SEM · Multinational Headquarters

Corporate translations for Panama's SEM regime

Panama's Multinational Headquarters (SEM) regime, created by Law 41 of 2007, lets a multinational run a regional hub from Panama with tax and immigration incentives. The filing creates two translation workstreams: the parent company's corporate documents and the personal documents of every employee relocating. Anything issued in a language other than Spanish must be translated by a Certified Public Translator registered with MIRE. We quote the whole package at corporate rates, with one point of contact.

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From Corporate rate 0.85× · from $17 per document
Delivery 48–72 business hours, batched
Legal basis: Law 41 of 2007

Which documents need translation?

Parent company corporate records

Articles of incorporation, bylaws, certificates of good standing and board resolutions authorising the Panama headquarters — usually apostilled at origin before translating.

Audited financial statements

Evidence of the group's size and solvency. Long documents with extensive tables and notes, quoted on their real word count and scheduled on their own timeline.

Relocating staff documents

Birth certificates, background checks and marriage certificates for each employee and dependent moving to Panama under the SEM visa.

How much does it cost?

The base rate is $20 per document of up to 275 words plus $0.07 per additional word, with 7% ITBMS. Corporate volumes get the 0.85× Corporate tier, which brings the base to roughly $17 per document. Financial statements and constitutional documents are long, so their price follows the real word count — we quote the full package from your PDFs before any work starts, broken down document by document.

How long does it take?

Standard delivery is 48–72 business hours per document. For a full SEM file we agree a batch schedule up front: staff documents usually move first while the longer financial statements run on their own timeline. Express (24 hours, +50%) is available when a filing deadline moves.

How does it work?

  1. 1Send us the document list for the corporate file and for each relocating employee.
  2. 2We return a full package quote at the Corporate rate, with a batch delivery schedule.
  3. 3Apostille the parent company's official documents in their home jurisdiction.
  4. 4MIRE-registered Certified Public Translators produce the Spanish translations, keeping terminology consistent across the file.
  5. 5Receive signed PDFs and physical delivery in Panama City, batch by batch, to your legal team.

Frequently asked questions

Which SEM documents need certified translation?
Every document issued in a language other than Spanish: the parent company's incorporation documents, bylaws, board resolutions and audited financial statements, plus the personal documents of each relocating employee and dependent. Documents already issued in Spanish need no translation, only legalisation where required.
Do you handle high-volume corporate files?
Yes. That is exactly the profile we apply the 0.85× Corporate rate to. You get one point of contact, a full package quote before work starts, consistent terminology across every document in the file, and batched delivery so your legal team can file progressively rather than waiting for everything.
Do financial statements have to be translated in full?
Yes, including notes and annexes, because the reviewing authority assesses the group's size and solvency from them. They are long documents with heavy tables, so the price follows the real word count and they receive a delivery window proportional to their volume, confirmed in the quote.
Does the SEM visa cover employees' families?
The regime contemplates a dedicated visa for the headquarters' permanent staff and their dependents under Law 41 of 2007. Each person builds their own file with personal documents that we translate into Spanish where needed. The exact immigration requirements are set by the competent authority and confirmed by your counsel.
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