Identity verification in Panama
Document verification, biometric liveness and AML screening for businesses operating in Panama — at $0.30 per verification.
Documents supported
(Government IDs from 220+ countries)
Average verification time
Countries covered
(Government-issued IDs validated)
Market overview
Panama has a population of roughly 4.5 million, a fully dollarized economy (the Balboa circulates as coin but USD is legal tender), and a GDP driven by the Canal, logistics, banking, insurance, reinsurance, maritime registry, and free zones such as Colón and the Panamá Pacífico SEZ. The International Banking Center hosts around 60 licensed banks and the securities market oversees several hundred regulated intermediaries and issuers. These sectors, together with approximately 500,000 active sociedades anónimas and fundaciones de interés privado, make Panama a systemically important node for cross-border flows in Latin America — and, historically, a magnet for illicit ones. Politically, Panama is a member of GAFILAT (the Latin American FATF-style regional body) since its founding, signed the
Supported documents
Didit templates cover national IDs, passports, residence permits and regional documents — plus 14,000+ documents globally for cross-border flows.
Regulators
AML supervisor
Tribunal Electoral
restricted
Manages cédula de identidad personal and civil registry. Limited online consultation; no commercial API for identity verification.
DGI
regulated
Tax authority managing RUC. Online consultation available.
Registro Público de Panamá
regulated
Public registry for corporate entities. Online search available. Important for beneficial ownership verification given Panama's international financial center status.
Government & regulated databases
Compliance framework
AML framework
Supervised by Ley 23 de 2015
On 3 April 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published the Panama Papers — 11.5 million documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca exposing how shell companies in multiple jurisdictions were used to hide beneficial ownership, evade taxes, launder proceeds of corruption, and move money for sanctioned individuals. Mossack Fonseca had performed only superficial KYC on many of its clients and ignored red flags; the firm collapsed and shut down in 2018.
Data protection
Supervised by National DPA
Penalties for non-compliance
6. Sanctions and PEP screening against UN, OFAC, EU, and GAFILAT-relevant lists, plus Panama's own listas.
Use cases
Neobanks, EMIs, payment institutions, lenders, brokerages.
In June 2019, the FATF added Panama to its list of "Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring" — the "grey list" — citing strategic deficiencies in beneficial-ownership transparency, supervision of high-risk sectors (real estate, resident agents, DNFBPs), and effectiveness of AML enforcement. Panama
Exchanges, custodians, wallets, on/off-ramps.
Ley 129 de 17 de marzo de 2020 created the Sistema Privado y Único de Registro de Beneficiarios Finales de Personas Jurídicas. Administered by the SSNF, it obliges every resident agent (in practice, a Panamanian-licensed attorney) to register, within 15 business days of the incorporation of the lega
Sports betting, online casinos, age-gated platforms.
Ley 21 de 10 de mayo de 2017 established the specific administrative sanctions regime for non-financial obligated subjects and for infringements of Ley 23 de 2015 outside the banking perimeter. It gave supervisors teeth: power to impose fines, close establishments, suspend licenses, and publish sanc
Gig platforms, delivery, creator economy, e-commerce.
Panama's personal data protection statute is Ley 81 de 26 de marzo de 2019, which entered fully into force on 29 March 2021 after a two-year grace period. It is regulated by Decreto Ejecutivo 285 de 28 de mayo de 2021 (published in Gaceta Oficial 29296-A).
Biometric liveness
The Tribunal Electoral operates the Servicio de Verificación de Identidad (SVI), an internet-based identity verification service grounded in Ley 18 de 2 de junio de 2005 and Decreto No. 28 de 25 de octubre de 2006 issued by the Tribunal Electoral itself. The SVI allows subscribed entities to verify a cédula de identidad personal against the Registro Civil and the Registro de Cedulación, returning name, ID number, date and place of birth, sex, parents' names, issuance and expiration dates, photo,
CERTIFICATIONS
Our platform meets the highest international standards for information security, data privacy, and biometric accuracy.
Full EU data protection compliance
Information security management
PAD (liveness + face match)
TRUSTED WORLDWIDE
Join thousands of companies that trust Didit for their verification needs
Didit’s NFC + active biometrics technology blocks the most advanced fraud scenarios, offering a level of security equivalent to or superior to in-person verification.
Spanish Financial Sandbox
CNMV, SEPBLAC & Spanish Treasury — Conclusions Report
Didit is an exceptionally valuable partner, delivering a stable and highly adaptable solution”.
Vuk Adžić
Head of the E-Business Department at Crnogorski Telekom
Didit offered us a robust technology with a simple implementation and adaptability to different markets”.
Fernando Pinto
CEO & CoFounder at TucanPay
Thanks to Didit we have been able to reduce manual processes and improve data extraction accuracy”.
Diana Garcia
Trust & Safety Executive at Shiply
Didit’s integration slashed verification times and costs, freeing resources for other projects”.
Guillem Medina
COO at GBTC Finance
Didit removed KYC costs, enabling faster scaling with high verification standards and less fraud.”
Paul Martin
VP Marketing & Growth at Bondex
Didit’s secure, user-friendly verification boosts customer trust and optimizes our process.”
Cristofer Montenegro
Executive assistant to the CEO at Adelantos
Didit ensures a precise, secure digital onboarding without slowing negotiations or client time.”
Ernesto Betancourth
Gerente de riesgos at CrediDemo
FAQ
Yes. Panama permits remote KYC onboarding under its national AML framework, including document verification, biometric liveness and video identification where required by regulation.
Didit verifies all major national IDs, passports and residence permits issued in Panama, plus 14,000+ document types globally for cross-border flows.
Didit charges $0.30 per verification with 500 free checks per month. No contracts, no minimums. Competitors typically charge $1.00–$2.50+ per verification.
Yes. Didit screens against 1,000+ global watchlists including PEP databases, sanctions lists (EU, UN, OFAC, OFSI), and adverse media — covering all AML obligations in Panama.
Most regulated sectors in Panama require or strongly recommend biometric liveness detection for remote onboarding. Didit provides ISO 30107-3 PAD Level 2 certified liveness.
Yes. Didit supports document verification, liveness, AML screening and ongoing monitoring aligned with Panama’s crypto regulatory framework, including EU Travel Rule compliance where applicable.
Yes. Didit provides document-based age verification and identity confirmation suitable for Panama’s iGaming regulatory requirements.
500 free verifications per month. No contracts, no minimums. $0.30 per verification after the free tier.
