From a US citizen on one of the Facebook groups:
Good afternoon, guys! We spoke a few weeks ago about the pensionado visa, and we are ready to get started! I understand we both need an FBI criminal background check, and that you we will need my pension letter and our marriage certificate. But can you remind me about the apostille (spelling?) and need to do that for all of the documents? Is that state or federal? Didn’t you say we can do this through the Panama consulate? Thanks in advance for your help.
First, if you are not sure what he is referring to here when he mentions the apostille, then be sure to check out our article about “The Apostille?”
Now, we’ll break down the question and then provide explain what we typically tell our clients in the US as they prepare their residency application documents.
Apostille vs. Consular Authentication
He mentions that he thinks he needs an “apostille”, and he also asks whether he can do this through the Panama Consulate in the United States. Here, he is actually confusing 2 different things: the Apostille vs. the Consular authentication. This is understandable because they serve a similar purpose for the Panama residency application.
An Apostille is an internationally recognized seal that countries who have signed on to the Hague Apostille Convention issue to authenticate the validity of a public document for use in another country that has also signed on to the Hague Apostille Convention. Countries like Panama, the United States, and more recently Canada are all members of the Hague Apostille Convention. So, the Apostille is a way that these countries communicate to one another that a public document is genuine and has been issued by the proper authority.
So, the Apostille is issued by a government institution in the jurisdiction from which a document was issued. For example, in the United States the Apostille is generally issued by the Secretary of State (or equivalent office) for state-issued documents and by the State Department for federally-issued documents.
Meanwhile, the Consular authentication is issued by the Panama Consulate in a country of issuance, but it serves a similar purpose of confirming the validity and authenticity of a public document.
Think of it this way: You have an immigration officer sitting in Panama who is receiving residency application packages with documents from all over the world. And every day, she receives marriage certificates, birth certificates, police reports, and pension letters from places like the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, or South Africa. The documents all look very official and important, but how is she able to know with certain that the documents are what they claim to be?
The Apostille is a recognized seal from the government in the country of issuance saying, “Hey, we are a government institution in the jurisdiction that issued this document, and we are confirming that this is legitimate.” And the Consular authentication does something similar. It says, “Hey, we are the Panama Consulate in the United States. We know these documents, and we confirm that it is real and valid.”
Which One is Better?
The Apostille and the Consular authentication are equally valid. So, clients from the United States have the option of getting either one for their documents from the United States.
But we generally recommend that our US clients consider instead getting the Consular authentication. The reason is because of the state vs. federal distinction in the United States. It means that certain documents that are issued at the state level, such as birth certificates and marriage certificates, will probably need to be sent to the Secretary of State of the particular state where they were issued to get the Apostille. If you were born in one state and married in another, you’ll be dealing with 2 different institutions just for those documents.
And then your federally-issued documents, like an FBI report or a Social Security benefits letter will probably need to be sent to a third institution: the US Department of State.
Each of those institutions will probably have their own rules and internal policies about how they want to receive the documents, whether they need something additional like a notarization, how much it costs, and how to pay. Some may be reachable by phone, and all of them are probably pretty large institutions with lots of employees.
In contrast, the Panama Consulate offices in the United States are all pretty small. You can call or email them, and it is relatively easy to connect with a real person who can give more precise feedback on the status of your documents. We also deal with the Panama Consulate in Washington, DC pretty regularly – so we are pretty familiar with their more nuanced policies as to how they need to receive state- and federally-issued documents to apply the Consular authentication.
So, once you have your documents ready, we will be able to offer a lot more guidance as to what to do, how much it is going to cost, and how long it should take if you send your documents to the Panama Consulate.
How to Get the Consular Authentication in the US?
There are 8 Panamanian consulates in the USA:
If you happen to be in or near one of these cities, then you can usually make an appointment to carry your documents in to the Consulate office and have them authenticated the same day!
But if you aren’t near one of the 8 Panama Consulate offices, you can simply send the documents via mail or private courier. If you use USPS; then we recommend that you send it by Certified Mail with a signature upon receipt. And even better if you can send via something like FedEx or DHL to ensure that your documents arrive.
Since we deal mostly with the Panama Consulate in Washington, DC, we are pretty familiar with the process, cost and timing of the process with them. In addition to your documents, you should generally include a.) a cover letter explaining what you are sending and why, b.) a photocopy of your passports, c.) a $30 money order for each of the documents you are sending to authenticate, and d.) a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope for the Consulate to send the authenticated documents back to you.
The processing time with the Panama Consulate in Washington, DC has typically been 2-3 weeks. However, we have noted that things seem to be taking a bit longer since the start of 2025. It seems that they are getting slammed with requests.
So, if you are concerned about the timing of the process, then it may be worth contacting one of the other Consulate offices to see about authenticating your documents through them. But we should point out that we are less familiar with those offices’ policies and limitations. So, we definitely recommend contacting them first to make sure you are sending documents in a way that they will be able to authenticate them.
And, alternatively, you can also do it through the US State Dept. However, we have seen this take considerably more time (in some cases, as long as 2-3 months).
Can I Get an Apostille or Consular Authentiation on US Docs from Panama?
The short answer is yes. But interfacing with institutions in the United States from here in Panama is inevitably a bit more complicated and more expensive. The main reason is that you will need to send documents internationally each way. And here, you definitely need to use a private, international courier service like Fedex or DHL, because Panama does not have a reliable public mail system.
And sending documents internationally may also add more time to the process. I’ll circle back to why this is important in just a minute.
There is at least one document that you can authenticate through the US Embassy here in Panama: the Social Security benefits letter. This involves making an appointment. The process usually takes around 1.5 hours, and they will charge you $100 .
Why does Time Matter so Much for an Apostille or Consular Authentication?
In this article, we have mentioned several times the consideration of how much time it will take to get an Apostille or Consular authentication. This is because the timing can be pretty important for the docs you gather for your Panama residency application. You see, most of these documents will need to be presented within a max period of 6 months from issuance to be treated as valid in Panama.
This is why sending your documents from Panama to the US for the Apostille or Consular authentication could be a little risky.
Let’s say you have your FBI background check document here in Panama with no Apostille or Consular authentication. You got your FBI report 3 months ago when you were in the US, but you wanted to come down and spend a little time in Panama before you decided whether or not to go forward with the residency application. And after 3 months, you are officially sold on Panama and ready to get started.
So, now you need to send the document back to the US, wait for the apostille or the Consular authentication to be processed, and then have the doc sent back to you in Panama. If the US State Department or the Panama Consulate takes too long to process your document – or if there is some issue that they need you to clarify, or if it gets lost in the mail in one direction or another – then the timing of it all could get a little tight. And the whole exercise will definitely involve some expenses that could have been avoided by doing it from the US.
Bottom Line?
When it comes to getting an Apostille or Consular Authentication of your docs for the visa application process, it is important to get it right. And time is of the essence, given the limited window of 6-months from issuance that the doc will be treated as valid. If you have any questions, you can reach us via email me at info@theindependentlawyer.com.

