ONPAR Asks More Than 3,000 Asylum Seekers to Update Their Documents

Panama’s National Office for Refugee Assistance, known as ONPAR, is calling on more than 3,000 asylum seekers to replace old printed certificates and travel documents with official identification cards.

The documents, issued between 2018 and 2020, will no longer be recognized by security authorities or the National Migration Service, ONPAR director Tania Lam said. The agency has opened card distribution for people who have already completed the process.

About 2,700 people currently hold recognized refugee status in Panama. Nearly 3,000 others began their applications in earlier years but have not yet collected their identification documents. ONPAR asked them to visit its offices at the Condado Business Center, near the entrance to Condado del Rey on Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro, also known as Tumba Muerto.

Lam warned that the old printed certificates will have no legal validity during checks by National Police officers as people travel through the country. Panama receives asylum applications from more than 10 nationalities, including people from Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Ukraine, Russia and Afghanistan.

ONPAR is also conducting training for refugees and institutions, including the National Police and the Ombudsman’s Office. The sessions are expected to expand to banks. The agency said the training aims to help institutions understand refugees’ rights in education, health, employment, livelihoods and social protection. People can contact ONPAR by email, WhatsApp or its official social media accounts to update files or ask about their applications.