International Living Community

Glad you've posted CLAUDETTELC 0 and it would be great if some of the other ILers on this forum are in Panama City to meet up. That said most of the folks on this forum are contemplating a move and may not be there yet. Luckily there are many ways to meet expats in Panama.

Networking apps and sites like LinkedIn (website: www.linkedin.com), Instagram (website www.Instagram.com), and Facebook (website: www.facebook.com) are extremely popular in Panama and are great ways to grow your network. You can create a profile for free and search Panama-related groups. You'll find expat groups specifically on Facebook for many areas of Panama, such as El Valle and Coronado.

Attending events, by the way, is also a great way to get involved and meet new people. There are many sites where you can find out about fun events, including Facebook (check expat groups in your city or town of interest and/or select the events section from the menu), Playa Community (Coronado region; website: www.playacommunity.com), and Internations (Panama City; website: www.Internations.org).

When traveling to specific destinations in Panama, make sure to hit the popular expat hotspots. You’re likely to make friends and glean important information. In Panama City, you might try the Balboa Yacht Club if you're already in the area (it's located not in Balboa but in Amador by the Radisson Hotel Panama Canal and a short drive from the Biomuseum), and in the city-center there are multiple options like The Londoner Pub, owned by fun-loving expat Piers Edgar, or Bdubs by the Waldorf Astoria, or Murphy's Bar on Via Argentina (check their facebook pages to see if they're having live music or other fun events as these are great networking opportunities). International networking platform Internations also holds networking events once a month—a different venue each time (sign up for the website at www.internations.org/panama-city-expats).

Best,
IL Panama Editor Jess Ramesch

Hi Karen3A, I am David Hammond, International Living's correspondent in Uruguay. I am from Washington State and have been living in Uruguay for 19 years. In my opionion: A few cons: While I find Uruguay more affordable than the U.S., it is one of the more expensive countries in Latin America. And it's also a long flight to the U.S. A few pluses: What I like best about Uruguay is its culture of inclusion. There is a bigger middle class in Uruguay than any other country in Latin America. And its recently been ranked as the country with the least amount of public corruption in the Americas by Transparancy International.

Here are a couple of articles I wrote that yiou may find intereesting:

This article specifically lays out some of the pros and cons of living in Uruguay:
https://internationalliving.com/countries/uruguay/

This article explains some of the pluses attracting expats to Uruguay:
https://internationalliving.com/why-uruguay-is-the-perfect-post-election-haven-for-expats/

Best regards,
David

First of all, there is no obstacle to getting a second citizenship on the American side.The Supreme Court has ruled several times that Americans cannot be forbidden from acquiring other citizenships. So keep that in mind because if you really like a country, it's always best to become a citizen if you want to stay there.

There are many countries where you can live and retire indefinitely. For retirees, countries have visas that allow you to remain indefinitely as long as you have sufficient income from pensions and investments. In Europe, they include Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, and several countries in the Balkans. Popular retirement visas in the Western Hemisphere include Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador.

The key factor for all of these visas is whether you have enough passive income from pension and investments to qualify. The cheapest are in Central America, with Costa Rica and Panama at $1000 a month. Europe is more expensive although Portugal will grant AD7 retirement visa for around $1000 a month income. All the other countries are in the €3000 to €3500 monthly income range.

Finally, note that although you often need to renew the visa annually for every two years, this is just a formality to show that you continue to have enough income. Many IL subscribers have lived for years abroad in these countries in this way.

Hi there,

If you're just looking to get a feel for what the country is like, IL's "Escape to Colombia" guide contains a host of information for people looking to visit or retire there.

Cartagena is a famously charming city. Here’s a shortlist of must-see attractions you should check out when visiting Cartagena (according to the Escape to Colombia guide):

• Bolívar Square
• Gold and Archaeological Museum
• Castle of San Felipe de Barajas
• Palace of the Inquisition
• San Pedro Claver Cathedral
• Temple of Santo Domingo
• Mucura Island

Medellín also has plenty to offer in the realm of entertainment and cultural tourism. In July, the city hosts Colombiamoda, where the country's top fashion designers show off their work.