Feedback from SY Moya:
Clearing into Panama at Porvenir and Puerto Lindo February 2018:

After leaving Columbia we were heading to San Blas and tried to clear into Panama in Porvenir. On the southwestern side of the island, it is possible to anchor just in front of the dingy dock.

Behind the pier, there are 3 small, white houses, the front door is marked with general guna congress as well as the guna flags. This is the place where we conducted our paperwork. The Guna immigration official was a little grumpy and spoke no English, but we succeeded to persuade him to issue our immigration on the same day.

Our passports have been stamped with a round stamp saying „entrada Porvenir“ at no cost. After asking for a tourist visa, the official ensured, that the regulation has changed in a way that, no visa stamps will be granted any longer, instead the stamp in our passports enables us to stay in the country for 6 months from the time of entry.

As we have still had doubts whether this information is accurate, we re-confirmed at the immigration office in Puertobello and received the same response.
At Porvenir, we also were asked to buy the cruising permit for San Blas issued by the guna congress in the office next door (cost: 20USD for the boat, plus 20 USD for each person, our children (aged 3 and 5) were at no cost).

We specifically asked also to purchase the cruising permit for Panama for our sailing vessel, as several sources mentioned that the legal entry to the country can be concluded in Porvenir. The official informed us, that it is not possible to obtain the Panamanian cruising permit in Porvenir and that we are required to gain one in the next 72hr at Puerto Lindo (50nm from Porvenir) or Colon, as otherwise we could be fined for illegal entry to the country of our boat. Indeed, we met another sailor whose papers had been checked by the Panamanian cost guard, which has been patrolling San Blas waters.

We continued to Puerto Lindo and anchored between Isla Linton and the Marina. The Port Authority is located at the entrance of the Marina in a blue container. The Official was very nice, spoke some English, explained all procedures and efficiently issued our cruising permit (cost: 185 USD). Immigration at Puerto Lindo is not possible, an alternative to Porvenir is Puertobello, which can be reached by bus (20min) or by boat (12nm)

Posted on behalf of Jason Shell of SY Two Fish
Subject: San Blas Procedures

1) A bunch of rumours were stirring on various chat forums about fees for the San Blas. Here is what we paid.

205 USD for a 1-year cruising permit.
125 USD per person (20 of which is for Kuna Congresso)
20 USD per boat (Kuna Congresso)

2) We entered in the south at Mamitupu. The South is much nicer because there are fewer boats. However, one should NOT use C-map charts. They are useless. The Bauhaus chartbook is the way to go. Better yet, scan your own Bauhaus guide and use it in SeaClear II with an external GPS puck on your PC.

3) We checked into Panama/Kuna Yala in Porvenir. It can get crowded in the anchorage, but we had a good holding in 13 meters. You need to spend time with four government departments. They are all in the same building. There is a dinghy dock nearby. You need to bring your passports, three copies of your crew list, an original and a copy of your Zarpe from Colombia and your ship’s registration papers.

a) Cruising Permit: They take only cash (US dollars) and there is no ATM. They will give you a fist full of papers. They will also stamp a bunch of these papers. Cruising permit, 2 Zarpe forms, 2 receipts.
b) Kuna Congresso: Quick process to pay the $20 per person and $20 for the boat. They give you one receipt.

c) Immigration: They will stamp your passport into Panama. Check to make sure they have done the stamp correctly (i.e. dated, signed, your boat name, duration of entry and a tick in the tiny box). They gave me two receipts.
d) Police: They seem to write your passport numbers down but do not demand any money. No paperwork was given.

The process can take one hour, but you might need to wait longer if there are other boats checking in.