Moving to Panama as a Couple; Costa Rica and Panama Declare Themselves Ready for the Reverse Migration Flow from the North; Over 9,000 Fines During Carnival.

Friday, March 07, 2025 Moving to Panama as a Couple: Are You Both on Board? Let’s be real—one of the biggest challenges couples face isn’t just figuring out where to live, it’s making sure they actually want the same things long-term. Relationships, at their core, are about teamwork, and big decisions—like packing up and moving to a new country—need to be made together. That means not just dreaming about sipping cocktails on the beach but also making sure both of you are fully in for the long haul. I’ve seen it time and time again: One partner is all in, reading every expat blog, watching YouTube videos about life in Panama, maybe even practicing their Spanish. The other? A little less convinced. Maybe they’re hesitant about leaving family behind, nervous about cultural differences, or just not sure this whole “new life” thing is right for them. The biggest mistake couples make is assuming the reluctant partner will just “come around” once they get there. Spoiler alert: That usually leads to frustration, resentment, or worse—a one-way ticket back home. So how do you avoid that mess? Well, it starts with honest conversations. Not just about the idea of moving, but about what life will actually look like once you’re here. Are you picturing beach life, while they’re thinking city skyline? Do they imagine a retirement-style escape, while you’re planning to launch a new business? These things matter, and working them out before the big move can save you a lot of headaches later. Another great way to test the waters? Trial runs. Take an extended visit to Panama—not just a vacation, but a real experience of what day-to-day life might be like. Rent a place, grocery shop, try navigating without Google Translate, and see how it feels. Better yet, stay in different parts of the country to see what fits your lifestyle best. Panama is diverse—city life in Panama City is nothing like a quiet beach town in Pedasí, and both are a world away from mountain living in Boquete. And let’s talk about the reality of expat life. Yes, Panama is beautiful, affordable, and full of opportunity, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There’s bureaucracy, cultural differences, and things might not always work the way you’re used to. If one of you is more adaptable than the other, that’s something to consider. One thing that helps? Having a plan B. No one likes to think about the “what ifs,” but agreeing on an exit strategy—whether that’s keeping a property back home or setting a timeline for reassessment—takes the pressure off. You don’t want to feel trapped in paradise. At the end of the day, moving to Panama (or anywhere new) as a couple should be an adventure you embark on together, not a tug-of-war where one person is dragging the other along. So talk it out, take the trip, do the research, and make sure you’re building a future you both love. That’s how you turn a dream move into a solid, happy reality. Brett Mikkelson CEO, BM Investigations TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: Costa Rica and Panama Declare Themselves Ready for the Reverse Migration Flow from the North In recent years, the largest migration flow in Panama occurred from south to north through the dangerous Darien jungle.Costa Rica and Panama declared themselves ready on Monday to collaborate in addressing the reverse migration flow of people who were unable to enter the United States due to the policies of the new Donald Trump administration. They also called on South American countries to facilitate their safe passage.“We are working hard and together to face this regional challenge as a unified bloc,” said Costa Rican Minister of Security, Mario Zamora, after a meeting with his Panamanian counterpart, Frank Ábrego, held at the Peñas Blancas checkpoint on the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border.Zamora explained that Ábrego served as an “honorary witness” to the start of an operation on Monday aimed at receiving migrants entering from Nicaragua and then transporting them by bus to the Temporary Migrant Reception Center (CATEM) in the town of Corredores, near the Panama border.The migrants will receive a 72-hour pass to board buses at the CATEM that will take them to shelters in Panama.“We call on the countries of South America to facilitate and open doors for this safe passage. We all have to take responsibility, and Costa Rica and Panama are doing so. This organized flow keeps people away from the control of migrant smuggling gangs,” said Zamora.This procedure is similar to the one Costa Rica and Panama implemented in recent years when the migration flow came from South America heading to the United States. Migrants would arrive at Costa Rica’s CATEM on buses from Panama, then be moved to the Nicaragua border to continue their journey.Zamora said that Costa Rica and Panama have been an example of “high levels of humanity” in handling migration flows, and that both countries have created the “most organized and secure passage” along the continent’s migration route.“We are not countries that generate emigration, but we are recipients, especially of a transit that deeply moves us because it represents a human tragedy,” said the Costa Rican minister.On February 12, both ministers met at the common Paso Canoas border and agreed to transfer migrants from the reverse flow to shelters at the borders, where they would then be returned to their countries of origin.Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said last Thursday that over 2,000 people in transit had entered Panama in February through the Costa Rica border, contributing to an increasing reverse migration flow, while the number of people insisting on continuing northward continued to decrease.In recent years, Panama’s largest migration flow occurred from south to north through the dangerous Darien jungle (the Panama-Colombia border), reaching a record 520,000 migrants in 2023, while in 2024, the number dropped to 300,000.The flow of irregular migrants entering through the Darien marked a “historic” 94% decrease in January compared to the same period in 2024, with 2,158 migrants