Panama E-Scooter Laws: Legal Under Decree 206, Helmet Required (2026)

This article is general information about e-scooter rules in Panama and is not legal advice. Because the full text of Decreto Ejecutivo 206 was not available for direct review, anyone with a specific legal question should confirm current requirements with the ATTT directly. Information last verified on 23 July 2026.

Are e-scooters legal in Panama?

Yes, at a national level, with confirmation resting on the transit authority's own statements rather than a direct reading of the full decree text. Panama's Decreto Ejecutivo No. 206, signed 30 April 2021 under the authority of Ley 74 de 2017, regulates non-motorized and personal mobility forms of transport. Article 25 of that decree addresses "vehiculos de movilidad personal," personal mobility vehicles, and both the ATTT's official Facebook page and its official X account describe that category as expressly including "patines electricos, scooters y otros" (electric scooters, kick scooters, and others), along with skateboards and unicycles. Both channels also state that a safety helmet is mandatory when using this category of device.

A gazette index maintained by vLex Panama independently confirms that the Gaceta Oficial of 30 April 2021 contains a Decreto Ejecutivo No. 206 titled to regulate non-motorized forms of mobility under Ley 74 de 2017, matching the decree number, date, and enabling law that ATTT's own posts cite. That corroborates the decree's existence and general subject matter, though it is an index of the gazette issue, not the decree's full text.

What has not been confirmed is the complete text of article 25 or the decree beyond it, including whether there is a minimum age, a specific where-you-can-ride restriction, or a registration or insurance requirement. Everything beyond the helmet mandate and the device category rests on ATTT's own social media summaries rather than a direct reading of the gazette text itself, which could not be retrieved during research for this article.

Rider rules

The one rule confirmed across multiple ATTT channels is mandatory helmet use for anyone riding a personal mobility vehicle. ATTT posts have also cited figures of one rider per device, a maximum weight of 50 kg, and a maximum speed of 30 km/h, though whether those figures appear directly in article 25's text or are ATTT's own paraphrase of it was not confirmed. No age minimum, licensing, or insurance requirement was found in any source reviewed for this article.

Panama's 2025 traffic regulation does not cover this

Panama's separate general traffic regulation, updated in 2025, defines "patineta" only as a board-on-four-wheels device, essentially a manual skateboard, with no reference to an electric or motorized version. That regulation is a distinct instrument from Decreto 206 and does not conflict with or replace it. It simply does not address personal mobility vehicles at all, which means Decreto 206 remains the operative rule for e-scooters.

Enforcement in practice

No news coverage of citations, seizures, or enforcement sweeps targeting e-scooter riders in Panama was found during research for this article. The mandatory helmet rule is the one requirement ATTT has repeatedly and publicly emphasized, which suggests it is the rule authorities most actively want riders to know about, but that emphasis is not itself evidence of active roadside enforcement one way or the other.

For how Panama's position compares with other countries, see the world e-scooter laws guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are e-scooters legal in Panama?

Yes, Panama's Decreto Ejecutivo No. 206 (2021) regulates e-scooters as part of a personal mobility vehicle category, confirmed through the ATTT's own official channels. The decree's full text was not directly reviewed for this article, so treat the confirmed detail as what ATTT itself has publicly stated, not a complete reading of every article.

Is a helmet required to ride an e-scooter in Panama?

Yes. A safety helmet is mandatory for anyone using a personal mobility vehicle, including electric scooters, per ATTT's own official statements.

Is there a weight or speed limit for e-scooters in Panama?

ATTT-cited figures put personal mobility vehicles at up to 50 kg and a maximum speed of 30 km/h with one rider, though whether those specific figures come directly from Decreto 206's article 25 text or from ATTT's own summary of it was not confirmed for this article.

Is there a minimum age to ride an e-scooter in Panama?

No minimum age requirement was found in any source reviewed for this article.

Does Panama's general traffic regulation apply to e-scooters?

No. Panama's 2025 general traffic regulation defines "patineta" only as a non-motorized, board-on-four-wheels device and does not address electric or personal mobility vehicles at all. Decreto Ejecutivo 206 is the separate instrument that covers e-scooters.