Blue container cranes at the port of Colón at the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal, Panama · Bild: Balou46, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

KaufratgeberAktualisiert 1. Nov. 2026

How to import a Chinese electric car into Panama (2026)

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CRAVEUO EV Export · Sources last checked 2026-11-01 · General information, not legal advice. We do not clear customs in Panama. Nothing here is a promise or a quote.

Quick answer

Yes. We found no ban on importing a new electric car into Panama, and the main relief is a 0% selective consumption tax on pure-electric cars until 31 December 2030 (Law 295 of 2022, Art. 21). Many guides call this a 0% import tariff. The text of the law we read changes the selective tax, so the tariff line is a separate question to check. ITBMS at 7% still applies, according to import guides. A licensed customs broker is required.

Key facts

Selective consumption tax, heading 87.03
Pure electric: 0% to 31 Dec 2030, then 5%
Hybrid: 10%
Source: Law 295, Art. 21 (vLex copy)
Import duty
Pure electric: 0% per Forbes and importer guides, which may mean the selective tax
Hybrid: Conflict
Source: Forbes Centroamérica, press; PideTuCarro, seller. Official tariff line not read
ITBMS
Pure electric: 7% on the import, per guides
Hybrid: 7%
Source: DGI: 7% general rate; PideTuCarro, seller, for cars. No official line for EVs read
Plate fees
Pure electric: Municipalities must arrange exoneration for 5 years from purchase of a new EV
Hybrid: Not covered
Source: Law 295, Art. 20
Green plate
Pure electric: Art. 6 sets it for electric public-transport units; a seller says private cars get one at registration
Hybrid: Not found
Source: Law 295, Art. 6; PideTuCarro, seller

Item	Pure electric	Hybrid	Source
Selective consumption tax, heading 87.03	0% to 31 Dec 2030, then 5%	10%	Law 295, Art. 21 (vLex copy)
Import duty	0% per Forbes and importer guides, which may mean the selective tax	Conflict	Forbes Centroamérica, press; PideTuCarro, seller. Official tariff line not read
ITBMS	7% on the import, per guides	7%	DGI: 7% general rate; PideTuCarro, seller, for cars. No official line for EVs read
Plate fees	Municipalities must arrange exoneration for 5 years from purchase of a new EV	Not covered	Law 295, Art. 20
Green plate	Art. 6 sets it for electric public-transport units; a seller says private cars get one at registration	Not found	Law 295, Art. 6; PideTuCarro, seller

Why the tax label matters

Article 21 rewrites numeral 5 of Article 28-A of Law 45 of 1995, which sets the selective consumption tax. It covers electric cars in heading 87.03. A van or truck in another heading is outside that wording. If a broker quotes you "0% tariff", ask which tax that line means, and read the classification on the customs declaration.

Who can import, and what it takes

Customs broker
Required for imports, temporary or definitive (Decree-Law 1 of 2008, Art. 42). Art. 43 has an exception for a natural person's personal and household goods up to a value limit. We read that as not covering a car; confirm it with a broker
Private buyers
A seller guide says an individual cannot file without a broker. We found no ban on an individual being the importer
Documents
Invoice, certificate of origin and import declaration (customs agency Kam; PideTuCarro), both commercial sources
Homologation and registration
Kam lists ATTT homologation, and PideTuCarro says Executive Decree 51 of 2023 regulates it. We could not open the decree, so the steps are not confirmed
Used cars
We found no age limit in the Law 295 text we read. A seller says the process is harder and needs a battery check
Age bill
Mobility Portal headlines a bill barring electric cars over five years old. We could not read it and found no sign it passed
Steering
No rule found. China-market cars are left-hand drive

Rule	Detail
Customs broker	Required for imports, temporary or definitive (Decree-Law 1 of 2008, Art. 42). Art. 43 has an exception for a natural person's personal and household goods up to a value limit. We read that as not covering a car; confirm it with a broker
Private buyers	A seller guide says an individual cannot file without a broker. We found no ban on an individual being the importer
Documents	Invoice, certificate of origin and import declaration (customs agency Kam; PideTuCarro), both commercial sources
Homologation and registration	Kam lists ATTT homologation, and PideTuCarro says Executive Decree 51 of 2023 regulates it. We could not open the decree, so the steps are not confirmed
Used cars	We found no age limit in the Law 295 text we read. A seller says the process is harder and needs a battery check
Age bill	Mobility Portal headlines a bill barring electric cars over five years old. We could not read it and found no sign it passed
Steering	No rule found. China-market cars are left-hand drive

Models to ask about

China guide prices, not delivered prices. All are pure electric. Check each car's heading before relying on the 0% rate.

Aion V
Type: Battery-electric
China guide price from: ¥109,800
XPeng G6
Type: Battery-electric
China guide price from: ¥176,800
NIO ET5
Type: Battery-electric
China guide price from: ¥298,000

Model	Type	China guide price from
Aion V	Battery-electric	¥109,800
XPeng G6	Battery-electric	¥176,800
NIO ET5	Battery-electric	¥298,000

Send your country, model and version through the inquiry form. We tell you whether we can supply that car before any contract.

How an order works

Ask a licensed Panamanian customs broker to confirm the tariff line, the selective tax and ITBMS for your exact version.
Ask the ATTT or your broker what homologation the version needs.
Get a quote from the licensed Chinese export company named in the contract.
Sign. Nothing is paid before it is signed, and payment goes only to the company account on the invoice.
Your broker clears the car and you pay the taxes assessed. Then register it, and ask your municipality about the plate-fee exoneration.