Ecuador Investor Visa vs Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit
Ecuador investor route: $50 fee, 24 months. Panama freelancer route: 9 months, $3,000 a month.
One of these visas has limited data on file, so some rows read Not specified. Compare the published fields only.
- Income
- $482/mo
- Fee
- $50
- Duration
- 24 months
- Income
- $3,000/mo
- Duration
- 9 months
Next steps
Ecuador Investor
Panama Self-Employed /
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Side by side
Ecuador Investor Visa
Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit
Visa type
Status
Initial duration, months
Renewable
Built for
Nationality restrictions
Processing time, minimum (weeks)
Processing time, maximum (weeks)
Interview required
Medical exam required
Minimum income, per month
Minimum savings, one time
Minimum investment, one time
Investment types
Application fee, one time
Income sources accepted
Employment types accepted
Social Security counts as income
Pension income recognized
Local work permitted
Health insurance required
Local bank account required
Apostille required
US FBI background check required
Certificate of coverage required
Leads to permanent residency
Years to permanent residency
Years to citizenship, PR plus naturalization
Maximum consecutive days abroad
Tax regime
US tax treaty
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Visa type | Investor | Freelancer |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Initial duration, months | 24 (Longest initial stay) | 9 |
| Renewable | Yes | Not specified |
| Built for | FIRE, Retirees, Passive investors | Digital nomads, Freelancers, Remote employees |
| Nationality restrictions | Open to all nationalities | Open to all nationalities |
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum income, per month | $482 (Lowest known income requirement) | $3,000 |
| Minimum savings, one time | $48,200 | Not specified |
| Minimum investment, one time | $48,200 | Not applicable |
| Investment types | Real estate, Business creation, Capital transfer | Not applicable |
| Application fee, one time | $50 | Not specified |
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Income sources accepted | Not specified | Remote work |
| Employment types accepted | Not specified | W-2 employee, 1099 contractor, Self-employed |
| Social Security counts as income | No | No |
| Pension income recognized | No | No |
| Local work permitted | No | Yes (Local work permitted) |
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Processing time, minimum (weeks) | 1 weeks | Not specified |
| Processing time, maximum (weeks) | 52 weeks | Not specified |
| Interview required | No | No |
| Medical exam required | No | No |
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Leads to permanent residency | No | No |
| Years to permanent residency | 1.8 years | Not specified |
| Years to citizenship, PR plus naturalization | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Maximum consecutive days abroad | 180 days | Not specified |
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Tax regime | Not specified | Territorial |
| US tax treaty | Not specified | Not specified |
| Field | Ecuador Investor Visa | Panama Self-Employed / Remote Worker Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance required | Yes | Yes |
| Local bank account required | Not specified | No |
| Apostille required | Yes | No (No apostille needed) |
| US FBI background check required | Yes | No (No US FBI background check needed) |
| Certificate of coverage required | No | No |