As a visitor to Panama, you are legal allowed to drive for 90 days on your foreign driver’s license (see our post on Driving in Panama). However, after that your license is no longer valid. Therefore, if you are residing in Panama, you will need to exchange your driver’s license so that you can legally drive in Panama.
Exchanging your license takes a bit of work, but it isn’t too difficult or costly. First, you need to have the following documentation ready, with foreign documents translated into Spanish:
- Residency card, original plus a photocopy
- Foreign license, plus a copy which must be authenticated by the applicant’s Consulate in Panama and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores)
- Blood-type test. If the license does not state the holder’s blood type, proof of this information is required from a doctor, and the license holder must visit a laboratory certified by the Panama Road Transport Department (Autoridad del Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre – ATTT)
- Medical test if the license holder is over the age of 70
These documents need to be taken to a SERTRACEN service center. After about a 2-3 hour wait you should get your local license.
For American citizens, the US Embassy American Citizen Services Unit has provided an online appointment system for notary services. If you take them your valid US drivers license you can then ask them for an affidavit that will be notarized. The cost is $50.
The current valid license and notarized documents then need to be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that they can be certified.
For more information on exchanging a foreign driving license: Click here (in Spanish)