As of June 30, 2022, the Public Registry of Panama, and in those geographic areas where the waste collection service is established, will not register any real estate-related deed until it has been verified that the interested party is in good standing with the payment of the Integrated Waste Management Fee for the waste collection service before the Urban and Domiciliary Cleaning Authority or before the competent entity that levies such fees, this document is commonly known as the “Waste Collection Good Standing Certificate”.
Therefore, to register any real estate-related procedure with the Public Registry of Panama, one must ensure payment of waste collection and obtain a good-standing certification for the Integrated Waste Management Fee. Said certification must be attached to the public deed submitted for registration.
If an individual is in arrears with the payment of the Integrated Waste Management Fee for waste collection services, that individual may enter into a payment arrangement by complying with the requirements established for such purposes by our legal system.
In areas where no collection service company is operating, the certificates of good standing for the Integrated Waste Management Fee can be obtained from the municipal authorities of the area where the interested party resides. If no collector agent is available in that district, the relevant municipality will provide a certificate to that effect, which can be submitted to the Public Registry of Panama for the registration of the corresponding real estate matter.
It is important to note that the Urban and Domiciliary Cleaning Authority has implemented a moratorium in the District of Panama. This policy cancels 50% of the Integrated Waste Management Fee owed by residential users and 30% owed by commercial establishments. This policy is currently in effect.
The information we have provided is of a general nature and should not be used as a substitute for obtaining comprehensive advice on the subject matter of this article, which can be provided by Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee (Alcogal).
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