Your Panama trust cost depends on the structure, not a fixed tariff: companies and accounts under the trust, the drafting and the trustee's yearly work. We publish the set-up fee for a standard trust or foundation in Panama on this page; annual administration, event-based work and third-party charges are quoted after we review your case.
The set-up fee for a Panama trust is shown under the key facts. The other groups of cost depend on the structure and are quoted after we review your case.
Set-up
Structure design and onboarding checks
Trust deed drafting by the law firm
Trustee acceptance and account opening
Ongoing
Annual trustee fee
Accounting, minutes and records
Reporting to authorities
Third party
Bank and custodian charges
Tax and legal advice in other countries
Registry or stamp duty where it applies
Key facts
Trust structure
A trust must be expressly declared in writing; verbal ones are invalid (art. 4)[1]
Governing law
Law 21 of 2017 (10 May 2017) on fiduciaries; Law 1 of 1984 on trusts[1]
Foreign law rules
A Panama trust may be run under foreign law if the deed says so (art. 38)[1]
Reserved settlor powers
A Panama trust is irrevocable unless the deed expressly says otherwise (art. 7)[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 6,000
Trust set-up in Panama: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by One Pacific Trust or a partner trustee, confirmed in your quote.
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
Standard foundation
USD 4,000
Foundation set-up in Panama: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed or foundation charter drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by One Pacific Trust or a partner trustee, confirmed in your quote.
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
Set-up fees shown are One Pacific Trust fees in US dollars for the standard scope described, before government, registry, bank and other third-party charges, which are passed through at cost or billed to you directly.
Annual administration, event-based work and anything outside the standard scope are quoted after we review your case.
A published fee is not an offer and is not tax or legal advice; the terms that apply are those set out in writing when you engage us.
Set-up costs: what they cover
Illustration, not a real client.
A Panama trust has to be declared in writing, so the bill for set-up begins with drafting. It also includes the checks and the trustee’s own acceptance work, each at a separate price.
The set-up fee shown on this page covers the standard scope. Ongoing administration, work tied to events and outside charges are quoted once we review your case.
A figure in an estimate comes from the written terms of the trustee and the law firm, and the government sets its own charges.
The set-up estimate is split into these lines:
Client acceptance, with identity and source-of-funds checks on every party.
Planning the fideicomiso with your lawyer, before any drafting starts.
Drafting of the deed and your letter of wishes by counsel in Panama.
The trustee’s written acceptance of the role under the deed.
A holding company under the trust, where you want one.
Ask for the lines one by one. If the total comes as a single figure, you cannot see which part changes with your facts.
Where each charge lands in the process is clearer from the steps in order.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
After signing and funding, the trustee carries on working for the trust each year, chiefly on meetings, resolutions, accounts and records.
Over many years the yearly bills may come to more than the set-up. Ask for them as a separate line, then compare one year with the next.
How the trustee’s charges are set will be stated in the written terms.
Common yearly items include:
The trustee’s charge for acting, and for each decision it records.
Accounts for the trust, and for any company it owns.
Reporting that the trustee or a bank must make, which is a point your tax adviser confirms.
Reviews with you after a marriage, a birth, a move or a sale.
Our own administration work is billed beside the trustee’s, on a separate line, so you see who charges for what.
Third-party costs
Outside parties charge for their part, and the size of those charges depends on what you choose.
Your own lawyer and tax adviser. Their work at home is separate from the work in Panama.
Government charges. The authorities set them, not us, and the written terms list those that apply.
Bank charges. Accounts opened for the trust, or for a company beneath it.
Valuations and certified copies. Needed for private shares, property or documents from abroad.
Translations. Needed for papers that cross between Spanish and your own language.
Such items are small beside the legal and trustee work, but a missing budget line for them can delay the start.
Ask your lawyer for a list early, including the tax reporting your adviser expects, which the page on tax and reporting outlines. Reporting recurs every year, so count it in from the start.
Translation deserves its own question. The deed may be drafted in Spanish, so ask whether later resolutions are translated per page or per document, because both languages may be needed over the years.
What changes the total
Totals for a Panama trust spread widely. These are the biggest levers:
The number of parties, holding companies and bank accounts under the trust.
The kinds of assets, since shares in private companies take more work than cash.
The legal drafting, which grows with every special clause or role.
Whether the deed names a protector, and how many powers that role holds.
How often the trustee must meet and report.
At the light end is a trust that holds cash and listed securities. At the heavy end are several companies, a protector and assets in many countries.
Which assets do you plan to transfer, and is a holding company involved? The estimate moves with those two answers more than with any others.
How to get an estimate
A quote is not an offer. It becomes firm once the trustee and the law firm have read your papers and set their terms in writing. Each cost line appears with the assumptions behind it, and the whole changes if your facts change.
A short message with your country of residence, the assets you expect to transfer and who should benefit is enough to start.
Our reply carries the questions that matter, a list of papers to gather and a start date in writing. The overview shows who does what.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Panama?
Set-up covers client acceptance and design, drafting of the deed and letter of wishes, trustee acceptance and any holding company. Yearly administration, government charges and bank fees follow. The written terms list every item before you commit, and each one appears on its own line.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Panama?
Yes. The trustee works each year on meetings, resolutions, accounts, records and reporting, and across the life of a trust those charges can exceed the set-up. Any government renewal charges and bank fees come on top, and each appears as its own line.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Panama?
Send the assets you expect to transfer, whether a holding company is involved, and how many beneficiaries and advisers there are. We answer with a quote listing each cost line separately, with the assumptions behind it, so you can compare it with the written terms of the trustee and the law firm.
Pick a question for a short answer from our FAQ. Nothing you choose here is sent anywhere. This is a scripted guide from our FAQ, not live chat and not advice.
Setting up, the law and tax
What happens, step by step, when you set up an offshore trust?
First agree the purpose and who should benefit. Your lawyer drafts the deed under the chosen law while the trustee checks identity and the source of the assets. After signing, the assets move into the trustee’s name and are recorded. The guide shows each stage in more detail.
Usually the owner transfers the shares or membership interest to the trustee under the deed, after checking the company’s own documents and any consent a lender or partner must give. The trustee then holds the interest and the company carries on. Company, tax and local law checks come first, so involve your lawyer.
Yes, in the places whose law provides for them. A trust needs a lawful purpose, a valid deed under its governing law, and taxes and reporting dealt with where the people involved live. It cannot be used to hide assets, defeat existing creditors or evade tax. A trustee will refuse a trust whose purpose or funding it cannot confirm.
It depends on where the settlor, the beneficiaries, the trustee and the assets are, and on the law that governs the trust. Many countries tax trust income or distributions in the hands of the people they treat as owners or recipients, and exchange account data under international reporting rules. We do not give tax advice, so ask your own adviser before you sign.
How long does it take to appoint a Hong Kong trustee?
Time depends mostly on how quickly documents arrive and on checks by banks and registries outside our control, so we do not promise a date. Once you apply, the client portal shows each step and what is outstanding, and a 30-minute call sets out what to prepare first.
The cost depends on the structure, the places and assets involved, how many parties the trustee must check, and how much work the trust needs each year. We publish the set-up fee for each place; annual administration and event-based work are quoted after we review your case. Banking, legal and registry charges outside our control can add to it.
A trustee can borrow only if the deed and the governing law allow it. A lender will usually ask to see the deed, the trustee’s authority and the purpose of the loan. Some deeds limit borrowing or need a protector’s consent. Ask a lawyer before approaching a lender.
What is asset management, and is it what a trustee does?
Asset management means running investments for a client, usually under a licence. A trustee does something different: it holds the assets, checks instructions against the deed, approves distributions and keeps the record. A bank or licensed manager that the deed allows for can run the investments.
Hong Kong
Singapore
BVI
Jersey
