How do I move my furniture and other stuff to Panama?
Caridad Y. Aguilar - Panama International Packers
The best way to move your furniture and personal effects to Panama is to contact a moving company in Panama. That way, you can make sure you have the right visa and documentation for not paying duties or taxes and if you do not have available these documents then you will be able to know how much will you have to pay.
It is not difficult if you work with companies that know what they are doing.
The best way to move your furniture and personal effects to Panama is to contact a moving company in Panama. That way, you can make sure you have the right visa and documentation for not paying duties or taxes and if you do not have available these documents then you will be able to know how much will you have to pay.
It is not difficult if you work with companies that know what they are doing.
Posted January 13, 2013
Lourdes Townshend
It has recently become more difficult to give this answer, because Panamá is growing fast and things are changing rapidly. You can have alternatives today that will not be there tomorrow due to changes. But definitely, there are only 3 ways you can move things when relocating to another country:
- ground
- air
- maritime
If you chose ground, it takes a very long time and...
It has recently become more difficult to give this answer, because Panamá is growing fast and things are changing rapidly. You can have alternatives today that will not be there tomorrow due to changes. But definitely, there are only 3 ways you can move things when relocating to another country:
- ground
- air
- maritime
If you chose ground, it takes a very long time and is expensive.
By air is also expensive, and airlines usually will not accept a large amount of items like an entire household.
The third alternative, by ship, is the logical one, but everything has to be specially packed for this type of transportation, and inside containers, which are sealed until arrival. Upon arrival, the customs department will check them out, and release your goods. Paperwork has to be done in advance, and taxes (if any) have to be paid.
The less you bring, the better, as moving a lot of items is kind of frustrating.
Posted January 14, 2014
David Bayliss - KW PACIFICA
People do bring their furniture and lots of other household items to Panama and I’m not saying not to do it. However, part of what people enjoy about moving here is not having as much stuff. We collect stuff in our lives and so having fewer things is often good. The apartments that expats end up buying here are often smaller than what they had because they are trying to downsize. I see people coming here with all their stuff and then realize that...
People do bring their furniture and lots of other household items to Panama and I’m not saying not to do it. However, part of what people enjoy about moving here is not having as much stuff. We collect stuff in our lives and so having fewer things is often good. The apartments that expats end up buying here are often smaller than what they had because they are trying to downsize. I see people coming here with all their stuff and then realize that they don’t need 80% of it and then they get rid of their stuff here. If you just don’t come with your stuff then you at least get to get new stuff. Most re-sales of houses and apartments are either fully furnished or semi-furnished. They’ll take grandma’s pictures out but typically you will see the couch and the TV and all that stays in the transaction.
If you buy a new apartment, getting new stuff is all part of the fun that people have here. For example, someone bought a beachfront condo that their grandmother’s buffet table wouldn’t look good in anyway. It’s easy to furnish a unit here and it is also easy to buy them already furnished. It can go either way; both are available. Sometimes people feel that they got a really good deal on the apartment or the house because it came with all the stuff. We just sold one recently that came with a golf cart.
However, when you read the paperwork about the different visas, it would say that you get to bring a container with the Jubilado visa and that is all great and wonderful but just because you can do that and just because you can bring your car here, doesn’t mean you have to. If you bring your US car here and then you want it serviced, you would find out that the Toyota here is not the same Toyota you know. My big Toyota, which is a Land Cruiser in the United States is called a Prado here. The Prado in Panama has a 4-cylinder motor because it doesn’t have a catalytic converter. I get great gas mileage with it. It may not be the motor that they sell in the United States but I have a big car with a 4-cylinder that’s fabulous. If you brought your Land Cruiser here the computer system is different in it and it could cause you more trouble even if you can bring it. Our cars here in Panama are not relatively much different in price than in the US so it’s not like Costa Rica where they tax the car to death to make it expensive.
Posted May 24, 2016
Daryl Ries - Keller Williams Panama, associate
There is a great deal for expats moving to Panama. If you are a permanent resident / pensionado and want to move the contents of your household, you are allowed one container free of tariffs and you get a discount on the shipping cost. It’s a phenomenal perk because you can also ship your car. (Condo with rattan furniture, Coronado, Panama, pictured.)
There is a great deal for expats moving to Panama. If you are a permanent resident / pensionado and want to move the contents of your household, you are allowed one container free of tariffs and you get a discount on the shipping cost. It’s a phenomenal perk because you can also ship your car. (Condo with rattan furniture, Coronado, Panama, pictured.)
Posted January 14, 2017