What can you not bring into Panama?

Panama customs allowances | First Day Abroad

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec

Panama banned e-cigarettes outright, and the Colón Free Zone next door does not extend its duty-free status to your suitcase.

Electronic cigarettes and vaping liquids are prohibited. Importing, selling or using them is banned, and devices are confiscated at Tocumen.
The Colón Free Zone is a bonded area, not a duty-free allowance. Goods bought there are cleared and taxed when they enter Panama proper or when you fly out with them.
The allowance is a carton of cigarettes and a small quantity of spirits per adult, plus a value cap on other goods.
Cash equivalent to USD 10,000 or more must be declared in both directions - Panama uses the US dollar alongside the balboa.
Pre-Columbian artefacts may not be exported, and molas and other craft work travel without restriction.

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