Hello, my name is Jess. My husband is currently medically retiring from the US army and we are very strongly considering moving to Panama in about 6-9 months. We have two small children (would be around 1.5 & 3 at that time). We are also looking into Nicaragua but haven't done much research into Nicaragua yet.
We have lived all over, in different cultures. We are not very interested in living in an expat community, although having some other expats nearby wouldn't be bad. We are hoping to do a month-month rental while we explore Panama and until we settle somewhere more permanently into a long-term rental for ideally $5-900 a month. We're more interested in an "authentic" Panama experience, outside the city- somewhere near the water would be nice, but not a requirement. We have been told to look into Boquete, although I hear it's not as warm and more expensive, as well as the El Valle and Bocas De Toro area. Are there other areas that you would recommend we look into, safe for small children?
Our tentative plan is to fly into Panama City with a return flight set for 3 months later, but to carry over all the fresh documents needed to apply for a Tourist Pensioner Visa. Do any of you have any experience with how long those generally take to be approved? Will they renew our limited 90 day traveler's visa if it isn't approved in time? My husband will meet the $2800 pension requirement for the Pensioner visa (for him and 3 dependants), is there anything else they particularly look for? I realize our plan probably sounds a little crazy- but we are up for an adventure, and we tend to do things untraditionally.
Also, would it be a possibility for me to apply for a work permit eventually, even though my husband is on the Tourist Pensioner Visa, or not? I am college educated- I majored in English and political science, and I speak spanish but could use a refresher course haha. I'm not too particular about the type of work I could be doing, it would mainly just be to help pass the time and to bring in some extra money.
I'm just a little concerned about whether or not we will actually be able to live comfortably on a set $3-4k income, if neither of us are allowed to work in Panama.
Any and all advice is welcome! Thanks.