U.S. Embassy in Panama

Overview

To better serve our American citizen community in Panama, the U.S. Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit uses an appointment system for notary services.  All individuals requiring notary services will need to make an appointment online. Be advised that an individual appointment should be made for each individual seeking a notary service.

Consular officers at the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit can provide services similar to the functions of a notary public in the United States.

Please prepare the documents in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. jurisdiction in which they will be used. The consular officer can not prepare documents, provide legal forms, give legal advice or accept legal responsibility for the contents of documents notarized in the ACS unit.

Fee:  The notarial fee is $50.00 for each signature of the Consular Officer. Persons signing as board members or other legal representatives of a company must present the corporate documents showing the position held. When a will is to be notarized, please provide witnesses.

Types of Notarial Services:

Certification that documents are signed before a U.S. Consular Officer:
A consular officer can provide notarial services only for documents to be used in the U.S. or for U.S. government transactions elsewhere.  Persons signing documents or witnessing the signature on documents must bring either a Panamanian cedula or a passport to prove identity.   The consular section does not provide witnesses.

Authentication of true copies:
The consular officer will certify a copy of a document that is purportedly an original document or a certified copy of an original document presented to the consular officer for inspection. We cannot make true copies of public documents, such as birth, death, marriage or divorce records.  If you need copies of these documents, you should obtain the copy of the document from the custodian of records in the state or jurisdiction that holds the records. You may obtain true copies of Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, Naturalization Certificates, or documents from the former Panama Canal Zone by directly contacting the custodial agency.

Authentication of Panamanian civil documents:
Consular officers may not authenticate Panamanian civil documents.  Both the U.S. and Panama are signatories of the 1961 Hague Convention which abolished the requirement that U.S. consular officers authenticate Panamanian civil documents for use in the United States and abolished the requirement that Panamanian consular officers authenticate U.S. documents for use in Panama.  The Convention became effective in Panama in 1991.

In place of U.S. consular authentication, the Government of Panama can place an apostille stamp on the Panamanian civil document.

Government of Panama offices where you can obtain an apostille stamp

Ministry of Foreign Relations
Authenticates the signatures of all the ministries in Panama except the Ministry of Government and Justice (Including the Public Ministry – Attorney General, Fiscales, etc.).  Authenticates the signatures of public translators after the year 2000
511-4045 or 511-4046
Fax:  511-4061
Fee:  $2.00
Hours of Operation:  8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location:  Ground Floor P.H. Centro Comercial Aventura, El Dorado, Office #2, Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro

Supreme Court
Authenticates signatures of court officials, judges, court secretaries
Secretary General’s Office 212-7341 or 212-7470
ciac@organojudicial.gob.pa
Fee:  free
Hours of operation:  8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location:  Supreme Court 1st Floor, Secretaria Administrativa
Ancon, Calle Culebra, Buildings 224 and 236

Ministry of Government and Justice
Authenticates signatures of notaries, public translators before the year 2000, police officials
512-2062 or 512-7600
Fee:  $6.00
Hours of Operation:  7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location:  MOGJ Office in San Felipe (Third Street and Seventh Avenue)
Accounting Department, 2nd floor

Authentication of U.S. civil documents

The Department of State Authentications Office can certify with an apostille stamp U.S. federal documents that have been signed by a federal official with the official seal of that agency, a U.S. Consular Officer, a Military Notary or a Foreign Consul that is registered with the Office of Protocol.

For instructions on how to receive an U.S. apostille stamp on a document, please visit the website of the Department of State’s Authentications Office for instructions.  Please note that the Department of State will not issue an apostille stamp for documents issued by individual states.

Getting Your Documents Apostilled