Sending a package to Panama: Customs, ITBMS and delivery time

Standard, express, or freight to Panama.

The most suitable shipping method depends on the weight, size, and urgency of the goods.

Standard package

For smaller and less time-critical shipments, an international parcel service can be used.

DHL Parcel currently specifies a delivery time estimate of 8 to 16 working days.

Express Shipping

For urgent spare parts, medical technology or production materials, express services can reach central regions much faster.

Freight shipping

Air and sea freight are attractive options for machinery, pallets, and larger quantities of goods.

Panama's port infrastructure makes the country particularly attractive for larger international trade flows.

The Panama Canal, Balboa Canal and Colón Canal shape international trade.

Panama's geographical location is one of the country's most important distinctive features.

The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is complemented by an extensive port and logistics network.

Key locations include, among others:

• Balboa on the Pacific side
• Colón on the Atlantic side
• other container terminals around the canal zone

Balboa processes, among other things, containers, RoRo cargo and general cargo.

This provides various transport options for larger machines, vehicles and container deliveries.

Panama is further expanding this role. As part of its canal strategy, additional container terminals are planned on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides to further increase transshipment capacity.

Due to its direct border with Colombia, Panama also provides important access to northern South American markets.

For more information, please visit Send package to Colombia.

What import costs might arise in Panama?

Import costs depend on the specific goods and their origin.

Possible components include:

• Import duty
• 7% ITBMS or a different rate
• Possibly excise or special taxes
• Approval fees
• Customs broker fees
• Carrier handling fees

For goods with preferential EU origin, customs duties may be reduced or completely waived due to the EU-Central America Agreement.

However, ITBMS and import duties should be considered separately.

Even goods with 0 percent preferential tariffs can still trigger ITBMS.

How much does a package to Panama cost?

The transport price depends in particular on:

• Weight
• Package dimensions
• Volumetric weight
• Carrier
• Standard or express shipping
• Target region
• Type of goods
• Additional Services

A standard shipment to Panama City can therefore be calculated differently than a delivery to a more distant region.

For larger quantities of goods, parcel, express, air and sea freight solutions should also be compared.

In addition to the transport price, possible customs duties and taxes should be taken into account, especially if the recipient is to be offered the most transparent overall price possible.

Online trade to Panama: Correctly interpreting the 100-Balboa limit

Panama has an interesting peculiarity for e-commerce shipments.

Certain small deliveries of goods via express or courier companies can be imported duty-free if:

• the customs value is at most 100 Balboas
• the goods are not prohibited or restricted
• There are no additional non-tariff requirements.

Courier shipments with a customs value of more than 100 and less than 2.000 Balboa are generally subject to customs duties.

For regulated goods or goods not otherwise covered by the simplified rule, the normal import procedure applies.

Online retailers should therefore not present the 100 Balboa rule as a general duty exemption for every order.

Automate shipping data as much as possible

For international orders, the following information should ideally already be entered into the shop system:

• Product description
• cart value
• Weight
• Country of origin
• Customs tariff number

For larger international shipping volumes, a direct connection to a shipping platform can therefore be useful.

For more information, please visit Shippo alternative for merchants and international shipping.

The Colón Free Trade Zone makes Panama a regional distribution center.

One of Panama's greatest features is the Colon free zone.

It is one of the most important free trade and distribution centers worldwide and is the largest free trade zone on the American continent.

Companies use the location for, among other things:

• Import
• Export
• Reexport
• Storage:
• Packing
• labeling
• Distribution
• further logistics services

The zone is located directly adjacent to important Atlantic ports and is connected to other logistics locations via road, rail and airport.

For German companies, Panama can therefore be interesting not only as a sales market.

The country can also serve as a regional goods and distribution hub for Central America, the Caribbean and parts of South America.

Important: Free trade zone and normal import are not the same thing.

A shipment to the Zona Libre de Colón is not automatically subject to the same tax and customs rules as a final import into the Panamanian internal market.

Therefore, before shipping, it should be clearly established whether the goods:

• imported to Panama
• stored in the free trade zone
• further processed
• or re-exported to another country

shall be.

Which carrier is suitable for Panama?

For shipments from Germany to Panama, various international parcel, express and freight providers are available.

Depending on the broadcast, the following can be used, for example:

• DHL
• DHL Express
• UPS
• FedEx
• international air freight partners
• Sea freight and forwarding partner

When making a comparison, the transport price should not be the only factor considered.

Other important criteria include:

• Runtime
• Customs service
• Tracking
• Insurance
• maximum weight
• maximum dimensions
• Target region
• possible surcharges

Therefore, a different service may be more suitable for a small spare part being shipped to Panama City than for a pallet, machine or container delivery to Colón.