Jurisconsultas establishes your Panama Private Interest Foundation (FIP) — the premier legal structure for asset protection, estate planning, privacy and tax-efficient wealth management. Recognized internationally, governed by Law 25 of 1995 and fully established remotely in English.
The Panama Private Interest Foundation (Fundación de Interés Privado — FIP) is a legal entity with its own juridical personality, created by Law 25 of June 12, 1995. It is neither a corporation nor a trust — it is a distinct civil law structure designed to hold, protect and distribute a patrimonial estate according to the founder's instructions, with extraordinary flexibility and ironclad privacy.
Unlike a corporation, the Foundation does not issue shares and has no owners. Unlike a trust, it has its own independent legal personality — it can own property, open bank accounts and enter contracts in its own name. The assets transferred to the Foundation become a legally separate estate, shielded from the personal creditors of both the founder and the beneficiaries.
Panama's territorial tax system means that all income the Foundation earns outside Panama is exempt from local taxation. Combined with confidential beneficiary designation, flexible governance and a proven 30-year legal track record, the Panama Private Interest Foundation remains the leading wealth protection structure in Latin America and one of the most respected offshore structures globally.
Assets in the Foundation are legally separated from the founder. After a two-year consolidation period, they are shielded from personal creditors.
Distributes your estate to heirs according to your instructions — privately, without probate, without court involvement.
Beneficiaries are designated in a private regulation not registered publicly. No one outside the Foundation needs to know who they are.
Foreign-source income is exempt from Panamanian taxation. Panama's territorial system is a structural advantage for international wealth.
Unlike a trust, the founder can retain meaningful control through the Foundation Council, a Protector role or reserved powers in the Foundation Charter.
The Panama Foundation is recognized in international financial and legal circles as a credible, well-established wealth management structure.
Every Foundation is established with a specific purpose in mind. These are the situations where our clients most commonly deploy the Panama Foundation structure.
Entrepreneurs, professionals and investors facing litigation risk, business disputes or creditor exposure use the Foundation to legally separate personal assets from those risks. Once assets have been in the Foundation for two years, they are protected from personal creditor claims under Panamanian law.
The Foundation acts as a private will — establishing exactly how, when and to whom assets are distributed, including across multiple generations. It avoids the publicity and cost of probate proceedings and allows distributions with conditions (age thresholds, milestones, events) that a simple will cannot enforce.
A Foundation can own shares in other corporations — making it the ideal holding vehicle for business groups. The Foundation holds the operating companies, concentrating ownership and providing an additional layer of separation from personal liability.
Holding real estate through a Foundation provides privacy of ownership, protection from claims, simplified succession (property does not go through probate) and the ability to transfer the property by transferring governance of the Foundation rather than conveying title.
Managing investment portfolios, bank accounts and financial assets through a Foundation consolidates international wealth under a single legal structure with favorable tax treatment and clear succession instructions already built in.
For individuals who require discretion about their asset ownership — executives, public figures, international investors — the Foundation provides a structure where beneficial ownership is held privately, outside public registries.
Every Panama Foundation has a defined governance structure established in the Foundation Charter (Acta Fundacional) — the founding document registered at Panama's Public Registry. Additional rules governing beneficiaries and distribution can be set out in a private Foundation Regulation that remains confidential and is not registered publicly.
The minimum patrimonial endowment required by Law 25 of 1995 is $10,000 USD — but this is a nominal figure only. No deposit is required to establish the Foundation, and the actual assets transferred can be of any type and value. The Foundation can receive additional assets from the founder or third parties at any time after establishment.
Unlike a Panama Corporation, the Foundation does not have shareholders. No one "owns" the Foundation — its assets belong to the Foundation itself as an independent legal entity. This is precisely what makes it such a robust asset protection and estate planning vehicle.
The individual or entity that establishes the Foundation and makes the initial patrimonial endowment. The founder sets the Foundation's purpose, governance rules and beneficiary designations. The founder can retain certain reserved powers in the Charter.
The governing body of the Foundation. If composed of individuals, a minimum of three members is required. If composed of a legal entity, one is sufficient. Council members manage the Foundation's assets and execute distributions according to the Charter and Regulation.
An optional but commonly appointed role — an individual or entity with authority to supervise the Council, approve certain decisions or remove Council members. Adds a critical governance check, especially when the founder is also a beneficiary.
The individuals or entities entitled to receive distributions from the Foundation. Beneficiaries can be designated publicly in the Charter or privately in the Foundation Regulation — maintaining complete confidentiality from public records.
A qualified Panamanian attorney or law firm must serve as the Foundation's registered agent. Jurisconsultas provides registered agent services and handles all official communications with Panamanian authorities on the Foundation's behalf.
| Feature | Panama Foundation (FIP) | Panama Corporation (S.A.) | Trust |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal personality | ✓ Independent entity | ✓ Independent entity | ✗ Contract only |
| Asset protection strength | ✓ Strongest | Limited | ✓ Strong |
| Founder retains control | ✓ Flexible | ✓ Yes | Limited |
| Estate planning | ✓ Excellent | Complex | ✓ Good |
| Beneficiary privacy | ✓ Confidential registry | Medium | Medium |
| Foreign income tax exemption | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Avoids probate | ✓ Yes | Complex | ✓ Yes |
| Shares or ownership interests | None — no owners | ✓ Shares issued | Not applicable |
| Minimum capital required | $10,000 USD (nominal) | None | Variable |
| Registered publicly | Charter only (not beneficiaries) | Yes | Not registered |
The entire process is managed by Jurisconsultas from start to finish — remotely, in English. You provide the information; we handle the legal drafting, notarization and registration.
We discuss your specific objectives — asset protection, estate planning, holding structure or privacy. We recommend the optimal governance structure, discuss the roles (Council, Protector, beneficiaries) and advise on the content of both the public Charter and the private Regulation. All protected by attorney-client privilege.
We draft the Foundation Charter (Acta Fundacional) — the public constitutional document of the Foundation. It establishes the Foundation's name, purpose, Council structure, powers and rules for dissolution and asset distribution. We present it to you in English before finalizing.
We draft the Foundation Regulation — the confidential private document that designates beneficiaries, establishes distribution conditions, sets out the Protector's powers and includes any specific instructions from the founder. This document is NOT registered at the Public Registry and remains completely private.
The Foundation Charter is executed before a Panamanian notary public. As your attorneys, Jurisconsultas handles all notarization on your behalf — you do not need to be physically present in Panama. We coordinate through powers of attorney where needed.
We file the notarized Foundation Charter at Panama's Public Registry, where the Foundation obtains its legal personality and official registration number. Once registered, the Foundation is a recognized legal entity capable of owning assets, opening accounts and conducting business.
You receive the registered Foundation Charter, the private Regulation, the registered agent confirmation and guidance on the next steps — including how to transfer assets into the Foundation, banking recommendations, and compliance obligations with your country of residence.
Important: The two-year creditor protection period under Law 25 of 1995 begins from the date assets are transferred into the Foundation — not from the date it is established. For maximum protection, we recommend establishing the Foundation and beginning asset transfers as soon as possible, well before any potential creditor claims arise.
Common questions from international clients about establishing a Panama Private Foundation.
The Panama Private Interest Foundation has been one of the world's leading offshore wealth management structures since its creation by Law 25 of 1995. Panama was one of the first civil law jurisdictions to create a statutory framework specifically for private family foundations — predating similar structures in Liechtenstein, Austria and other European jurisdictions in terms of its practical global adoption.
The FIP's enduring popularity among sophisticated international clients stems from its unique combination of: a recognized legal framework in force for 30 years, an independent legal personality that trusts lack, the flexibility to retain founder control that irrevocable trusts do not allow, confidential beneficiary designation, and Panama's territorial tax system.
While Liechtenstein foundations are also well-regarded, the Panama Foundation offers significant practical advantages for international clients in the Americas and beyond: lower establishment and maintenance costs, a US-dollar economy, established banking relationships and the geographic accessibility of Panama City as a business hub. For clients with assets or family ties in Latin America, Panama is typically the more practical jurisdiction.
The Panama Foundation as a will substitute is one of its most powerful applications. Unlike a traditional will, which becomes public record when probated and can be contested by heirs, the Foundation's Regulation distributes assets according to the founder's instructions privately, automatically and without court involvement. The Foundation can include conditions for distribution (age thresholds, completing education, events) that simple wills cannot legally enforce in many jurisdictions.
For international families with assets in multiple countries, a Panama Foundation provides a single legal vehicle to hold and distribute a global estate — avoiding the complexity and cost of multiple national probate proceedings, each with their own courts, timelines and costs.
The most robust Panama wealth protection structure combines a Private Interest Foundation that owns a Panama Corporation (S.A.). The corporation holds operating assets, real estate or investments. The Foundation owns the corporation — creating double-layer separation from personal liability. This combined structure is Jurisconsultas' recommended approach for clients with significant or complex asset portfolios.
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