Pursuant to Art. 11(b) of Resolution No. 049/2025 de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is PAB 100 (approx. USD 100), below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Law No. 45 and Executive Decree No. 24 provide a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions. Law No. 45 regulates consumer relations and specifies consumer rights, including suppliers' responsibilities to consumers. Executive Decree No. 24 also provides provisions applicable to technological storage services and commercial services through the Internet.

Law No. 51/2008 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. Arts. 88-91 of the Law provides a safe harbour that shields network operators, service providers, online trade service providers and storage service providers from responsibility. In addition, a safe harbour provision forms a substantial part of the intellectual property chapter in the FTA entered into between the United States of America and Panama (Art. 15.11, para. 27).

Law No. 51/2008 establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringement. Arts. 88-91 of the Law provides a safe harbour that shields network operators, service providers, online trade service providers and storage service providers from responsibility.

Art. 4 of Law No. 51/2009 establishes that mobile telephone operators, their subsidiaries and authorised agents that commercialise services with activity systems through the prepaid card modality must keep a record of the identity or general information provided by their customers who acquire a telephone unit or smart card (SIM) with such payment modality.

It is reported that local authorities declared a state of emergency in Panama’s province of Bocas del Toro amid unrest. Following this declaration, Panama’s telecommunications regulator, the National Public Services Authority (ASEP), issued a letter on 20 June 2025 instructing telecommunications and internet service providers to suspend the provision of mobile cellular telephony and internet services in the province. The suspension was initially expected to remain in place until 25 June 2025, but the government subsequently extended the measure until 30 June 2025.

Pursuant to Art. 18 of Executive Decree No. 81/2017, the export and/or re-export of any goods included in Panama’s National Harmonised List requires economic operators to (i) register with the National System for the Registration of Economic Operators and the Tracking and Inventory of Dual-Use Goods, and (ii) obtain a prior licence from the competent authority. According to Art. 1 of Resolution 001/2018, Panama adopts the European Union Dual-Use Items Control List, as the Harmonised National List of Dual-Use Goods of the Republic of Panama, which includes categories such as electronics, computers, telecommunications, and information security (see Regulation (EU) 2021/821 repealed and replaced Regulation (EC) No. 428/2009, as subsequently amended and implemented by Regulation (EU) No. 1232/2011 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/1922).

According to the Art. 290 of Executive Decree No. 73, all the equipment that is connected to the public network or used to carry out radioelectric emissions shall be approved for its commercialisation, use and operation. The Regulatory Entity establishes the requirements to ensure adequate compliance with the technical specifications.
According to the Art. 93 of Law 23 of July 15, 1997, the General Direction of Standards and Industrial Technology (DGNTI) is the organisation responsible for technical standardisation and conformity assessment. According to the DGNTI, the document that approves a certificate of conformity shall be issued either by a certification body duly accredited under ISO/IEC 17065 or by an accreditation body with international recognition under the Multilateral Recognition Agreements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
It is reported that products that use radio frequency technology require a type approval by ASEP (Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Públicos) and certification to import and commercialise in Panama. No testing is required, but a homologation process is necessary to obtain ASEP approval. Technical documents will be reviewed and validated in the approval process. The following products are signalled as requiring ASEP approval: transceivers, personal trackers, wireless microphones, mobile phones, Radio Frequency Identification equipment, and radio alarms.

The government owns 49% of the shares of Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A., a Panamanian telecom company governed by private law.

Panama does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there has been an obligation to separate the accounts since 1997. Pursuant to Art. 86 of "Executive Decree No. 73, which implements Law No. 31 of 8 February 1996 on telecommunications regulation in Panama", telecommunications service concessionaires must submit audited financial statements to the Regulatory Authority within three months of the end of their fiscal year. Under Art. 86.1, concessionaires that provide more than one telecommunications service may comply by either maintaining separate accounts for each service, or maintaining separate accounts by type of service (Type A and Type B). In addition, concessionaires providing mobile cellular telephone services are required to maintain separate accounts for that service.

In Panama, the legal basis for telecommunications licensing is set out in Law No. 31 of 8 February 1996 (Telecommunications Law) and its principal implementing regulation, Executive Decree No. 73 of 9 April 1997, which operationalises the statutory framework. The Telecommunications Law governs the installation, operation, and provision of telecommunications networks and services through concessions and authorisations, and it allocates core supervisory and enforcement powers to the sector regulator, the National Authority for Public Services (ASEP).
The Law establishes a dual regulatory classification. Type A services may be granted by the State under temporary exclusivity or to a limited number of concessionaires (Art. 7(1)), whereas Type B services are generally provided under conditions of free competition (Art. 7(2)). Consistent with this classification, ASEP identifies Type A services, including personal communication services and mobile services, while Type B services encompass a broader range of activities, including, inter alia, basic international telecommunications and fixed and mobile radio communications, among others.
In addition, Art. 1 of Law No. 36 imposes sector-specific constraints on licensing in mobile telephony by limiting the number of concessions to operate mobile telephony services to three, thereby consolidating the market structure.

Panama has not appended the WTO Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Públicos (ASEP, National Public Service Authority), the executive authority responsible for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent of the government in its decision-making.

Under Art. 5 of Law No. 81/2019, the transfer of personal data of a confidential, sensitive or restricted nature by the company responsible for the database or its custodian shall be permitted, provided that the company and/or its country of residence provide a level of protection comparable to that of Law No. 81; or if the transferring entity takes all necessary steps to ensure that the data will be protected in a manner consistent with the Law No. 81 through contracts, codes of conduct or applicable international standards. Art. 5 lists the following exemptions: when the data subject has given their consent; in the case of bank, money, stock market or securities transfers; when the transfer of the information is required by law or in order to comply with international treaties ratified by the Republic of Panama; and when the transfer is necessary for the conclusion or execution of a contract concluded or to be celebrated by the interested party or in their interest.

Panama has committed to covering cross-border data flow in the Free Trade Agreement between the United Mexican States and the Republic of Panama (Art. 14.10).