Any foreign
or Panamanian national may register a vessel
in the Panamanian Merchant Marine. International
service vessels are exempt from Panama income
tax. Shipowners take advantage of the flexibility of
Panamanian offshore corporations by having such
entity appear as owner of the vessel. Any ship may be registered
provided it complies with the minimum seaworthiness, safety and
environmental conditions required by international conventions.
However, ships over 20 years old are subject to a special inspection
before being granted a statutory certificate of registry.
The ship
registration procedure is initiated by applying through
the Panama office or the Panama Merchant Marine General
Consulates, paying the corresponding fees and submitting
the following documents:
- Applications
for navigation and radio licenses
- Power
of attorney
- Bill
of Sale (and builder's certificate for new buildings)
and Acceptance of Sale
- Official
certificate of cancellation from the current registry stating
that the vessel is free of all liens.
Vessels under construction may also apply for
the Provisional Registration and radio call letters.The
maritime office will issue the Provisional
Navigation License, valid for 6 months, and a non-renewable
Provisional Radio License for 3 months. The Provisional
Navigation License may be renewed for additional 3 month
periods upon payment of a penalty. The Definitive Radio
License must be obtained before these 3 months or a fine
is imposed.
The previously mentioned ship documents, apostilled
or authenticated by a Panamanian Consul, must
be recorded at the Public Registry by a Panamanian
attorney-at-law, so that a renewable, 4-year, Definitive
Navigation License may be issued by the Directorate in
Panama.
Mortgages and title deeds may
be preliminarily registered by the Public Registry Office
and the Directorate anytime in a period that
averages 8 hours. Panamanian mortgages and titles
are widely recognized and accepted as enforceable by U.S., Far
East and European finance institutions.
All vessels are subject to an Annual Safety Inspection
( ASI ) conducted by the Department of
Maritime Safety of SEGUMAR
More
info please Call:
++507.264.8920 /
Contact Us: astral@cableonda.net
