When speaking to Panamanians about the tourist visa issue, many ask me what is the big deal? Extensions are easy to get according to the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Immigration. They have said so in public statements. But tis all sounds good until the rubber meets the road and you have to actually get the extension. I wanted to share one persons experience in getting this visa and it is not an isolated case, but the normal procedure. How many people want to come to a country that makes it so difficult just to extend their stay so they can SPEND MONEY.
I am not posting this to discourage people from coming to Panama, but to get the Panamanians to understand how detrimental this policy is to tourism and investment and how important it is to get it turned around. There are over 750 readers of this blog who are Panamanians, many who are developers, bankers and politicians. They need to know just how "easy" it is to get an extension. We have gotten some good news today on the visa issue regarding a number of countries, but until we get the U.S. and Canada into the same program we are shooting ourselves in the foot.
Thanks go to Yahoo groups for sending me this from the Yahoo Forum on Panama. If you think the word is not getting out to the potential investors about this you are sadly mistaken. They have 2800 regular participants.
3 day ordeal
Tourist Card Extension, Day 1
Would love some advice from those of you who have extended your
tourist cards. I've got some questions buried below.
I went to extend my tourist card today. Came home with nothing
accomplished.
It's a confusing process there at the Immigration Office in Panama
City. In fact, we're still not even sure of the process.
The forms on-line at the immigration website are out of date.
They have new forms, which we did acquire today.
The requirements on the form:.
1. Original Passport, and 1 copy (but of the whole passport, or just
the id information?)
2. Letter of responsibility. Where does one get that?
3. Copy of a cedula of a responsible person.
4. Recibo de servicios (what is this?)
5. Copia del pasaje (the ticket I entered on, or my exit ticket)?
6. Economic Solvency of the Applicant (ok, what do you need?)
7. Filiacion. (what's this?)
8. Solvency of the responsible person (what do you need).
The form itself is on legal paper. I wonder if all my paperwork I am
assembling needs to be on legal paper.
It says that it takes 48 hours to process.
We were also told by some people returning to pick their extension up
that we should have been there at 6am to get a number, since there is
only a limited number of applicants for each day.
Any "been there done that" advice would be helpful.
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Tourist Card Extension, Day 2
We went back this morning and joined the line outside immigration today at
7:00am. The line was already approaching 60 people long.
When it opened at 7.30, most of us filed into the migration section (far back
down the hall on the left) and got our number. The line there was simple and
organized. Once all the numbers were gone, there seemed to no longer be any
organization, just people waiting around and latecomers tyring to figure out
what to do.
We got our number and began the long wait, about 2.5 hours for our number to be
called.
The form we got yesterday was not the only form we were supposed to have.
Apparently we were to REGISTER with immigration (a different set of
requirements), and then ask for the extension (the set of requirements I had
yesterday). That meant that I needed to have two more passport fotos, and
another copy of my passport.
Since we expected that we'd be waiting a while for our number to be called, i
went on an expedition to find a place that would make the fotos. After walking
around several blocks in Calidonia this morning, i finally found a place to get
the fotos: the little street vendor selling pastries across the street has a
little side business making carnet photos. I found it only because i saw a
flash, not because it was advertised on a sign.
While waiting, we saw several people making their first visit -- and discovering
that all the numbers for the day were gone. That was us yesterday.
Eventually, our number was called. I was registered with immigration in an easy
interview process, basically demographic information for their computer. He
took my complete copy of my passport and my carnet photos.
I was fingerprinted, and then told to go pay my $1.00 processing fee at the
cashier's box (another line). When i returned to present my receipt, my
passport was returned to me and then I was directed to go to the line for the
tourist extension.
Since i had given away my only copy of my passport, i had to go make a new one
before visiting the desk for the prorroga. While getting the copy made, I was
presented with yet a third list of requirements for the prorroga, some of which
we didn't have.
I sat down with a person who took all my copies of everything I had brought, and
he just scanned it over. Didn't seem important to him that I was missing a
local utility bill. He stamped my application, asked me to bring him a copy of
the application, and then told me to come back on Wednesday.
This whole zoo of a process took about 5 hours.
No complaints, just telling my story. It's panama and I don't expect excellent
customer service.
Chris
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Tourist Card Extension, Day 3
We went back to Immigration in Panama City to pick up our Tourist Visa
Extension. The third time felt like we were now pros at doing this.
Pickup hours were 7.30 to 9.30 am, but it didn't seem to start unil 8.30 when
the lady behind the desk began calling names.
My name was called, I signed a card and was told to wait a little longer.
After a while, my name was called again. I was given my passport and told to go
and pay my $15 at the cashier.
The cashier took my $15 and the little card that I signed and gave it to the
photographer. I was told then to wait until I was called for a photo. I wasn't
prepared for a photo, as I hadn't shaved and still had bed-head.
I was called for my photo, had it taken and then waited some more. When my name
was called, I received my Panamian ID card, with a stamp "not valid for work"
and the worst photo ever taken of me for an ID card. It's one for the history
books.
At least my extension was approved. There was a private booth for those who's
extensions were denied. I would imagine that in that room, there was room to
discuss reasons, answer questions, and resume the process.
I leave Panama this week for a few days, but return to start the whole process
over again, this time to begin the process of immigration.
Chris
www.evangelismcoach.org
