Regular registration procedure and requirements
Panama’s legislation requires that any vessel registered in Panama maintain a legal representative or registered agent locally. This agent must be an attorney of law firm. PMA Certification, Inc / Lawyers would be pleased to represent you before The Panama Maritime Authority.
Panama offers provisional and permanent registration of vessels. It is initiated with provisional registration, once the provisional registration is obtained, the client have up to 6 month to present the documents and requirements for obtaining the Permanent Registration of the vessel.
Provisional registration
The purpose of provisional registration is to allow the title to be duly registered in the Public Registry office and to ensure compliance with other requirements for permanent registration.
The patent of provisional registration is valid for six months, and may be obtained immediately once presented all required documents.
The application for the provisional registration of a ship may be submitted through our duly authorized representative office and will be further handled accordingly to customers’ needs in cooperation with the most convenient Panama consulate or directly in the city of Panama, before the Panama Maritime Authority.
Once issued Provisional Patente and Provisional Radio license we will take care to supply the ship with all other necessary flag documents.
Permanent registration
Within a period of 6 months after the issuance of the provisional navigation license, the bill of sale or a builder’s certificate for cases of newly constructed vessels, must be registered at the Public Registry office in Panama.
Following registration of these documents in the Public Registry Office, we will proceed to request the issuance of the Permanent Navigation Patent (valid for 5 years, or 2 years in the case of pleasure craft, yachts)from the Panama
Maritime Authority. This patent is renewable for the same periods of time, so long as the vessel is up to date in its payment of fees and taxes and is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Foreign ship registry under bareboat chartering in Panama
The ships registered in a foreign registry and object of a bareboat chartering contract might be registered in the Panama Merchant Marine, without giving up such foreign registry, so long as the legislation of the registry country allows it. In this case, the interested party shall present a formal request in the General Directorate of Merchant Marine through our office and we’ll take care of further procedure.
Registration Requirements
- A copy of the bareboat chartering contract.
- Shipowner´s consent and mortgagee’s consent (if there were any), duly authenticated.
- Property and encumbrance’s certificate issued by the offshore ship registry.
- Consent certificate of the country of the ship’s registry to its registration in the special chartering registry in Panama.
Registration of vessels of new construction
Registration Requirements
- Request form for registration under Panamanian flag.
- Request for Radio License;Radio application form duly filled out.
- Certification of New Construction; duly executed and authenticated by a Notary Public confirming the authenticity of the signatures and legal capacity of the signatories and legalized by a Panamanian Consul or by way of Apostille.
- Power of attorney in favor of our offices (notarised/authenticated)
No technical certificates are required to be presented.
Special lay-up registry requirements
- Power of Attorney in favor of our Panama lawyer company.
- The request specifying the date in which the ship was taken from the exploitation and the exact location of the ship.
- Document stating the property title on the ship, in the name of the requestor, in case it is not registered in Panama.
- In the case of ships from offshore registries, a document of cancellation of said registry shall be provided.
- Sworn declaration by the shipowner, addressing that the ship has been taken from the exploitation and that it shall not be moved or sailed upon while it bears a special patent.
- The Lay-up declaration, by the Acknowledged Organization, addressing that the ship has been taken from the exploitation and/or a note by the Port Authority where the ship is, addressing that the ship is in said port because it was taken off the exploitation.
Goverment fees and costs
In order to provide a detailed quotation; please send us the following information:
- Vessel Type
- Net & Gross registered tonnage (if available send a copy of International Tonnage Certificate)