After a quick overnight trip from Boquete to Playa Blanca Panama, I learned that I had misplaced or lost my Immigration Card.   I called the restaurants and hotels where I last used my card.  They all claimed they had nothing in their lost and found.  I panicked and could not believe it had been stolen, or even lost!

Obtaining residency in Panama is a process that you only want to go through once. A year and a half of regular visits to immigration in Panama City was part of the bureaucratic routine and I didn’t want to do any of that over again.  My permanent residency card was issued last October 2008 and only seven months later, I had lost it?!  Yikes!  Now what?

I called my lawyer immediately.  He has always been of great assistance in many, many matters.  Unfortunately, he had engagements scheduled, otherwise, he would accompanied me.   He advised me to do the following, which I did the very next day:

1. a) Get to immigration no later than 7:30 am.
   

2. b) Go to the Visa 2 counter and request a replacement “carnet por Visa dos”.
   

3. c) Provide the date when the original permanent card was issued and the name under which the file could be found (which was under my ex-husband’s name).
   

4. d)Pay $100 at the Caja for the replacement card
   

5. e)Get new photograph and card.
   

This seemed simple enough and it was, except.....one more step was required.  It was necessary to go to the Ancon Police Station to file a complaint or “denuncia” that my card was lost or stolen.  If you lose your card, you must bring a copy of that “denuncia” to immigration, before they will issue a replacement card.

The entire process took only two and a half hours and that included leaving immigration to get a “denuncia”....relatively painless.

The worst part of this exercise was returning to the restaurant that I had called originally, and asking them again, only to find out they DID HAVE my original permanent immigration card!

I now have two immigration cards but the best part of the whole drama was finding out that my permanent I.D. card, known as a “cedula” has been ready and waiting at the Panama City Tribunal for months.  Unfortunately, the Immigration Department never advised my lawyer of this.  Next step is for my lawyer to carry out the remaining legwork and then I shall have a “cedula”...bringing me one step closer to becoming a true Panamanian resident....not a permanent tourist. 

So what initially was thought to be a very bad situation, ended up being quite positive.