Compare jurisdictions, side by side.

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

UK residency routes:

• Skilled Worker visa - employer-sponsored
• Innovator Founder visa - for endorsed founders
• Global Talent visa - for endorsed experts
• Self-Sponsorship via own company (with substance)
• Family routes - spouse / partner / dependents
• Ancestry visa for eligible Commonwealth nationals

Paraguay residency routes:

• Permanent residency via proof of solvency / qualifying income - the standard route
• Family inclusion on the main application

Physical-presence requirements are relatively low compared to other jurisdictions.

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.

UK Limited companies are widely used internationally. HMRC corporation tax, VAT thresholds, and PSC (people with significant control) reporting apply. Substance expectations have tightened.

SRL (Limited Liability) and SA (Joint Stock) structures are available; entity setup is well-supported by local partners. Substance and reporting requirements should be confirmed at setup.

Panamanian banking has tightened KYC and source-of-funds requirements. Non-resident applications take time; Bordercase coordinates introductions through current banking partners.

Resident banking is mature but onboarding is slow for non-residents. Many international founders use UK EMIs (Revolut, Monzo Business, etc.) alongside high-street accounts. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.

Personal banking for residents is accessible. Bordercase coordinates introductions and documentation prep.

Family reunification is supported on most residency routes. International schools (English-language and Spanish) are available in Panama City.

Family reunification is supported. Schools (state, private, international) are widely available; competition for top schools is real.

Family inclusion on residency applications is supported. Schools (Spanish-language and limited international) are concentrated in Asunción.

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

Risks Bordercase watches for in the UK:

• Tax residency triggers (Statutory Residence Test)
• Sole-rep / Innovator endorsement standards have tightened
• Brexit-era operational variation between UK and EU services
• Sponsorship Compliance for licensed sponsors

Risks Bordercase watches for in Paraguay:

• Residency vs tax residency confusion
• Document apostille and translation requirements must be tracked carefully
• Some originating countries are subject to additional scrutiny
• Real-world banking outside Paraguay may not change because of Paraguayan residency

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.

Typical UK documents:

• Passport
• Certificate of Sponsorship (for sponsored routes)
• TB test (for certain nationalities)
• Maintenance funds evidence
• Apostilled / certified documents for family routes

Typical Paraguay documents:

• Passport
• Criminal record certificate (origin country + any country of residence in last 5 years)
• Marriage / birth certificates for family
• Proof of income or solvency (savings / pension / business)

All documents apostilled and translated to Spanish.