There are Panama consulates in many countries. The Panama consul can authenticate your signature on documents. When you come to Panama the Panama consul’s signature must be authenticated by the Panama Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If you can’t find a Panamanian consulate near you, you can mail the documents to the nearest one. As an alternative, Panama laws state that if you don’t have a Panama consulate near you, you can authenticate a document at the consulate of a country that is friendly to Panama. The problem is that the term “friendly country” is not defined, so you might want to give the consulate a call to see if they are friendly towards Panama.
Legalization of Documents by the Panamanian Consulate
– Any official document to be authenticated by the Panamanian Consulate must be an original document or certified copy with original seal and signature.
– In case of original private documents, the signature must be endorsed by a Notary Public. Make sure the signature is legible. If it is not, please write out the full name of the signatory.
– The Panama Consular Fee is $30.00 per document, payable by money order made out to the Consulate of Panama.
– Include a self-addressed prepaid envelope for return of documents.
– For Diplomas: When a diploma has been issued within the last 6 months there is no cost for the authentication if you are a Panamanian citizen. Documents older than that are $30.00. The same applies to transcripts.
– High School Transcripts: There is no charge for Panamanian students as long as the applicant is currently a student and/or the transcripts were issued within the last 6 months. All other documents will incur a $30.00 fee.
The legalization process is completed when the Authentication Department of Panama’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs authenticates the signature of the Panamanian Consular official. The legalization process can be avoided by obtaining an Apostille seal.
Through Law 6 of June 25, 1990, Panama ratified the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 that abolishes the requirement for the legalization of foreign public documents. This is known as the 1961 Apostille Convention. As a result, a foreign public document authenticated by Apostille does not require the final legalization of a Panamanian Consular official. In the case of a foreign public document endorsed by Apostille and that has been authenticated by a Panamanian Consul, will not be legalized by the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Therefore, either get the public documents Apostilled or authenticated by a Panamanian Consul, but not both.
If you are applying for a visa or sending documents by mail, we recommend you use Express Mail, Priority Mail or a private Courier for security purposes. Please include a self-addressed prepaid envelope for the return of your documents. Please include your telephone number and email address where you can be reached in case you need to be contacted for additional information. If your documents are incomplete for any reason, they may be sent back to you.
If you are using a prepaid courier service, your name and address must appear as the Sender and Recipient. The Consulate of Panama should not appear on the waybill. PLEASE NOTE: All fees must be paid by money order or certified check made out to The Consulate of Panama. The Panama Consulate does not accept personal checks. Cash will only be accepted if applying in person.
All documents should be sent to the following address:
CONSULADO DE PANAMA
2862 McGILL TERRACE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20008
Panamanian Consulates in the United States
There are many Panama consulates in the United States. Here is a current list.
Please refer to the following table in order to contact the Panamanian Consulate which serves your state of residence:
| State of Residence | Consulate |
| District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland | Washington, D.C. |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas | Houston, TX |
| Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands | Miami, Florida |
| Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia | Tampa, Florida |
| Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama | New Orleans, LA |
| New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island | New York, NY |
| California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho | San Diego, CA |
| All Other U.S. States | Washington, D.C. |
Washington, D.C.
2862 McGill Terrace, NW
Washington, DC 20008
f. (202) 483-1407
f. (202) 387-6141
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
124 Chestnut St. Suite 1
Philadelphia, PA 19106
t. (215) 574-2994 / (215) 574-2994
f. (215) 574-4225
e. panama@foreingconsulate.com
Honolulu, Hawaii
P.O. Box 75582
Honolulu, Hawaii 96836
t. (808) 549-6883 / (808) 549-6883
f. (808) 521-5043
e. PanamaconsulHawaii@aol.com
Houston, Texas
24 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1307
Houston, TX 77406
t. (713) 622-4451 / (713) 622-4451
t. (713) 622-4459 / (713) 622-4459
f. (713) 622-4468
e. panamaconsul@sbcglobal.net
w. conpahouston.com
Miami, Florida
5775 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 200
Miami, FL 33126
t. (305) 447-3700 / (305) 447-3700
f. (305) 447-4142
f. (305) 269-7480
e. ptymia@bellsouth.net
Tampa, Florida
5811 Memorial Highway, Suite 104
Tampa, FL 33615
t. (813) 886-1427 / (813) 886-1427
f. (813) 886-3624
e. consuladopanama@verizon.net
New Orleans
2615 Energy Centre
1100 Poydras Street, New Orleans, L.A. 70163
t. (504) 525-3458 / (504) 525-3458
t. (504) 525-3459 / (504) 525-3459
f. (504) 524-8960
e. consulgeneral@consulateofpanama.com
New York
1212 Ave. of the Americas, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10036
t. (212) 840-2450 / (212) 840-2450
t. (212) 840-2451 / (212) 840-2451
f. (212) 840-2469
e. vbonilla@nyconsul.com
New York
269 Lexington Avenue, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10017
t. (212) 869-6440 / (212) 869-6440
f. (212) 575-2285
e. info@segumar.com
San Diego
402 West Broadway Way, Suite 670
San Diego, CA 92101
t. (619) 235-4441 / (619) 235-4441
f. (619) 235-4442
e. secpanconwest@sbcglobal.net
Puerto Rico
54 Ashford Avenue Apartment 8-A
San Juan, PR 00911
t. (787) 502-8366
e. panaconsulpr@gmail.com