AECOM for engineering advisory services on the Albrook–Sajalices segment and the feasibility study for the Panama–David–Frontera train.
The National Assembly approved Bill 385 in its Third Debate on April 30, 2026, establishing the National Tourism and Heritage Development Program 'Paraísos del Istmo.' Inspired by Mexico's 'Pueblos Mágicos' model, the bill was sent to the Executive Branch on May 8, 2026, for promulgation or a potential veto.
Bill 639, submitted by the Ministry of the Presidency, requests a favorable opinion from the National Assembly to sign an addendum to the original 1998 contract with the Ciudad del Saber Foundation, extending its special tax regime from February 13, 2023 to December 31, 2027.
Representative Jhonathan Edir Vega of Circuit 4-5 and nine co-sponsors introduced Bill 554 in February 2026 — a sweeping reform of the horizontal property regime in response to complaints about abandoned construction sites in residential condominium developments. The bill complements Law 284 of 2022 and establishes an aggravated, joint, and strict liability regime.
The Economy and Finance Committee is advancing a National Maritime, Port and Logistics Integration System coordinated by the Panama Maritime Authority, with the Maritime Single Window (VUMPA) as its central tool.
Representative Víctor de Jesús Castillo Cortez introduced a bill on April 27, 2026 that regulates public donation fundraising campaigns, protects donors, and adds a new criminal offense to the Penal Code to sanction those who obtain funds through solidarity deception.
Bill 638, submitted by legislator Marcos Castillero Barahona and adopted by the Commerce and Economic Affairs Committee, proposes that commercial establishments provide reusable bags or environmentally friendly alternatives without passing any cost on to the consumer, directly or indirectly.
Bill 331, which would have created the regulatory framework for sports tourism in Panama with PANDEPORTE and ATP as implementing agencies, was returned to the Legislature via Note 210-2026-AL after objections regarding institutional competencies, the proposed National Fund, and municipal autonomy.
Law 32 of 2011 brought Panama's special, comprehensive, and simplified regime for the creation and operation of free-trade zones under a single legal body, repealing Law 25 of 1992 and its implementing decree. Since then it has been regulated three times by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, amended by laws on airports, property tax, and tax administration, and remains the backdrop for proposed legislation seeking to create parallel special regimes.
The National Assembly has two bills pending a first debate, introduced on April 23, 2026 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that would formalize Panama's accession to the two pillars of the international measurement system.
Legislator Alexandra Brenes Samaniego, of circuit 8-2, is leading a reform of Law 41 of July 20, 2004 that seeks to professionalize the leadership of the Panamá-Pacífico Special Economic Area. The bill, approved in First Reading on April 21, 2026 with six votes in favor and none against in the Commerce and Economic Affairs Committee, is pending Second Reading.
Legislator Lilia Batista Rodríguez submitted on April 21, 2026 a preliminary bill that establishes minimum insurance coverage, joint liability of the driver, owner, and company, and preventive detention of the vehicle until 125% of the estimated amount of the damages is posted.
Executive Decree 6 of April 13, 2026, published in Official Gazette 30502-A, implements Law 497 of November 13, 2025 and defines the operational structure of PROPANAMÁ, the new office attached to the Office of the Minister of Commerce and Industry responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and promoting Panamanian exports.
Twenty legislators from the Caribbean and Atlantic caucuses presented Bill 217 in January 2025 to turn the strategic district of Almirante into a Multimodal Economic Area. The proposal creates an autonomous entity, establishes a special fiscal and customs regime and places the Changuinola airport and the banana-tourism port of Almirante at the heart of the logistics model.
The Supreme Court of Justice, sitting in Full Bench, declared constitutional res judicata with respect to Law No. 406 of 2023, which approved the mining concession contract between the State and Minera Panamá, S.A., upon finding that the same court had already declared it unconstitutional weeks earlier.
In a ruling dated July 5, 2022, the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court declared legal an ACODECO resolution that sanctioned a business entity in the automotive sector with a fine of two thousand balboas for violating Law 45 of 2007, establishing that no parallel investigative process is required to impose a sanction once a consumer violation has been proven.
The Third Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Supreme Court declared that Permanent Water Concession Contract No. 004-12 of 2012, signed between the former National Environment Authority and a concessionaire company for a hydroelectric project in the province of Chiriquí, is not illegal.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has formalized the regulatory framework for the Country-by-Country Report (CbCR) in line with the OECD BEPS Action 13 standard, effective May 27, 2019, with the first filing obligation applying to fiscal year 2018.