Panama Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in panama, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Market Opportunities
Last published date:

Panama has no restrictions on the outflow of capital or outward direct investment.  Its accession to the World Trade Organization in 1997 opened trade and lowered tariffs across sectors giving Panama the lowest average tariff rates in Latin America.  

Consumer attitudes and many brand preferences are like those in the United States.  Many U.S. television and radio shows and magazines are popular and available in Panama.  Middle and upper-income Panamanians frequently travel to the United States for vacation, medical treatment, study, and business, and their buying patterns and tastes are like those of U.S. consumers.  U.S. goods and services enjoy a reputation for high quality and durability in the country.

Best prospects:

• Building products

• Medical equipment

• Disposable medical supplies

• Cybersecurity

• Construction

Large infrastructure projects:

• 4th Electrical Transmission Line (500KW)

• Third Metro Line

• 100 Bridges Across the Country

• 4th Bridge over the Panama Canal

• The expansion of the Panama-Arraiján highway

• New Quay at Puerto Armuelles, Chiriquí

U.S. companies face intense competition from state-owned Chinese companies that have won billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure projects in recent years.  Panama established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in June of 2017 and signed numerous bilateral agreements and began negotiating a free trade agreement that allowed Chinese SOE’s to win major tenders over a span of 18 months. The current administration has paused negotiations and taken a more measured approach thus far.

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility