Are you moving your pet to Panama? Part 2

OK, so yesterday I went to complete all of the required forms to get our dog into Panama.  It was a real simple process.  Now I have the advantage of being close to a USDA office and also having a Panamanian Consulate close by so I hand walked the paperwork through.  Most folks may need to fedex the document(s) to get this process completed.  Anyways, went to our local vet in the morning to have them look over our dog and sign-off saying everything looked good.  Then off to the USDA office to get their official stamp on the APHIS 7001 form (This is far and away the most important form).  Once the USDA stamped the form and I paid my $36 fee I drove to the local Consulate to have them put their official stamp on the APHIS 7001 form, paid my $50 fee and I was done.  The APHIS 7001 form needs to be presented upon arrival in Panama, you will need to go to the National Bank of Panama and pay the $130 entrance fee, get a receipt for payment then bring that to the VET on duty at the Tocumen Airport to get your pet released.  ALSO and very important if you want to home quarantine, there is a quarantine form that needs to be filled in and faxed or emailed to the Panama Health Ministry 3 days before you land in Panama so they know that your pet is coming and when.  With out this quarantine form you cannot bring your pet home with you, so this is a BIG thing to get done.  So far so good, remember most of this is timing and fee's to get your pet into Panama.

What are you waiting for come to Panama and turn your frown upside down

Are you moving your pet to Panama?

Greetings, there are many things to do when you want to travel to Panama with your dog or cat.  The steps are easy but need to be done.  Now we are taking our dog to Panama and are flying on Continental using their PetSafe Flying program.  You see our dog is a bit too big to fit under the seat so we needed a good safe cargo area to travel with.  Continental seems to me to have the best and safest situation if you need to place your pet in cargo.  The biggest things to pay attention to is health and vaccine records and timing of getting any shots and signatures.  You also need to make sure your Vet is USDA certified with a proper license in the state they work, now we live in Florida so have chosen Banfield Hospital (every Petsmart has a Banfield in it across the country).
Here are the steps
1. make sure your pet has an up to date Rabies shot, no more than 1 year old but more than 30 days old.
2. within 10 days of flying to Panama see your Vet and have them fill out the proper forms to certify that your pet is OK to travel
3. take the forms to your local USDA office for their official stamp (or mail it)
4. take completed certified forms to your local Panamanian Consulate Office for their final stamp of approval (or mail it to the main DC office)
5. At least 3 days before your flight leaves you either need to email or fax all documents to the Ministry of Health, this will help insure you get your pet out of customs and allow you to bring the pet home with you and do an at home quarantine (this you want to do for sure)
6. When you arrive in Panama you must go to the National Bank on the first floor and pay the required fee to bring your pet home for quarantine, show the receipt to the Vet on duty for release of your pet

I know this seems like a lot of steps but these are necessary and required for entrance into Panama.  Let us know if you have any questions on this or if you are aware of any issues that you may have had bringing your pet into Panama

Ironman 70.3 Coming to Panama

Well, the World Triathlon Corporation, which is famous for their Ironman Series Races is coming to Panama in February 2012.  The 2012 Ironman 70.3 Panama is the Latin American Pro Championship and a qualifier for the 2012 Ironman World Championship 70.3 at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, NV.
This is great news for Panama as it will bring folks in from all over the world, that is why now is the time to take a look at Panama Real Estate.  Think of all the rentals folks will need to accommodate thousands of visitors for event.  The actual race is on Sunday 12 February 2012. 
Here is a glimpse of what will take place for the race.  Athletes will swim 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in the Pacific Ocean within the banks of one of The Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the Panama Canal. Participants will then bike 56-miles (90 km), first crossing the Bridge of the Americas that connects Central and South America in route to the Pan-American Highway and then travelling through the forest that protects the biodiversity of the Panama Canal and Panama City's downtown area along the Cinta Costera. The 13.1 mile (21km), two-loop run course will take athletes through the Amador Causeway, a major tourism area surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, where they can watch ships transit in and out of the Panama Canal while enjoying the beautiful view of the city.
Take advantage of this great event and look into Panama Real Estate and come to Panama and turn your frown upside down.

Panama for retirement!!!!

This just in - once again International Living has rated Panama in the top 5 spots to retire, actually it is number 3 behind Ecuador and Mexico.  In Panama you can live well without burning through your retirement next egg.  Panama has the culture, the climate, and the lifestyle of your choosing.  In Panama you can choose between modern city-living, Caribbean or Pacific coasts, or highland mountain towns.

So what are you waiting for, Come to Panama and Turn Your Frown Upside Down.

Time to take a look at Real Estate in Panama.