| It started operations in 1948 and occupies about 600
acres. It is located near the Atlantic Sector Entrance of the Panama Canal. Divided in two
big areas: one located in Colon City, segregated from the city itself by a wall; and the
other relatively new, in the France Field area, which is designated for warehouses
covering 130 acres and at a distance of only 400 yards from the Colon commercial sector. Services
Nowadays there are more than 1400 companies
established in this place, which can count on all the services and facilities offered by
the Free Zone, for importing, storing, assembling, re-packing and re-exporting products
from all over the world: from all types of electric appliances to pharmaceutical products,
liquor, cigarettes, office and home furniture, clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys, etc. It is
considered the "Trading Showcase" of Central and South America as well as
for the Caribbean region.
The Colon free Zone is an important supplier of goods to other free zones such as the
one on San Andres Island (Colombia) and Margarita (Venezuela), and also the Aruba Trade
Center. All that gives the Colon Free Zone the right to be called "The First Free
zone of the Western Hemisphere".
Advantages
The existence of modern seaports with the
most modern facilities, container ports, direct access through the Pan-American Highway,
air access, and trains daily transporting containers from the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean.
Dividends arising from external operations
or from those operations that are executed or consumed abroad are tax-free. There are no
Capital Investment Taxes. Municipal or Local Taxes do not apply to firms operating in the
Free Zone and there are no taxes on shipments to or from the Free Zone from or to anywhere
in the world.
How to establish
- A company can build its own store, warehouse
or industrial plant on lots leased from the Free Zone Administration. A minimum of 60% of
the merchandise has to be exported.
- Lot lease agreements are signed for 20-year
periods and the commercial buildings are leased for one-year renewable periods.
- A representative or agent, whose clients can
be any number of companies, may build a warehouse under the same terms and conditions as
an individual company.
- Any particular company may enter into a
private agreement with a representative or agent who is already established in the Free
Zone, so they can receive, store and distribute its merchandise or product in accordance
with the instructions given by the companies. The ownership title stays with the company
that owns the merchandise. In this case, also 60% will have to be exported.
- 1. Companies or natural persons can rent
spaces in the public warehouses in the Colon Free Zone, at a monthly rate of ˝% on the
F.O.B. value of the stored merchandise.
Official Information
For more details, write to:
Lic. Jorge Fernández
Colon Free Zone General Manager
P.O. Box 1118
Colon, Republic of Panama
Fax: (507) 245-2165
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