Permit· Porvenir (Gaigirgordub)· Other Caribbean

Guna Yala Clearance & Congreso Fee (Porvenir)

9° 33.5′ N · 78° 56.9′ W

Behind the Porvenir pier, three small white houses marked 'Congreso General Guna' hold the Guna Congress office and Panama Immigration side by side; this is where boats pay the comarca cruising fee and, if arriving from abroad, get their passports stamped.

Belize Barrier Reef

Practical

Coordinate is Gaigirgordub island (Wikipedia/GeoHack); offices are behind the public jetty. Guna Congreso fee: cruiser reports give $20 per boat per month plus $20 per adult per month (Noonsite/San Blas Cruisers list 2018; SY Moya Feb 2018, children free); Noonsite's March 2025 Porvenir page instead says the Congreso charges $90 for entry to the San Blas, so expect the amount to vary and verify locally. Pay in cash USD (no ATM anywhere in Guna Yala); keep the receipt, as officials visit anchorages and other islands ask to see it. Do NOT confuse the Guna stamp with the Immigration stamp: the Congreso should not stamp passports, and boats that skipped Immigration have been fined for illegal entry ($1,000 per crew member, Noonsite). Immigration entry is mandatory within 72 hours of arriving in Panamanian waters. There is no Port Captain in Porvenir, so the Panama cruising permit and international zarpe must be obtained at Linton Bay (Puerto Lindo), Colón/Shelter Bay or Portobelo. All crew present in person; bring passports, crew-list copies and your last zarpe (make copies beforehand). Departure fees reported March 2025: $4.20 plus $1.50 clearance, $20 overtime on weekends/holidays. Beware locals posing as agents. Little or no English spoken.

Best for

Paying the Guna cruising fee and stamping into Panama on arrival from the east

Season

Offices closed at times during Guna–government disputes (2016, June 2025); check before relying on them

Nearby