Sending your belongings to Panama by sea
Moving to Panama, going home after years in Canada, or sending boxes to family? Personal effects travel in a shared ocean container (LCL groupage) from our receiving warehouses in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to Colon. You pay only for the space your boxes take, from USD 5 per cubic foot, and the carrier estimates 48–58 days in transit depending on the gateway and the city.
Personal effects to Panama are accepted subject to carrier approval: before you pay, we send your packing list and passport copy to the carrier, and only then is the booking confirmed.
Pensionado residents and Panamanians returning after a long stay abroad can apply for exemptions on household goods; other shipments pay import duty and ITBMS. Clearance is done through a licensed customs broker.
Families moving to Panama as pensionados or under another residence visa apply for the household-goods exemption through the National Customs Authority (Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas) with the residence document, a box-by-box inventory and the bill of lading. List used items as used and keep new electronics and goods still in their packaging apart, since those are usually taxed even within a move. Most households moving to Panama City collect the shipment at Colón and have it trucked across the isthmus; the broker can arrange that last leg.
The Colón port area is hot and humid most of the year, so pack books, documents and electronics in sealed plastic bags inside the boxes, and leave out untreated wood and garden tools with soil on them, which the agricultural authority inspects. A Spanish copy of the packing list speeds up the inspection, and the broker needs the bill of lading or the carrier's release before the household belongings can leave the port.
Rates for household boxes to Panama
| Destination | From Toronto | From Montreal | From Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colon | USD 6 / cu ft 48 days · min. USD 476.92 | USD 5 / cu ft 48 days · min. USD 441.60 | USD 8 / cu ft 58 days · min. USD 547.56 |
Example: moving boxes from Montreal to Colon
A medium moving box of 18 × 18 × 16 inches holds 3.0 cubic feet; packed with clothes, books and kitchenware it weighs about 15 kg.
- 10 boxes (30 cu ft, 150 kg): USD 441.60
- 20 boxes (60 cu ft, 300 kg): USD 565.00
- The smallest shipment: USD 441.60
The totals include the A1 processing fee, surcharges and solar fee. The carrier charges by volume or by weight (1,000 kg per CBM), whichever is greater. From the Prairies, with trucking to the port included: Calgary USD 765.00 (via Montreal) and Winnipeg USD 765.00 (via Montreal).
Which Canadian gateway: 20 boxes to Colon
- From Toronto: USD 625.00, about 48 days
- From Montreal: USD 565.00, about 48 days
- From Vancouver: USD 745.00, about 58 days
Montreal is the least expensive gateway to Colon, Toronto the fastest: 0 days quicker for USD 60.00 more. Choose the warehouse you can reach; from other Canadian cities the calculator shows the lowest of the three.
Documents for personal effects
- Passport copy. The photo page of the shipper's passport. It must be valid (not expired) and the name must match the shipper on the booking and on the packing list. We accept a passport from any country, but no other ID.
- Packing list. Our fillable packing list (PDF) names the shipper and the receiver in Panama and lists every box: contents, quantity, dimensions, weight and value. Number the boxes and write the same numbers on the list. "Winter clothes, 2 coats, 6 sweaters" is useful; "personal items" is not. Sign it before you upload it.
- Customs value. The total declared value of the shipment may not exceed CAD 2,000.
The carrier's tariff requires a passport copy and a complete, detailed packing list for every personal-effects shipment, and household goods must be professionally packed. More help: how to fill in the packing list.
Packing advice
Your boxes are handled several times: at the warehouse, in the container and at the terminal in Colon. Use new, strong double-wall cartons and fill them completely so they do not collapse under the weight of others; seal every seam with packing tape. Put heavy items such as books in small boxes and light items in larger ones. Write the receiver's name and city in Panama on two sides of every box. Many boxes can be strapped onto a pallet on ISPM 15 heat-treated wood; you or your mover prepare the pallet, A1 does not palletize.
What not to pack
The carrier does not accept vehicles or parts with fuel, food, plants, animals, medication, weapons, dangerous goods (aerosols, batteries, paint, flammable liquids), cash, jewellery or other valuables. If you are not sure about an item, ask us before you pack it.
Carrier conditions for Panama
The carrier's tariff lists no special conditions for Panama beyond the general rules on this page; the destination charges are confirmed for each booking.
Insurance (optional)
Cargo insurance for personal effects is arranged through Marsh Canada (CargoCover): owner-packed goods, all risks, with a USD 300 deductible. To request it, sign the insurance coverage form and complete the valued inventory, then upload both on your booking page before departure. All forms: useful links and forms.
How to book
Calculate the price in the calculator above with the cargo type "Personal effects", accept the quote and upload the passport copy and the signed packing list on your booking page. After the carrier approves the shipment and confirms the destination charges, you pay and receive the labels and the warehouse delivery instructions. You deliver the boxes yourself: A1 does not offer pickup from your home.
Shipping to Panama by service
A1 services from Canada: Ocean LCL shipping, personal effects, commercial cargo, air freight (on request).
Questions and answers
How much does it cost to ship 20 boxes to Panama?
Twenty medium moving boxes (about 60 cu ft and 300 kg) from Montreal to Colon cost about USD 565.00 including all A1 fees. Destination charges, duties and taxes are confirmed separately.
Which ID do I need to ship personal effects to Panama?
A copy of the photo page of the shipper's passport: valid, not expired, and in the same name as the shipper on the booking and the packing list. A passport from any country is accepted; no other ID is.
Can A1 pick up my boxes at home?
No. You or a local mover deliver the packed boxes to our receiving warehouse in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver; the warehouse measures and weighs them and the final price follows those measurements.
Rates valid through December 25, 2026; totals include A1 fees of USD 265.00. Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier, duties and taxes are paid by the consignee, and transit days are the carrier's estimate.