In Panama, the entity in charge of issuing criminal record certificates is the National Police of Panama. It is mandatory for the person to visit the police station to request their criminal record certificate. If the document is to be used abroad, the criminal record certificate must specify that it is for international use. This way said document can be legalized or apostilled by the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If you are overseas, you can hire a Panamanian lawyer to act on your behalf to request a background check certificate in Panama. Since the police clearance certificate and the apostille or legalization certificate will be written in Spanish, such documents may need to be translated into the official language of the country of destination.
Then, the apostilled documents can be sent to the client by an international courier service.
Also, Panamanian nationals and permanent residents of Panama can obtain a criminal record certificate online. This type of service is often requested by international airline pilots, flight attendants or seafarers for the purpose of employment abroad.
If you ever need a sworn translation service or to hire a licensed attorney to obtain a criminal record certificate in Panama, please call us.