On August 12, 2013, the Panamanian (Panama) Embassy website posted the following information concerning obtaining an FBI Criminal Background Check for residency in Panama.
Panama is now requiring a Federal FBI Identification Record for purposes of obtaining Residency in Panama. This criminal background check/criminal history record/rap sheet can no longer be just from the state in which you last resided.
Note: The criminal background check record from the local police, Department of Justice (State Background Check), or Sheriff’s Department can no longer be used. You must first contact an FBI Channeler to help expedite the background check process. They will mail to your home or office the authentication letter printed on a special tamper resistant paper (Example of FBI authentication letter is below).
Obtaining an FBI Apostille cannot be done at the US Embassy in Panama because they do not have access to the data files that would allow signature comparisons for this purpose. If the FBI finds no record, you will receive a “no record” response. If you do have a criminal history record on file, you will receive your Identification Record or “rap sheet.” Typically, a rap sheet is a minimum of two pages long.
To use the FBI Record in Panama, you must specifically request it to be FBI-Certified when you contact the FBI Channeler. The FBI Channeler will return the documents directly to you when completed (by mail), but it will not yet be Apostilled for legal use in Panama. The following note will accompany the record:
The FBI’s CJIS Division has authenticated the enclosed U.S.Dept of Justice Order 556-73 finger print search results…. If you require an Apostille, you must submit this authenticated document to the U.S. Dept of State (DOS) for further action.
You will need to mail the authentication letter to our office in Washington, D.C. for processing. The processing time is currently 3-4 business days (As of January 2015). Please allow 1-2 business days for the return FedEx/UPS shipping. If you require international shipping, please contact us for a price quote.
Example of the FBI Approved Authentication letter:
We recommend that you contact an FBI Approved Channeler to help expedite your background check process. We have provided a list of Channelers on our website located here: https://www.apostillefbi.com/fbi-apostille-approved-channelers/
