Panama has a passport system that allows you to acquire one quickly. Because of this, we often get a lot of questions related to owning another passport. For the most part, we encourage doing so as it is nothing but beneficial to you.

Looking for a reason to get another passport? Think about it this way. Right now you may be happy showing one passport that shows you are from the United States. But what if in the future showing a passport from that country could result in your life being put in danger? Or what if you simply are ashamed of being from that country, hypothetically speaking? Owning a second passport takes care of both of those problems with ease.

Another reason to own a second passport is for leverage in case someone you are doing business with in another country, particularly banks, do not trust people from a certain part of the world. With another passport, you can cover grounds even if the bank does not with to do business with your countrymen.

Now that you know what the benefits to owning a second passport are, lets go over the basics on what you need to know to get one.

• To start out with, you need to choose a country to get a second passport from. This should be easy to do as long as you are aware of taxation rules of the country you are picking. Don’t get yourself caught in paying extra money for holding a second passport! We can help you avoid this.
• Second, you should find a company that lets you practice the same freedoms you can find in Panama. This includes being able to own a corporation where ownership is not stated. Don’t get a passport from Cuba or a similar country!
• Another important thing to look out for are rules and regulations that may affect your family or yourself in the future. Some countries require passport holders to be in their military. Don’t say “oops” ten years from now!
• Most countries require you to stay in their country for a certain percentage of your time to get a passport. Know these restrictions.

By now you may be thinking it is pretty hard to choose a country to get a second passport from. Not so, Panama will be the perfect choice using the guidelines above. Now that you have your country, how do you actually get the passport? One thing is for sure, be wary of scams that will take away your money and information. Here are some things to look out for when deciding whether or not the offer is a scam:

• If the offer is online, chances are it is a scam.
• If the company creating the passport does not let you deal with a lawyer, you should never move forward.
• Make sure you do business over the phone, not e-mail or another method where you never hear the person you are dealing with. If possible, set up a meeting in person.

If you still find yourself roped in a scam, you may find yourself in a lot of trouble. Local police of other countries do not like to see fake passports and information and will take you in for long sessions of questioning before they, if they do at all, let you go free. Make sure your passport has your name and information on it, not someone else’s. Identity theft is not something you want to ever be caught up in. As a rule of thumb, if you are working with a lawyer who has no problem traveling to the country you are getting a passport in with you to get it done, you are getting a real passport. If not, be wary and look for signs of a scam.