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	Mexico North America	Panama Central America & Caribbean
Overview	Mexico is a large North American economy with established routes for residency, growing remote-worker visa programs, and a strong fit for founders building toward Latin American customers. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Mexican partners for filings.	Panama is a long-established jurisdiction for residency and offshore company structures with a stable USD economy. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Panamanian lawyers and corporate-services partners.
Best for	Founders Families Latin America hub Cost of living	Second residency USD economy Asset planning Holding structures
Currency	MXN	USD
Language	Spanish	Spanish
Time zone	UTC-6	UTC-5
EU member	No	No
Schengen	No	No
Residency	Mexican residency routes: Temporary resident visa - via investment, employment, or qualifying income Permanent resident visa - via qualifying assets, retirement income, or after 4 years of temporary residency Family unity routes - for spouse and dependents of permanent residents / citizens Student visa Permanent residency unlocks indefinite stay with work authorisation.	Panama residency routes: Friendly Nations Visa - now requires economic tie (employment, real estate, or investment) Qualified Investor Visa - qualifying investment thresholds Pensionado / Retiree Visa - qualifying pension income Family routes
Company setup	SA de CV (Sociedad Anónima) and S de RL de CV are the standard private entity types. Formation involves a notary, RFC (tax registration), and IMSS where staff are involved. Mexican tax residency is triggered by primary home and centre of economic interests.	Panamanian corporations (SA) and Private Interest Foundations are widely used. Beneficial ownership reporting, CRS / FATCA compliance, and substance discussions have become material; planning must reflect current standards.
Banking	Resident personal banking is broadly accessible; corporate banking depends on activity and structure. Source of funds and ownership clarity are central. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.	Panamanian banking has tightened KYC and source-of-funds requirements. Non-resident applications take time; Bordercase coordinates introductions through current banking partners.
Family	Family reunification is supported on most residency routes. International schools (English, German, French, Japanese) are widely available in major cities; bilingual public and private schools are common.	Family reunification is supported on most residency routes. International schools (English-language and Spanish) are available in Panama City.
Risks	Risks Bordercase watches for in Mexico: Centre-of-economic-interests test for tax residency Real-estate restrictions in the "restricted zone" (50 km from coast, 100 km from borders) - fideicomiso or Mexican company structure needed Income thresholds for temporary / permanent routes change with minimum wage indexation Late-stage RFC and CURP registrations	Risks Bordercase watches for in Panama: Reputational / de-banking risks for poorly structured offshore-only setups Tax residency analysis for clients with other obligations (CRS / FATCA) Processing delays at Migration UBO reporting is now active
Documents	Typical Mexican documents: Passport Apostilled foreign documents (birth, marriage, criminal record) Proof of income or qualifying assets Photographs to specification Mexican consular application abroad for most routes	Typical Panama documents: Passport Criminal record certificate (apostilled) Proof of economic tie (employment letter, property deed, or investment evidence) Proof of address Marriage / birth certificates for family All documents apostilled and translated where required.

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