FAQS ABOUT FORT KOBBE VAULTS PANAMA
ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST COMMON FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BELOW
At Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. / Fort Kobbe International Vaults, we understand that clients may have questions about our private vault storage, precious metals storage, logistics, bonded storage, import/export support and related asset protection services in Panama.
These Frequently Asked Questions are provided for general informational purposes only and are intended to summarize our services and policies.
The information on this page does not constitute legal, tax, financial or investment advice, does not create any contractual, fiduciary, escrow, trustee, stakeholder, third-party custody, agency or similar legal relationship, and does not modify, replace or supersede Fort Kobbe Management, Corp.’s Terms and Conditions, Client Agreements, Storage Agreements or applicable law. In the event of any inconsistency, the executed written agreement between the parties shall prevail.
If you do not find the information you are looking for, please contact us. We are here to assist you and look forward to hearing from you.
1. General Overview
A Safe Deposit Box is a secure rental storage unit for valuables such as gold, silver, jewelry, cash, documents, family heirlooms, and more. At Fort Kobbe Vaults, each box is housed inside our UL2 vault, located in Panama’s Pacifico Free Trade Zone. This offers enhanced privacy, legal advantages, and comprehensive protection.
- Safe Deposit Boxes: Ideal for smaller items, each box includes complimentary coverage of US $10,000 (with the option to increase up to US $250,000). This is often the best choice if you plan to visit Panama in person and want privacy, protection and hands-on access to your valuables.
- Vaulted Storage: Allocated and segregated storage designed for larger holdings of precious metals and offers full insurance based on your asset value. Perfect for international clients who may want to trade, buy, or transport items without physically visiting Panama.
- Yes, certified gemstones can be stored.
- Safe Deposit Boxes are appropriate for private clients; larger collections may be accommodated in allocated vault storage where appropriate.
- Insurance is subject to underwriting.
- Independent laboratory reports may be required.
- Independent appraisals may be required.
- Purchase invoices and provenance documentation should be retained.
2. Insurance and Coverage
Yes. All valuables stored in our fully allocated and fully segregated UL3 vault are fully insured and underwritten by Lloyd’s of London. We also maintain an additional 10% insurance buffer to account for fluctuations in asset values, ensuring comprehensive coverage.A Safe Deposit Box is a secure rental storage unit for valuables such as gold, silver, jewelry, cash, documents, family heirlooms, and more. At Fort Kobbe Vaults, each box is housed inside our UL2 vault, located in Panama’s Pacifico Free Trade Zone. This offers enhanced privacy, legal advantages, and comprehensive protection.
- Complimentary Coverage: Each box includes US $10,000 in coverage as part of the rental.
- Optional Upgrades: You can increase coverage up to US $250,000 per box. For amounts exceeding US $250,000, contact us directly for a customized solution.
- Political Risk Insurance: We also offer a specialized Lloyd’s-backed confiscation insurance at approximately 0.45% p.a. (in addition to the complimentary coverage).
The coverage extends to loss or damage due to theft, natural disasters, and other covered risks outlined in the policy. For any specific queries about coverage details or exclusions, please reach out to us directly.
3. Allowed and Prohibited Items
- Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.)
- Jewelry and high-value personal belongings
- Important documents (birth certificates, residency papers)
- Data backups (hard drives, flash drives)
- Family heirlooms
- Other small valuables that would be difficult or impossible to replace
Items that violate Panamanian law, the Fort Kobbe storage agreement, or that are considered hazardous or illegal—such as explosives, banned substances, or the proceeds of crime—are strictly prohibited.
4. Access and Facility Hours
We are open Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are preferred but not strictly required. Walk-ins are welcome during these hours, although those with appointments will have priority service.
Yes. With at least 24 hours’ notice, we can open the facility anytime for a special opening fee. This ensures you can retrieve your assets whenever you need them—even on weekends or holidays.
Appointments are recommended for faster, smoother service. However, you may access your box during normal business hours without one.
5. Pricing and Cost Structure
Pricing depends on box size, rental term, and insurance needs. Safe deposit box rentals start at competitive rates, and we offer discounts (5–20%) for longer commitments of three years or more. Vaulted storage fees vary by asset volume and insurance requirements. Please contact us for a custom quote.
- Emergency or After-Hours Access: A special opening fee applies.
- Insurance Upgrades: Beyond the complimentary $10,000 coverage, insurance fees scale based on the coverage amount.
- No VAT: We do not apply Value Added Tax to any rental or storage contrac
We believe in transparency and convenience, so there are no fees to open an account with us. Start your secure storage journey today with no initial charges.
6. Security Features
We maintain UL3 and UL2 vaults with biometric access control, if clients request it, and 24/7 onsite and offsite monitoring by three separate security firms. Located just minutes from multiple police stations, government security services and private security offices, our facility benefits from rapid emergency response. Routine third-party audits and underwritten insurance by Lloyd’s of London reinforce the security infrastructure, ensuring top-tier protection for your assets.
- Master Key: Held by Fort Kobbe.
- Client Keys: Two identical keys are provided to you, and only you retain control—Fort Kobbe does not hold nor is able to make copies.
- Safe Deposit Box Access: To access your safe deposit box, a Fort Kobbe representative must be present with the Master Ley, and you must be present with one of your identical Client Keys. Fort Kobbe cannot open the box without your Client Key, and you cannot open the box without the Master Key being present. This ensures the highest level of security and privacy for both parties.
7. Shipping and Logistics
Absolutely. We specialize in secure, insured shipping solutions through trusted global partners. Because we operate within the Panama Pacifico Free Trade Zone, your assets can arrive bonded and without public disclosure. Contact us to arrange seamless transportation and customs handling.
8. International Access and Remote Management
- Vaulted Storage:
Yes. You may provide written instructions to release, transfer, transport, or ship assets that you already own and have stored with us, subject to account verification, compliance review, contractual requirements, customs requirements, and applicable law.
- Safe Deposit Boxes: Physical access is required, but you may grant a proxy or authorized individual access under specific conditions.
9. Customs, Tax and Operational Considerations
Bonded storage allows eligible goods to be stored within our bonded facility under the applicable Panamanian customs regime. Import duties and applicable taxes are deferred while the assets remain under customs control and become payable only if and when the assets are legally imported (nationalized) into the Republic of Panama, in accordance with applicable customs laws and regulations. Depending on the client’s circumstances and the intended use of the assets, bonded storage may also provide customs, logistics, and operational advantages. Fort Kobbe submits the reports required by Panamanian Customs in accordance with applicable law while maintaining client confidentiality to the fullest extent permitted by law.
No.
Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. is committed to protecting the confidentiality of its clients and does not disclose client information except where required or permitted by applicable law, regulation, lawful court order, competent governmental authority, contractual obligation, customs procedures, regulatory compliance requirements, or with the client’s authorization.
With respect to bonded assets held under customs control, Fort Kobbe submits the reports required by Panamanian Customs in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. These reports consist of inventory information relating to bonded assets and are not intended to disclose client identities except to the extent required by applicable law or a lawful request from a competent authority.
Assets that have been legally imported into the Republic of Panama (nationalized), and for which all applicable duties, taxes, and import requirements have been satisfied, are generally not subject to the periodic bonded inventory reporting requirements applicable to assets remaining under customs control. Such assets are handled in accordance with the applicable legal and regulatory framework governing nationalized goods.
No.
Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. does not provide legal, tax, accounting, investment, financial, customs, regulatory, or estate planning advice.
While we are pleased to explain how our storage services, bonded warehouse operations, logistics processes, and applicable customs procedures operate, we do not advise clients on how they should structure their personal affairs, investments, ownership arrangements, tax obligations, estate planning, or legal matters.
Clients should consult their own qualified legal, tax, accounting, customs, financial, or other professional advisers regarding the legal, tax, regulatory, financial, and commercial consequences of purchasing, owning, storing, transporting, importing, exporting, or otherwise dealing with any assets.
10. Estate Planning and Key Management
If you have designated a co-signer or authorized user in your contract, they can access the box according to your instructions. Otherwise, legal processes such as probate apply. Once an executor is appointed and relevant documentation is provided (death certificate, grant of probate), the box may be opened for valuation and eventual distribution of assets.
11. Precious Metals Purchasing
Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. does not buy, sell, broker, negotiate, arrange, facilitate, host, witness, or otherwise participate in transactions between buyers and sellers of precious metals or any other assets.
Clients are free to purchase precious metals from any reputable supplier, dealer, refinery, or distributor of their choosing anywhere in the world, subject to Fort Kobbe’s acceptance procedures, applicable laws, customs requirements, and our compliance policies.
For the convenience of our clients, Fort Kobbe maintains a list of independent companies on our Partners page that we are familiar with and are pleased to recommend based on our experience with their professionalism, product quality, regulatory compliance, and international logistics capabilities. These recommendations are provided solely as a convenience and should not be interpreted as Fort Kobbe acting as a broker, dealer, intermediary, agent, representative, or participant in any transaction.
Fort Kobbe’s role begins only after the client has independently acquired lawful ownership of the assets and those assets have been accepted for storage in accordance with our compliance procedures and storage agreement.
12. Transactions, Third Parties and Private Meetings
No.
Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. does not permit its premises to be used for the purchase, sale, exchange, transfer, settlement, negotiation, or completion of transactions involving cash, precious metals, cryptocurrencies, securities, collectibles, or any other assets between private parties.
Our facilities are dedicated exclusively to secure vault storage and services directly related to that storage relationship.
No.
Becoming a Fort Kobbe client does not authorize the use of our premises as a marketplace, trading venue, settlement location, exchange facility, or meeting place for private commercial transactions.
Access to our facilities is provided solely for purposes directly related to our storage services and subject to our operating policies.
No.
Meeting and conference rooms are made available only for purposes directly related to a client’s relationship with Fort Kobbe.
They may not be used to negotiate, facilitate, complete, witness, document, settle, or otherwise participate in the purchase, sale, exchange, transfer, or settlement of assets between private parties.
Fort Kobbe reserves the right to refuse or terminate any meeting that, in its sole discretion, appears inconsistent with these policies.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not provide its premises as a secure meeting location for private commercial transactions.
We do not host meetings intended to negotiate, facilitate, or complete purchases, sales, exchanges, settlements, investments, or similar commercial arrangements between private parties.
No.
Fort Kobbe’s Know Your Client (KYC), customer due diligence, and compliance procedures are performed solely to satisfy our own legal, regulatory, compliance, and operational obligations.
They are not performed for the benefit of third parties and may not be relied upon as verification, certification, endorsement, or validation of any person participating in a private transaction.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not, under any circumstances what-so-ever, provide cash-counting equipment, banknote verification, counterfeit detection, authentication services, or similar facilities for private transactions conducted by clients or third parties.
No.
Because private transactions are not permitted on our premises, Fort Kobbe does not provide security personnel to supervise, witness, monitor, participate in, or otherwise facilitate such activities.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not rent or make available meeting rooms, conference rooms, or any other part of its facilities for the purpose of conducting purchases, sales, exchanges, settlements, negotiations, or similar commercial transactions involving assets.
Accordingly, no pricing or rental option exists for such use.
No.
Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. is not a broker, dealer, exchange, marketplace, trading platform, intermediary, finder, or matching service.
We do not introduce buyers and sellers, negotiate transactions, arrange commercial agreements, or participate in the purchase or sale of assets.
No.
Fort Kobbe is not a party to private transactions and does not witness, certify, notarize, authenticate, endorse, guarantee, approve, validate, or otherwise participate in agreements or transfers between private parties.
Any transaction undertaken by clients outside the scope of Fort Kobbe’s storage services is entirely independent of Fort Kobbe.
No. Never.
Fort Kobbe does not provide escrow, temporary custody, stakeholder, fiduciary, trustee, collateral holding, security agent, intermediary, neutral custodian, or third-party holding services under any circumstances.
For additional information, please refer to our Third-Party Custody Policy below.
13. Why Panama and Fort Kobbe Vaults?
Panama’s Free Trade Zone offers exceptional tax exemptions and privacy benefits. Operating on the U.S. dollar, the country provides stability and robust infrastructure, aided by international support for the Panama Canal. This translates into greater economic and political resilience.
- Strategic Location: Closer to North America while still providing global reach.
- Flexibility: Onsite and remote vault services, multiple payment methods, and customizable insurance options.
- Discretion and Privacy: Minimal reporting requirements and unregulated status mean enhanced confidentiality.
- State-of-the-Art Security: UL2 and UL3 vaults, 24/7 monitoring, biometric access.
- Tax and Legal Advantages: Bonded, duty-free storage in the Free Trade Zone.
By combining Panama’s stability with its fully insured UL3 vault, UL2 Safe Deposit Box Vault and tailored services, Fort Kobbe Vaults offers an unmatched blend of security, privacy, and convenience.
15. Legal Entities and Account Opening
- Contact: Email us at info@fkmpa.com or complete the contact form here to discuss your needs or request a quote.
- Documentation: You’ll need to complete KYC/AML requirements, provide two forms of ID, and fill out our rental agreement.
- Setup: Upon approval, you can begin using your safe deposit box or vaulted storage.
15. Legal Entities and Account Opening
Fort Kobbe Vaults welcomes a variety of legal entities to open accounts, including:
- Individuals
- Corporations
- Trusts
- Foundations
- Other Legal Entities
If your entity type is not listed above, please contact us directly. We are happy to discuss custom arrangements and review any additional types of entities for eligibility.
16. Third-Party Custody Policy
No.
Fort Kobbe International Vaults does not offer third-party custody services under any circumstances.
All assets stored within our facility remain under the ownership and control of the client or the client’s legally authorized entity. We do not act as trustee, custodian, escrow agent, fiduciary, nominee, investment manager, or beneficial owner of any client assets.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not accept assets where ownership, beneficial ownership, or control is transferred to us.
The owner of the assets, or a properly authorized legal representative, must remain the party with legal ownership and control at all times.
No.
Fort Kobbe will not act as the legal custodian of any client’s assets.
Our business is the secure storage of client property—not legal custody.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not provide escrow services.
We are not licensed or engaged to hold assets pending the completion of transactions, legal disputes, sales, or contractual obligations.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not act as trustee for any individual, trust, corporation, partnership, foundation, estate, or any other legal entity.
No.
Ownership never transfers to Fort Kobbe.
Your assets remain your property throughout the entire storage period.
No.
Fort Kobbe never becomes the owner, beneficial owner, or registered owner of client assets simply because they are stored within our facility.
No.
We are not a fiduciary service provider.
Clients should obtain independent legal, trust, fiduciary, estate planning, or financial advice from appropriately licensed professionals.
No.
We do not provide inheritance, estate administration, succession planning, or beneficiary custody services.
Clients wishing to structure ownership should consult their attorney or trust professional.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not provide estate custody, succession custody, or death-triggered asset release services.
Any transfer of ownership must occur through the appropriate legal process outside of Fort Kobbe.
Only where that person has been properly authorized under the applicable account documentation and all legal and contractual requirements have been satisfied.
This does not constitute third-party custody.
Yes.
Assets may be stored for legally established entities provided all required ownership, authorization, KYC, AML, and account documentation has been completed.
The legal entity—not Fort Kobbe—remains the owner of the assets at all times.
No.
Fort Kobbe does not manage investments, securities, portfolios, or financial products.
We provide secure physical storage only.
No.
We do not buy, sell, trade, pledge, lend, invest, hypothecate, rehypothecate,or otherwise manage client assets.
Clients retain complete ownership and responsibility for their property.
No.
We are a secure storage provider, not an asset manager or investment adviser.
No.
Client assets remain segregated and allocated to the client and are never used for Fort Kobbe’s own business purposes.
No.
Fort Kobbe never lends, leases, rehypothecates, pledges, or otherwise utilizes client assets.
No.
Only the legal owner or their properly authorized representatives may transfer ownership.
Fort Kobbe has no authority to transfer title to client property.
No.
Every storage relationship must comply with our Know Your Client (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and applicable legal requirements.
No.
Third-party custody services fall outside the scope of Fort Kobbe’s business.
Clients requiring custodial, fiduciary, trustee, escrow, or similar services should consult appropriately licensed professionals.
Secure storage means your assets remain your property while being stored in a highly secure facility.
Third-party custody generally involves another party assuming legal custody, fiduciary responsibility, or control over assets.
Fort Kobbe provides secure storage—not third-party custody.
Fort Kobbe International Vaults has a clear and unequivocal policy:
Fort Kobbe does not provide third-party custody services under any circumstances.
Our role is limited to providing secure storage facilities for client-owned assets. Legal ownership, beneficial ownership, and responsibility for those assets remain with the client or the client’s legally authorized entity at all times.
17. If information on this website differs from my signed agreement, which governs?
Your executed written agreement with Fort Kobbe Management, Corp. governs the legal relationship between the parties. The information published on this website, including FAQs, articles, newsletters, brochures and other marketing or informational materials, is provided solely for general informational purposes and does not create contractual obligations, modify, replace or supersede any executed agreement. In the event of any inconsistency, the executed written agreement between the parties shall prevail, subject to applicable law.
Fort Kobbe Vaults: Your Secure Offshore Storage Solution in Panama’s Free Trade Zone
Enjoy world-class security, comprehensive insurance options, discreet service, and the legal advantages of storing your valuables in Panama. Contact us to learn how Fort Kobbe Vaults can help protect what matters most.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
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If you’re contacting Fort Kobbe Vaults outside of business hours or don’t want to speak on the phone, you can reach us 24/7 by email.
We’ll make every attempt to respond to you as soon as possible, but you can depend on a response within 24 hours or less.
Our email address is info@fkmpa.com
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