Doing Business 2018 Panama
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Doing Business 2018 Panama
Page 1
Doing Business 2018 Panama
Economy Profile of Panama
Doing Business 2018 Indicators
(in order of appearance in the document)
Starting a business Procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital to start a limited liability company
Dealing with construction permits Procedures, time and cost to complete all formalities to build a warehouse and the quality
control and safety mechanisms in the construction permitting system
Getting electricity Procedures, time and cost to get connected to the electrical grid, the reliability of the
electricity supply and the transparency of tariffs
Registering property Procedures, time and cost to transfer a property and the quality of the land administration
system
Getting credit Movable collateral laws and credit information systems
Protecting minority investors Minority shareholders’ rights in related-party transactions and in corporate governance
Paying taxes Payments, time and total tax rate for a firm to comply with all tax regulations as well as post-
filing processes
Trading across borders Time and cost to export the product of comparative advantage and import auto parts
Enforcing contracts Time and cost to resolve a commercial dispute and the quality of judicial processes
Resolving insolvency Time, cost, outcome and recovery rate for a commercial insolvency and the strength of the
legal framework for insolvency
Labor market regulation Flexibility in employment regulation and aspects of job quality
Page 2Doing Business 2018 Panama
About Doing Business
The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected
cities at the subnational and regional level.
The Doing Business project, launched in 2002, looks at domestic small and medium-size companies and measures the regulations applying
to them through their life cycle.
Doing Business captures several important dimensions of the regulatory environment as it applies to local firms. It provides quantitative
indicators on regulation for starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit,
protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. Doing Business also
measures features of labor market regulation. Although Doing Business does not present rankings of economies on the labor market
regulation indicators or include the topic in the aggregate distance to frontier score or ranking on the ease of doing business, it does present
the data for these indicators.
By gathering and analyzing comprehensive quantitative data to compare business regulation environments across economies and over time,
Doing Business encourages economies to compete towards more efficient regulation; offers measurable benchmarks for reform; and serves
as a resource for academics, journalists, private sector researchers and others interested in the business climate of each economy.
In addition, Doing Business offers detailed subnational reports, which exhaustively cover business regulation and reform in different cities and
regions within a nation. These reports provide data on the ease of doing business, rank each location, and recommend reforms to improve
performance in each of the indicator areas. Selected cities can compare their business regulations with other cities in the economy or region
and with the 190 economies that Doing Business has ranked.
The first Doing Business report, published in 2003, covered 5 indicator sets and 133 economies. This year’s report covers 11 indicator sets
and 190 economies. Most indicator sets refer to a case scenario in the largest business city of each economy, except for 11 economies that
have a population of more than 100 million as of 2013 (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the
Russian Federation and the United States) where Doing Business, also collected data for the second largest business city. The data for these
11 economies are a population-weighted average for the 2 largest business cities. The project has benefited from feedback from
governments, academics, practitioners and reviewers. The initial goal remains: to provide an objective basis for understanding and improving
the regulatory environment for business around the world.
The distance to frontier (DTF) measure shows the distance of each economy to the “frontier,” which represents the best performance
observed on each of the indicators across all economies in the Doing Business sample since 2005. An economy’s distance to frontier is
reflected on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest performance and 100 represents the frontier. The ease of doing business
ranking ranges from 1 to 190. The ranking of 190 economies is determined by sorting the aggregate distance to frontier scores, rounded to
two decimals.
More about Doing Business (PDF, 5MB)
Page 3Doing Business 2018 Panama
Ease of Doing Business in DB 2018 Rank
Region Latin America & Caribbean
190 1
Panama
Income Category Upper middle income 79
DB 2018 Distance to Frontier (DTF)
Population 4,034,119
0 100
City Covered Panama City 65.27
DB 2018 Distance to Frontier (DTF)
0 100
69.41: Colombia (Rank: 59)
69.13: Costa Rica (Rank: 61)
66.42: El Salvador (Rank: 73)
65.27: Panama (Rank: 79)
61.18: Guatemala (Rank: 97)
58.66: Regional Average (Latin America & Caribbean)
Note: The distance to frontier (DTF) measure shows the distance of each economy to the “frontier,” which represents the best performance observed on each of the
indicators across all economies in the Doing Business sample since 2005. An economy’s distance to frontier is reflected on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the
lowest performance and 100 represents the frontier. The ease of doing business ranking ranges from 1 to 190.
Rankings on Doing Business topics - Panama
1
18
29
28 39
54
55
83
82 88
Rank
96
107
109
136 148
163
180
190
Starting Dealing Getting Registering Getting Protecting Paying Trading Enforcing Resolving
a with Electricity Property Credit Minority Taxes across Contracts Insolvency
Business Construction Investors Borders
Permits
Distance to Frontier (DTF) on Doing Business topics - Panama
100
92.02 89.77
85.47
80 75.00
68.16
65.17
60
DTF
51.67
46.19
39.66 39.59
40
20
0
Starting Dealing Getting Registering Getting Protecting Paying Trading Enforcing Resolving
a with Electricity Property Credit Minority Taxes across Contracts Insolvency
Business Construction Investors Borders
Permits
Page 4Doing Business 2018 Panama
Starting a Business
This topic measures the paid-in minimum capital requirement, number of procedures, time and cost for a small- to medium-sized limited
liability company to start up and formally operate in economy’s largest business city.
To make the data comparable across 190 economies, Doing Business uses a standardized business that is 100% domestically owned, has
start-up capital equivalent to 10 times income per capita, engages in general industrial or commercial activities and employs between 10 and
50 people one month after the commencement of operations, all of whom are domestic nationals. Starting a Business considers two types of
local limited liability companies that are identical in all aspects, except that one company is owned by 5 married women and the other by 5
married men. The distance to frontier score for each indicator is the average of the scores obtained for each of the component indicators.
The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2017. See the methodology for more information.
What the indicators measure Case study assumptions
Procedures to legally build a warehouse To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the
(number) business and the procedures are used. It is assumed that any required information is
readily available and that the entrepreneur will pay no bribes.
â—
Submitting all relevant documents and obtaining
all necessary clearances, licenses, permits and
The business:
certificates
â—
Submitting all required notifications and receiving - Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent). If there is more than one type
all necessary inspections of limited liability company in the economy, the most common among domestic firms
is chosen. Information on the most common form is obtained from incorporation
â—
Obtaining utility connections for water and
lawyers or the statistical office.
sewerage
- Operates in the economy’s largest business city and the entire office space is
â—
Registering and selling the warehouse after its approximately 929 square meters (10,000 square feet). For 11 economies the data
completion are also collected for the second largest business city.
- Is 100% domestically owned and has five owners, none of whom is a legal entity;
Time required to complete each procedure
and has a start-up capital of 10 times income per capita and has a turnover of at
(calendar days)
least 100 times income per capita.
â—
Does not include time spent gathering information - Performs general industrial or commercial activities, such as the production or sale
â—
Each procedure starts on a separate day (2 of goods or services to the public. The business does not perform foreign trade
procedures cannot start on the same day) activities and does not handle products subject to a special tax regime, for example,
liquor or tobacco. It does not use heavily polluting production processes.
â—
Procedures fully completed online are recorded
- Leases the commercial plant or offices and is not a proprietor of real estate and the
as ½ day
amount of the annual lease for the office space is equivalent to 1 times income per
â—
Procedure is considered completed once final capita.
document is received - Does not qualify for investment incentives or any special benefits.
â—
No prior contact with officials - Has at least 10 and up to 50 employees one month after the commencement of
operations, all of whom are domestic nationals.
Cost required to complete each procedure (% of - Has a company deed 10 pages long.
income per capita)
The owners:
â—
Official costs only, no bribes
â—
No professional fees unless services required by - Have reached the legal age of majority. If there is no legal age of majority, they are
law or commonly used in practice assumed to be 30 years old.
- Are sane, competent, in good health and have no criminal record.
Paid-in minimum capital (% of income per capita - Are married and the marriage is monogamous and registered with the authorities.
â—
Funds deposited in a bank or with third party - Where the answer differs according to the legal system applicable to the woman or
before registration or up to 3 months after man in question (as may be the case in economies where there is legal plurality), the
incorporation answer used will be the one that applies to the majority of the population.
Page 5Doing Business 2018 Panama
Starting a Business - Panama
Standardized Company
Legal form Sociedad Anónima (S.A.) - Corporation
Paid-in minimum capital requirement USD 0
City Covered Panama City
Indicator Panama Latin America OECD high Overall Best
& Caribbean income Performer
Procedure – Men (number) 5 8.4 4.9 1.00 (New Zealand)
Time – Men (days) 6 31.7 8.5 0.50 (New Zealand)
Cost – Men (% of income per capita) 5.7 37.5 3.1 0.00 (United Kingdom)
Procedure – Women (number) 5 8.5 4.9 1.00 (New Zealand)
Time – Women (days) 6 31.8 8.5 0.50 (New Zealand)
Cost – Women (% of income per capita) 5.7 37.5 3.1 0.00 (United Kingdom)
Paid-in min. capital (% of income per capita) 0.0 2.1 8.7 0.00 (113 Economies)
Figure – Starting a Business in Panama and comparator economies – Ranking and DTF
DB 2018 Distance to Frontier (DTF)
0 100
92.02: Panama (Rank: 39)
85.32: Colombia (Rank: 96)
81.65: Costa Rica (Rank: 127)
79.30: Guatemala (Rank: 139)
78.88: El Salvador (Rank: 140)
78.09: Regional Average (Latin America & Caribbean)
Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of starting a business is determined by sorting their distance to frontier scores for starting a
business. These scores are the simple average of the distance to frontier scores for each of the component indicators.
Page 6Doing Business 2018 Panama
Figure – Starting a Business in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita)
6 3.5
3
Cost (% of income per capita)
5
2.5
4
Time (days)
2
3
1.5
2
1
1
0.5
0 0
1 2 3 4 5
Procedures (number)
* This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure.
Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and
women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website
(http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below.
Page 7Doing Business 2018 Panama
Details – Starting a Business in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Hire a registered agent to prepare the articles of association 1 day USD 200
Agency : Law firm
It is necessary to hire a lawyer or law firm to serve as Registered Agent of the
corporation and prepare its Articles of Association.
2 Notarize the articles of incorporation 1 day USD 75
Agency : Public Notary
The articles of incorporation to be notarized must include:
(a) the name and domicile of each subscriber to the articles of incorporation;
(b) the domicile of the company and of the resident agent, who must be a lawyer or law
firm in Panama;
(c) the names and addresses of the directors and the officers;
(d) the name of the corporation, set out in such a way to distinguish it from other
registered names already registered with the Public Register;
(e) the company purpose or general objectives;
(f) the name of at least the president, the secretary, and the treasurer, who may or may not
be the same as the directors and need not to be shareholders and who may hold more than
one office or title;
(g) details about the capital and the type and number of shares into which it is divided;
(h) the company duration, which may be perpetual;
(i) any other provision the subscribers may wish to include.
3 Register at the Mercantile Division of the Public Registry and pay the 2 days see comments
Annual Franchise Tax
Agency : Mercantile Division of the Public Registry
The entry fees are the following (since July 2013):
- USD 50.00 for the first USD 10,000.00 in capital stock
- 0.75 cents for each additional 1,000.00 or fraction.
The Annual Registration Tax of USD 250 must also be paid. Payments can be made at
the National Bank of Panama or at any cashier of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The National Bank of Panama has a booth at the Public Registry.
4 Obtain a notice of operations (“aviso de operación”) through the “Panama 1 day USD 55 for legal
Emprende” website entities
Agency : Ministry of Trade & Industry
A notice of operations must be obtained. Law 5 of January 11, 2007 established a new
on-line system called “Panama Emprende” (www.panamaemprende.gob.pa) which
facilitates the creation of companies. The new system replaces the obtainment of
commercial licenses for the obtainment of a notice of operation.
In addition, since April 24th 2012, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the
municipality of Panama are interconnected through the online platform Panama
Emprende. As a result, it is no longer required to visit the municipality to obtain a
taxpayer number. Now entrepreneurs receive automatically the municipal taxpayer
number together with the operation permit through Panama Emprende.
5 Request an employers’ inscription number and register employees at the 1 day no charge
Social Security Administration
Agency : Social Security Institute
Employers and employees must be registered with Social Security. The Social Security
Administration manages insurance programs for pension, health, unemployment, and
occupational accident and injury.
Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure.
Page 8Doing Business 2018 Panama
Dealing with Construction Permits
This topic tracks the procedures, time and cost to build a warehouse—including obtaining necessary the licenses and permits, submitting all
required notifications, requesting and receiving all necessary inspections and obtaining utility connections. In addition, the Dealing with
Construction Permits indicator measures the building quality control index, evaluating the quality of building regulations, the strength of
quality control and safety mechanisms, liability and insurance regimes, and professional certification requirements. The most recent round of
data collection was completed in June 2017. See the methodology for more information
What the indicators measure Case study assumptions
Procedures to legally build a warehouse To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the
(number) construction company, the warehouse project and the utility connections are used.
â—
Submitting all relevant documents and obtaining
The construction company (BuildCo):
all necessary clearances, licenses, permits and
certificates - Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent) and operates in the economy’s
â—
Submitting all required notifications and receiving largest business city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second
all necessary inspections largest business city.
- Is 100% domestically and privately owned; has five owners, none of whom is a
â—
Obtaining utility connections for water and
legal entity. Has a licensed architect and a licensed engineer, both registered with
sewerage
the local association of architects or engineers. BuildCo is not assumed to have any
â—
Registering and selling the warehouse after its other employees who are technical or licensed experts, such as geological or
completion topographical experts.
- Owns the land on which the warehouse will be built and will sell the warehouse
Time required to complete each procedure
upon its completion.
(calendar days)
â—
Does not include time spent gathering information The warehouse:
â—
Each procedure starts on a separate day— - Will be used for general storage activities, such as storage of books or stationery.
though procedures that can be fully completed - Will have two stories, both above ground, with a total constructed area of
online are an exception to this rule approximately 1,300.6 square meters (14,000 square feet). Each floor will be 3
â—
Procedure is considered completed once final meters (9 feet, 10 inches) high and will be located on a land plot of approximately
document is received 929 square meters (10,000 square feet) that is 100% owned by BuildCo, and the
warehouse is valued at 50 times income per capita.
â—
No prior contact with officials
- Will have complete architectural and technical plans prepared by a licensed
Cost required to complete each procedure (% of architect. If preparation of the plans requires such steps as obtaining further
income per capita) documentation or getting prior approvals from external agencies, these are counted
as procedures.
â—
Official costs only, no bribes
- Will take 30 weeks to construct (excluding all delays due to administrative and
regulatory requirements).
Building quality control index (0-15)
â—
Sum of the scores of six component indices: The water and sewerage connections:
â—
Quality of building regulations (0-2) - Will be 150 meters (492 feet) from the existing water source and sewer tap. If there
â—
Quality control before construction (0-1) is no water delivery infrastructure in the economy, a borehole will be dug. If there is
no sewerage infrastructure, a septic tank in the smallest size available will be
â—
Quality control during construction (0-3)
installed or built.
â—
Quality control after construction (0-3) - Will have an average water use of 662 liters (175 gallons) a day and an average
â—
Liability and insurance regimes (0-2) wastewater flow of 568 liters (150 gallons) a day. Will have a peak water use of
â—
Professional certifications (0-4) 1,325 liters (350 gallons) a day and a peak wastewater flow of 1,136 liters (300
gallons) a day.
- Will have a constant level of water demand and wastewater flow throughout the
year; will be 1 inch in diameter for the water connection and 4 inches in diameter for
the sewerage connection.
Page 9Doing Business 2018 Panama
Dealing with Construction Permits - Panama
Standardized Company
Estimated value of warehouse USD 623,563.20
City Covered Panama City
Indicator Panama Latin America OECD high Overall Best
& Caribbean income Performer
Procedures (number) 18 15.7 12.5 7.00 (Denmark)
Time (days) 105 191.8 154.6 27.5 (Korea, Rep.)
Cost (% of warehouse value) 2.5 3.2 1.6 0.10 (5 Economies)
Building quality control index (0-15) 9.0 8.8 11.4 15.00 (3 Economies)
Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Panama and comparator economies – Ranking and DTF
DB 2018 Distance to Frontier (DTF)
0 100
71.02: Costa Rica (Rank: 70)
68.71: Colombia (Rank: 81)
68.16: Panama (Rank: 88)
64.63: Guatemala (Rank: 116)
63.59: Regional Average (Latin America & Caribbean)
60.16: El Salvador (Rank: 139)
Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of dealing with construction permits is determined by sorting their distance to frontier scores for
dealing with construction permits. These scores are the simple average of the distance to frontier scores for each of the component
indicators.
Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita)
1.2
100
Cost (% of income per capita)
1
80
0.8
Time (days)
60
0.6
40
0.4
20
0.2
0 0
1 2 *3 *4 5 6 *7 8 *9 10 11 12 * 13 * 14 15 16 17 18
Procedures (number)
* This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure.
Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and
women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website
(http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below.
Page 10Doing Business 2018 Panama
Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Panama and comparator economies – Measure of Quality
15
11.0 11.0 11.0
Index score 10.0
10 9.0 8.8
5
0
Panama Colombia Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Latin America & Caribbean
Details – Dealing with Construction Permits in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Request and obtain a good standing certificate (certificado de paz y salvo) 2 days USD 30
Agency : Public Registry Office (Registro Público de Panamá)
For the construction of a warehouse the first step is to obtain a good standing certificate
issued by the Public Registry Office (Registro Público de Panamá). This certificate is
required by the Directorate of Works and Construction of the Municipality of Panama to
verify who the property owner is, where the project will be developed, the property
number and the lot area. In particular, construction plans, the construction permit, and the
occupation permit all must include the property number.
2 Obtain results of geotechnical study / soil test 30 days USD 2,000
Agency : Private licensed company
According to Article 21.4 from Acuerdo 281 adopted by the Consejo Municipal de
Panama in December 2016, as well as its earlier versions, a soil test is required for all
new constructions. A soil test is a necessary step for development of the project. The soil
investigation helps to determine the bearing capacity of the land, which helps to
determine the load capability, the type and depth of foundation, in order to make sure to
select a suitable construction technique.
3 Request and obtain environmental study 23 days USD 2,500
Agency : Independent Environmental Consultant
The environmental impact study must be conducted by an independent environmental
consultant and certified by the National Environmental Authority (ANAM). In the Doing
Business case, given the intended use of the warehouse, the required environmental
impact study is that of Type I.
The process of completing an environmental impact study may take from 15 to 30 days,
but the approval by the National Environmental Authority could take approximately 45
days, depending on the category of the environmental impact study.
4 Obtain results of topographical survey 14 days USD 1,250
Agency : Private Engineer
According to Article 3.02 of the Municipal Decree Nº116 of July 9, 1996, Build Co.
needs to obtain the topographical survey to design the location map.
5 Notarize form to deposit the environmental study 1 day USD 3
Agency : Notary
The environmental expert will issue the environmental impact study to BuildCo. BuildCo
must then complete a form and both the environmental impact study and the form must
be notarized. The entire file is then submitted to the Ministry of Environment for further
review.
6 Request and obtain preliminary approval from the Environmental Authority 15 days USD 350
Agency : Municipal Office (Environmental Authority)
While BuildCo. submits the paper work to the Municipaity, they can pay the fee at the
head office of the Environmental Authority.
7 Submit drawings (anteproyecto) to the Municipality and obtain clearance 7 days USD 1
Agency : Municipality of Panama, Works and Construction Department (Dirección
de Obras y Construcciones Municipales)
The architect must fill out the petition form and submit the preliminary design
(anteproyecto). The Municipal Office has created a centralized window for filing of the
preliminary project design.
Page 11Doing Business 2018 Panama
8 Hold consultation with the Municipality to determine approvals 6 days USD 370
Agency : Municipality of Panama, Works and Construction Department (Dirección
de Obras y Construcciones Municipales)
This procedure is in the process of being incorporated into the online system
administered through Panama Tramita. This will allow for a parallel approval process to
be completed online. Until this electronic platform is fully implemented, a public official
from the Municipal Office determines the government offices that must approve the
project. Representatives of the different offices are located in the Municipality but in
separate offices. The company or architect must obtain approvals from those offices
directly.
9 Request and obtain signature of certified fire specialist 2 days no charge
Agency : Certified Fire Specialist
BuildCo must receive an approval of the project drawings related to fire safety from an
independent and certified specialist. This is then submitted to the Fire Department Safety
Office for approval.
10 Request and obtain preliminary approval from Ministry of Public Works and 1 day USD 10
Fire Department Safety Office
Agency : Municipal Office (Ministry of Public Works, Fire Department Safety
Office)
BuildCo must obtain a preliminary approval from the Works and Construction
Department. In order to obtain the approval the project needs to comply with urban
zoning regulations. The certification of land use is issued by the Land Management and
Housing Department and requested by the Works and Construction Department only if
the zoning lot does not appear in the following book "Documento gráfico de zonificación
para la ciudad de Panamá- MIVI'2004", which is where the established land uses (zoning)
are shown.
11 Request and obtain construction permit 15 days USD 6,236
Agency : Municipality of Panama, Works and Construction Department (Dirección
de Obras y Construcciones Municipales)
BuildCo must present the application to the director of the Municipal Construction and
Works Authority, accompanied by two copies of the blueprints; the land use certification
issued by the the approvals issued by the Fire Department Safety Office, Ministry of
Health, Ministry of Public Works, and Environmental Authority; the municipal good
standing certificate; and proof of registration of BuildCo with the Technical Board.
The cost is 1% of the project value.
Unannounced construction permit regulation inspections may take place during
construction.
12 Request and connect to water and sewerage services 14 days USD 287
Agency : Water and Sewerage Authority (Instituto de Acueductos y
Alcantarillados Nacionales-IDAAN)
The cost is based on the fee schedule provided in the Resolution No. 41 of July 27, 2013
from the Water and Sewerage Authority " Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados
Nacionales (IDAAN). The breakdown is as follows:
1. Water meter: USD 145.52
2. Installation USD 41.74
3. Metal deposit box: USD 48.14
4. Installation: USD 51.12
Receive inspection from Municipal Office (Ministry of Public Works) 1 day no charge
13 Agency : Municipal Office (Ministry of Public Works)
While waiting for the water and sewage services, BuildCo, according to Article 64 of
Building Regulations, receives an inspection by the Municipal Office (Ministry of Public
Works) in order to obtain the occupancy permit.
Receive inspection from Fire Department Safety Office 1 day no charge
14 Agency : Municipal Office (Fire Department Safety Office)
At the same time BuildCo receives an inspection from the Fire Department so that the
department can issue a permit. Inspectors come according to a schedule of visits that is
defined when the preliminary approval has been granted.
15 BuildCo. obtains the permit by Fire Department Safety Office. 2 days USD 400
Agency : Municipal Office (Fire Department Safety Office)
16 Request and obtain occupancy permit 10 days USD 320
Agency : Municipal Office (Fire Department Safety Office)
An approval must be received from the Fire Department before the occupancy permit is
issued. An inspection may be carried out on the site.
Page 12Doing Business 2018 Panama
17 Notary notarizes “declaration of improvement” (declaración de mejora) 2 days USD 100
Agency : Notary
When the occupancy permit has been issued, BuildCo will need to notarize a declaration,
which must be drafted on an official form (escritura pública)
18 Register building with the Central Property Registry 7 days USD 1,871
Agency : Central Property Registry
According to the fees published by the Public Registry (Resolution No. 212 of April 18,
2013 ) the "entry fee" for the constitution or transfer of ownership of real property
(including improvements declaration) is USD 3 for each USD 1,000 of the property
value.
Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure.
Page 13Doing Business 2018 Panama
Details – Dealing with Construction Permits in Panama – Measure of Quality
Answer Score
Building quality control index (0-15) 9.0
Quality of building regulations index (0-2) 2.0
How accessible are building laws and regulations in your economy? (0-1) Available online; 1.0
Free of charge.
Which requirements for obtaining a building permit are clearly specified in the building List of required 1.0
regulations or on any accessible website, brochure or pamphlet? (0-1) documents; Fees
to be paid;
Required
preapprovals.
Quality control before construction index (0-1) 1.0
Which third-party entities are required by law to verify that the building plans are in Licensed 1.0
compliance with existing building regulations? (0-1) architect;
Licensed
engineer.
Quality control during construction index (0-3) 0.0
What types of inspections (if any) are required by law to be carried out during construction? No inspections 0.0
(0-2) are legally
required during
construction..
Do legally mandated inspections occur in practice during construction? (0-1) Mandatory 0.0
inspections are
not always done
in practice during
construction.
Quality control after construction index (0-3) 3.0
Is there a final inspection required by law to verify that the building was built in accordance Yes, final 2.0
with the approved plans and regulations? (0-2) inspection is
done by
government
agency.
Do legally mandated final inspections occur in practice? (0-1) Final inspection 1.0
always occurs in
practice.
Liability and insurance regimes index (0-2) 1.0
Which parties (if any) are held liable by law for structural flaws or problems in the building Architect or 1.0
once it is in use (Latent Defect Liability or Decennial Liability)? (0-1) engineer;
Professional in
charge of the
supervision;
Construction
company.
Which parties (if any) are required by law to obtain an insurance policy to cover possible No party is 0.0
structural flaws or problems in the building once it is in use (Latent Defect Liability Insurance required by law
or Decennial Insurance)? (0-1) to obtain
insurance .
Professional certifications index (0-4) 2.0
What are the qualification requirements for the professional responsible for verifying that the University degree 1.0
architectural plans or drawings are in compliance with existing building regulations? (0-2) in architecture or
engineering;
Being a
registered
architect or
engineer.
Page 14Doing Business 2018 Panama
What are the qualification requirements for the professional who supervises the construction University degree 1.0
on the ground? (0-2) in engineering,
construction or
construction
management;
Being a
registered
architect or
engineer.
Page 15Doing Business 2018 Panama
Getting Electricity
This topic measures the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newly
constructed warehouse. Additionally, the reliability of supply and transparency of tariffs index measures reliability of supply, transparency of
tariffs and the price of electricity. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2017. See the methodology
for more information.
What the indicators measure Case study assumptions
Procedures to obtain an electricity connection To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the
(number) construction company, the warehouse project and the utility connections are used.
â—
Submitting all relevant documents and obtaining
The construction company (BuildCo):
all necessary clearances and permits
â—
Completing all required notifications and - Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent) and operates in the economy’s
receiving all necessary inspections largest business city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second
largest business city.
â—
Obtaining external installation works and possibly
- Is 100% domestically and privately owned; has five owners, none of whom is a
purchasing material for these works
legal entity. Has a licensed architect and a licensed engineer, both registered with
â—
Concluding any necessary supply contract and the local association of architects or engineers. BuildCo is not assumed to have any
obtaining final supply other employees who are technical or licensed experts, such as geological or
topographical experts.
Time required to complete each procedure
- Owns the land on which the warehouse will be built and will sell the warehouse
(calendar days)
upon its completion.
â—
Is at least 1 calendar day
The warehouse:
â—
Each procedure starts on a separate day
â—
Does not include time spent gathering information - Will be used for general storage activities, such as storage of books or stationery.
- Will have two stories, both above ground, with a total constructed area of
â—
Reflects the time spent in practice, with little
approximately 1,300.6 square meters (14,000 square feet). Each floor will be 3
follow-up and no prior contact with officials
meters (9 feet, 10 inches) high and will be located on a land plot of approximately
Cost required to complete each procedure (% of 929 square meters (10,000 square feet) that is 100% owned by BuildCo, and the
warehouse is valued at 50 times income per capita.
income per capita)
- Will have complete architectural and technical plans prepared by a licensed
â—
Official costs only, no bribes architect. If preparation of the plans requires such steps as obtaining further
â—
Value added tax excluded documentation or getting prior approvals from external agencies, these are counted
as procedures.
The reliability of supply and transparency of - Will take 30 weeks to construct (excluding all delays due to administrative and
tariffs index (0-8) regulatory requirements).
â—
Duration and frequency of power outages (0–3)
The water and sewerage connections:
â—
Tools to monitor power outages (0–1)
- Will be 150 meters (492 feet) from the existing water source and sewer tap. If there
â—
Tools to restore power supply (0–1)
is no water delivery infrastructure in the economy, a borehole will be dug. If there is
â—
Regulatory monitoring of utilities’ performance no sewerage infrastructure, a septic tank in the smallest size available will be
(0–1) installed or built.
â—
Financial deterrents limiting outages (0–1) - Will have an average water use of 662 liters (175 gallons) a day and an average
wastewater flow of 568 liters (150 gallons) a day. Will have a peak water use of
â—
Transparency and accessibility of tariffs (0–1)
1,325 liters (350 gallons) a day and a peak wastewater flow of 1,136 liters (300
Price of electricity (cents per kilowatt-hour)* gallons) a day.
- Will have a constant level of water demand and wastewater flow throughout the
â—
Price based on monthly bill for commercial
year; will be 1 inch in diameter for the water connection and 4 inches in diameter for
warehouse in case study
the sewerage connection.
*Note: Doing Business measures the price of
electricity, but it is not included in the distance to
frontier score nor the ranking on the ease of getting
electricity.
Page 16Doing Business 2018 Panama
Getting Electricity - Panama
Standardized Company
Price of electricity (US cents per kWh) 21.2
Name of utility Gas Natural FENOSA
City Covered Panama City
Indicator Panama Latin America OECD high Overall Best
& Caribbean income Performer
Procedures (number) 5 5.5 4.7 2 (United Arab
Emirates)
Time (days) 35 66.0 79.1 10 (United Arab
Emirates)
Cost (% of income per capita) 17.2 927.4 63.0 0.00 (Japan)
Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff 8 4.2 7.4 8.00 (28 Economies)
index (0-8)
Figure – Getting Electricity in Panama and comparator economies – Ranking and DTF
DB 2018 Distance to Frontier (DTF)
0 100
89.77: Panama (Rank: 18)
88.21: Costa Rica (Rank: 21)
84.02: Guatemala (Rank: 36)
74.18: Colombia (Rank: 81)
71.40: El Salvador (Rank: 88)
70.45: Regional Average (Latin America & Caribbean)
Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of getting electricity is determined by sorting their distance to frontier scores for getting
electricity. These scores are the simple average of the distance to frontier scores for each of the component indicators.
Page 17Doing Business 2018 Panama
Figure – Getting Electricity in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita)
35 16
30 14
Cost (% of income per capita)
12
25
Time (days)
10
20
8
15
6
10
4
5 2
0 0
1 *2 3 *4 5
Procedures (number)
* This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure.
Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and
women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website
(http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below.
Figure – Getting Electricity in Panama and comparator economies – Measure of Quality
8 8
8
7
7
6 6
6
Index score
5
4.2
4
3
2
1
0
Panama Colombia Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Latin America & Caribbean
Page 18Doing Business 2018 Panama
Details – Getting Electricity in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Obtain electricity occupancy permit from the Fire Department 21 calendar days USD 250
Agency : The Municipality
The certification of the internal wiring (ELEC-411 resolution) is obtained from the Fire
Department in the context of the occupancy permit and certifies the internal electrical
wiring installation. Safety requirements are governed by RIE (NEC + local regulations) -
1999 NESC 2007 Ministerio de Trabajo (reglamento de seguridad en la construcción)
2006.
2 Receive site visit by Fire Department for certification of internal wiring 7 calendar days USD 45
Agency : The Fire Department
The Fire Department will visit the site to verify that the electrical installations are in
accordance with the standards and approved designs.
3 Send request for connection to Gas Natural FENOSA 7 calendar days USD 1,846.32
Agency : Gas Natural FENOSA
With the service application the customer must submit the following documents:
• Copy of personal identification card or passport (or passport of the Directorate of
Immigration and Naturalization), in the case of foreign natural person a copy of
Certificate of Public Registry of the Company for the legal person.
• If the natural person or legal representative of the company is unable to attend
personally to sign the supply contract, the following will be needed:
o For individuals: original letter of authorization with copy of identity card of the grantor
and of the authorized person.
o For legal entity: Notarized power of attorney and copy of the identity document of the
grantor and of the empowered.
• For new buildings or facilities not occupied a copy of occupancy permit.
• In cases of customers such as buildings, exhibitions, fairs, circuses, etc. requiring a
temporary supply, they must submit the corresponding authorization to operate issued by
competent authority.
• Submit certification of good payment history or references of recent credit, i.e. not
exceeding a period of 5 years from the date the request is made. In their absence, the
applicant must pay the security deposit provisions established in the regulation.
• Pay the connection tariff according to the fee statement in force.
An estimate does not have to be prepared, because there is fixed installation fee of $107.
In addition, a security deposit has to be paid of one month of expected future
consumption. The security deposit is returned to the customer with interest after one year
of service. For a detail of charges, see: http://www.asep.gob.pa/electric/tarifas.asp. If the
customer's warehouse is less than 100m from power lines, the Act states that the work
has to be free.
Once the customer request arrives with Gas Natural FENOSA, a service order is
established internally.
4 Receive external inspection by Gas Natural FENOSA's subcontractor 2 calendar days USD 0
Agency : Gas Natural FENOSA
After the customer has submitted the service request a subcontractor of Gas Natural
FENOSA inspects the site and determines what type of works are needed. It is not
necessary for a representative of the customer to be present.
5 Sign supply contract and await completion of external works 7 calendar days USD 0
Agency : Gas Natural FENOSA
The utility, not the customer obtains the right of way from the Ministerio de Obras
Publicas (MOP). The subcontractor carries out the connection works to the low voltage
network. All material is provided by Gas Natural FENOSA. The customer is only
responsible for the internal connection from their property to the meter box. 3
transformers of 50 kW each are installed and the connecting cables are laid out. Last, the
meter is installed and the electricity starts flowing.
Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure.
Page 19Doing Business 2018 Panama
Details – Getting Electricity in Panama – Measure of Quality
Answer
Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff index (0-8) 8
Total duration and frequency of outages per customer a year (0-3) 3
System average interruption duration index (SAIDI) 0.9
System average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) 0.9
What is the minimum outage time (in minutes) that the utility considers for the calculation of SAIDI/SAIFI 3.0
Mechanisms for monitoring outages (0-1) 1
Does the distribution utility use automated tools to monitor outages? Yes
Mechanisms for restoring service (0-1) 1
Does the distribution utility use automated tools to restore service? Yes
Regulatory monitoring (0-1) 1
Does a regulator—that is, an entity separate from the utility—monitor the utility’s performance on reliability of Yes
supply?
Financial deterrents aimed at limiting outages (0-1) 1
Does the utility either pay compensation to customers or face fines by the regulator (or both) if outages Yes
exceed a certain cap?
Communication of tariffs and tariff changes (0-1) 1
Are effective tariffs available online? Yes
Link to the website, if available online http://www.gasnatura
lfenosa.com.pa/pa/gr
andes+clientes/distri
bucion+de+electricid
ad/1297100756887/t
arifas.html
Are customers notified of a change in tariff ahead of the billing cycle? Yes
Note:
If the duration and frequency of outages is 100 or less, the economy is eligible to score on the Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff
index.
If the duration and frequency of outages is not available, or is over 100, the economy is not eligible to score on the index.
If the minimum outage time considered for SAIDI/SAIFI is over 5 minutes, the economy is not eligible to score on the index.
Page 20Doing Business 2018 Panama
Registering Property
This topic examines the steps, time and cost involved in registering property, assuming a standardized case of an entrepreneur who wants to
purchase land and a building that is already registered and free of title dispute. In addition, the topic also measures the quality of the land
administration system in each economy. The quality of land administration index has five dimensions: reliability of infrastructure, transparency
of information, geographic coverage, land dispute resolution, and equal access to property rights. The most recent round of data collection for
the project was completed in June 2017.See the methodology for more information.
What the indicators measure Case study assumptions
Procedures to legally transfer title on To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about the
immovable property (number) parties to the transaction, the property and the procedures are used.
â—
Preregistration procedures (for example,
The parties (buyer and seller):
checking for liens, notarizing sales agreement,
paying property transfer taxes) - Are limited liability companies (or the legal equivalent).
â—
Registration procedures in the economy's largest - Are located in the periurban area of the economy’s largest business city. For 11
business citya. economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city.
- Are 100% domestically and privately owned.
â—
Postregistration procedures (for example, filling
- Have 50 employees each, all of whom are nationals.
title with municipality)
- Perform general commercial activities.
Time required to complete each procedure
The property (fully owned by the seller):
(calendar days)
- Has a value of 50 times income per capita, which equals the sale price.
â—
Does not include time spent gathering information
- Is fully owned by the seller.
â—
Each procedure starts on a separate day - though - Has no mortgages attached and has been under the same ownership for the past
procedures that can be fully completed online are 10 years.
an exception to this rule
- Is registered in the land registry or cadastre, or both, and is free of title disputes.
â—
Procedure is considered completed once final - Is located in a periurban commercial zone, and no rezoning is required.
document is received - Consists of land and a building. The land area is 557.4 square meters (6,000
â—
No prior contact with officials square feet). A two-story warehouse of 929 square meters (10,000 square feet) is
located on the land. The warehouse is 10 years old, is in good condition, has no
Cost required to complete each procedure (% of heating system and complies with all safety standards, building codes and legal
property value) requirements. The property, consisting of land and building, will be transferred in its
â—
Official costs only (such as administrative fees, entirety.
duties and taxes). - Will not be subject to renovations or additional construction following the purchase.
- Has no trees, natural water sources, natural reserves or historical monuments of
â—
Value Added Tax, Capital Gains Tax and illicit
any kind.
payments are excluded
- Will not be used for special purposes, and no special permits, such as for
Quality of land administration index (0-30) residential use, industrial plants, waste storage or certain types of agricultural
activities, are required.
â—
Reliability of infrastructure index (0-8) - Has no occupants, and no other party holds a legal interest in it.
â—
Transparency of information index (0–6)
â—
Geographic coverage index (0–8)
â—
Land dispute resolution index (0–8)
â—
Equal access to property rights index (-2–0)
Page 21Doing Business 2018 Panama
Registering Property - Panama
Standardized Company
Property value USD 623,563.20
City Covered Panama City
Indicator Panama Latin America OECD high Overall Best
& Caribbean income Performer
Procedures (number) 7 7.2 4.6 1.00 (4 Economies)
Time (days) 22.5 63.3 22.3 1.00 (3 Economies)
Cost (% of property value) 2.4 5.8 4.2 0.00 (5 Economies)
Quality of the land administration index (0-30) 11.0 12.0 22.7 29.00 (Singapore)
Figure – Registering Property in Panama and comparator economies – Ranking and DTF
DB 2018 Distance to Frontier (DTF)
0 100
74.36: Costa Rica (Rank: 49)
71.34: Colombia (Rank: 60)
67.92: El Salvador (Rank: 69)
65.17: Panama (Rank: 83)
64.44: Guatemala (Rank: 85)
55.36: Regional Average (Latin America & Caribbean)
Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of registering property is determined by sorting their distance to frontier scores for registering
property. These scores are the simple average of the distance to frontier scores for each of the component indicators.
Figure – Registering Property in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita)
2.5
20
Cost (% of income per capita)
2
15
Time (days)
1.5
10
1
5
0.5
0 0
1 *2 *3 4 5 6 7
Procedures (number)
* This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure.
Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men and
women, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the Doing Business website
(http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below.
Page 22Doing Business 2018 Panama
Figure – Registering Property in Panama and comparator economies – Measure of Quality
30
25
Index score
20 17.5
16.5
15 13.5 13.0
11.0 12.0
10
5
0
Panama Colombia Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Latin America & Caribbean
Details – Registering Property in Panama – Procedure, Time and Cost
No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Obtain a non-encumbrance certificate at the Public Registry Office 1-2 days USD30
Agency : Public Registry ("Registro Público de Panamá") (simultaneous with
Parties obtain a non-encumbrance certificate before starting the transaction to verify if the Procedures 2 & 3)
property has any liens (e.g. mortgages, litigation). This certificate is obtained at the
Public Registry of Panamá. In many cases, it is advisable for property sales, that a
surveyor is engaged to verify the correct measurements and location of the properties.
2 Obtain a certificate of good standing online from the Autoridad Nacional de Less than a day no cost online
Ingresos Públicos (online procedure
Agency : Tax Agency ("Dirección General Impositiva" - DGI) and simultaneous
The seller must obtain a Real Estate Tax Clearance Certificate. In order to obtain this with procedure 1
document the property shall be registered at the Online System of the Directorate General
and 3)
of Revenues (DGI). This certificate can be obtained online since 2009, and the printout
must be submitted to the Public Registry. Once submitted, the Public Registry will verify
it again online. This certificate can be requested by the individual or entity which has a
password to enter the DGI Online System, and must have the plot number and the page
number (document number) issued by the Public Registry. Note that a land with a value
under USD 30,000.00 is exempt of the Real Estate Property Tax. Owners pay this tax
according to a progressive scale that ranges from 1.75% on the excess over USD
30,000.00 to 2.10%on the excess over USD 75,000.00.annually based on the cadastral
value of the property.
3 Obtain a non-debt water certificate ("certificado de Paz y Salvo") 1 day (simultaneous USD1.25
Agency : Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Nacionales (I.D.A.A.N.) with Procedures 1 &
According to Law 77 of December 28, 2001, it is necessary to submit to the Public 2)
Registry a certificate stating that no water bills are owed in order to register the sale and
purchase deed. The “certificado de Paz y Salvo” from IDAAN will be issued in 24 hours.
4 A lawyer prepares the sale agreement 2 days USD 200 (lawyer’s
Agency : Lawyer's office fees)
A lawyer usually prepares the sale agreement (it can also be prepared by a real estate
broker or a bank). In any case, the sale agreement -called the Minuta- needs to be
stamped by a Panamanian lawyer prior to being executed in a public deed. The sale
agreement should mention that there are no mortgages or limitations on the property. The
documentation shall include: (i) Non-encumbrance certificate (obtained in Procedure 1)
5 Payment of the Transfer and Capital Gains Taxes 2 days 2% of property value
Agency : Autoridad Nacional de Ingresos Públicos (ANIP) (transfer tax) + 3% of
Prior to filing and recording the public deed at the Public Registry, the Property Transfer property value
Tax should be paid (if it is not in one of the cases exempted by law) at the Ministry of (capital gains tax, not
Economics and Finance, by the seller. The transfer tax rate is 2% of the price of the
included in the cost
transaction or the cadastral value, whichever is higher. There is no VAT in Panama for
calculation)
transfers of property (Law No.49 of 17th September 2009, which amends the Fiscal Code
and adopts other fiscal measure, sets forth the obligation for sellers to pay a sum
equivalent to 3% of the total value of the sale or of the cadastral value of the property,
whichever is higher, as an advance payment of the Income Tax applicable to any profit
resulting from the sale operation. In such cases, the taxpayer may opt to consider such
3% as the definitive Income Tax to be paid for profits earned. However, where such 3%
advance payment exceeds the amount resulting from application of the nominal rate of
such tax, which is 10% of the difference between the real value of the sale and the sum of
the cost to acquire the property plus the expenses required to carry out the operation, the
seller taxpayer may ask the General Income Directorate for reimbursement of the sums
paid in excess, whether in cash or by means of a fiscal credit that can be used to pay other
taxes). Previously and since July 2006, the 10% of capital gains tax was calculated and
paid at the moment of the sale as well as mentioned in the sale act by the notary; the gain
was calculated as sales minus buying cost, minus expenses (lawyers, notary fees).
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