Expert 1:1 Care

Individual Therapy for Panama, Priced in Dollars.

Individual therapy in Panama through Grouport connects clients with a licensed therapist for private weekly video sessions that begin right away, without a domestic referral, waitlist, or MINSA queue. Sessions run 45 minutes over a HIPAA-compliant video platform, and pricing is a predictable $103 per session billed monthly at $448, or every other week billed at $224 monthly. For adults in Panama City, Boquete, David, Colon, or an interior province who want consistent one-on-one therapy in English with the same clinician each week, online therapy Panama removes the two frictions that stall most local searches, the concentration of specialists in the capital and the eight-week average wait for a first appointment through public channels.

Greeting

The State of Mental Health in Panama.

Understanding the landscape of mental health care access and the challenges
residents face.

Mental Illness Prevalence

13.6% of Panamanian adults live with a mental health condition each year, reflecting the ongoing need for accessible therapy options.

Wait Time

8 weeks the average wait to secure a first mental health appointment in Panama's public system, an interval during which symptoms often deepen.

Median Household Income

$16,954 median household income in Panama, shaping what households can allocate to private mental health care.

Percentage Who Need Therapy

80.0% of Panamanian adults with a mental health condition do not receive formal specialist treatment.

Provider Shortage

100% of Panama's mental health workforce falls short of what is needed to fully meet population demand for specialist care.

Mental Health Providers per 100k Residents

0.03 per 100,000 mental health workers in Panama, a density that shapes availability, wait times, and access across the country.

Read together, Panama's numbers point clearly toward a one-on-one online model. A mental health workforce of roughly 0.03 per 100,000, concentrated in Panama City, David, and Colon, means individual weekly access to a licensed clinician is genuinely scarce for most of the country's 4.5 million residents, especially the 34 percent living outside the main urban centers and communities in the Ngabe-Bugle, Guna Yala, and Embera-Wounaan comarcas. An eight-week average wait compounds the shortage. Grouport meets that gap directly by pairing each client with the same licensed therapist for private 45 minute video sessions each week at $103, or every other week at delivered in English on HIPAA-compliant video from anywhere in Panama with an internet connection.

UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE

Understanding Mental Health Access in Panama.

The Problem

Panama's mental health system runs on two parallel tracks that rarely meet in the middle. The Caja de Seguro Social (CSS) and the Ministerio de Salud (MINSA) share responsibility for public care, with the Instituto Nacional de Salud Mental in Panama City handling most inpatient and complex outpatient work. On paper, coverage is universal. In practice, the WHO's 0.03 mental health workers per 100,000 residents indicator translates to a national roster so small that Panama's specialist workforce is functionally concentrated in a single metropolitan area, and referrals from smaller provinces enter a queue that resolves in months rather than weeks.

The Impact

With roughly 0.03 mental health workers per 100,000 people, one of the lowest ratios in the Americas, a working adult in Panama who recognizes they need therapy often faces an eight-week wait for a first public appointment, then a commute across Panama City traffic or a domestic flight from an interior province to see a specialist for 45 minutes. Two months of untreated anxiety, low mood, grief, or burnout translates into missed workdays, strained relationships, and the very real risk of dropping the search entirely. Grouport removes that friction by pairing a client with a licensed therapist within days of intake and holding weekly one-on-one sessions from home at $103 per session or $224 per month for every-other-week, so care actually starts when the client is ready.

The Solution

Grouport eases Panama's system pressure by delivering one-on-one therapy directly to the client's device, sidestepping the fragmented handoffs between the Ministry of Health, the Caja de Seguro Social, and private clinics in Panama City. Every client is matched with a single licensed psychologist, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, or PsyD who stays with them for the full course of care, so treatment builds week over week instead of resetting with each new referral. Sessions are private, tailored to what the individual is actually working through, and delivered in English at $103 per session or $224 per month for every-other-week. Individual therapy in Panama through Grouport gives clients continuity, clinical depth, and a predictable schedule the local system cannot always guarantee.

100% of Panama's mental health workforce falls short of what is needed to fully meet population demand for specialist care.

Grouport removes three specific frictions that shape mental health access in Panama. First, the intake queue collapses from roughly eight weeks in the public system to a first session available this week, because matching happens right after a short online intake rather than through a hospital referral chain. Second, the geographic bottleneck around Panama City, David, and Colon disappears, since a licensed clinician reaches Boquete, Coronado, Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui highlands, or any interior province over a stable internet connection at the same $103 per session cost. Third, the search for an English-speaking, credentialed therapist ends immediately for Panama's expatriate, retiree, and remote-worker community, because every Grouport clinician is a licensed U.S. clinician delivering sessions in English on a HIPAA-compliant video platform.

Access and Availability Across Panama.

Panama's formal mental health landscape is layered and uneven. The Ministry of Health operates the Instituto Nacional de Salud Mental in Panama City as the national psychiatric referral hospital, the Caja de Seguro Social covers insured workers through its own network, private hospitals and clinics in Panama City and David serve those who can pay out of pocket, and a small set of NGOs and university counseling programs fill scattered gaps. Corporate employee assistance programs exist for larger multinational employers, but coverage is thin outside the capital. Grouport fits the missing slot for Panama, an immediate-start, weekly, one-on-one online therapy option in English, delivered by a licensed clinician over HIPAA-compliant video at $103 per session, without a referral or a public-system waitlist.

Geographic Barriers

Panama's specialist mental health workforce clusters heavily in Panama City, with a secondary presence in David and Colon, leaving most of the country underserved. Residents of Chiriqui highlands, Bocas del Toro, the Azuero Peninsula, Darien, the Caribbean coast, and the Ngabe-Bugle, Guna Yala, and Embera-Wounaan comarcas often face hours of road travel, a ferry, or a domestic flight to reach a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist for a single 45-minute appointment. Grouport dissolves that geography by delivering individual therapy over video, so a client in Boquete, Bocas Town, Santiago, Chitre, or a remote comarca community with internet access sees the same licensed therapist each week for the same $103 per session as a client in Costa del Este.

Extended Wait Times

Public mental health referrals in Panama typically run about eight weeks from first contact to an initial specialist appointment, and private clinics in Panama City can quote similar timelines when demand is high or the client needs an English-speaking clinician. Instead of waiting roughly two months while symptoms of anxiety, depression, panic, OCD, trauma, grief, or chronic stress harden, a Grouport client completes a short online intake and is matched with a licensed therapist right away, with the first weekly video session usually held within days at $103 per session or $224 per month for every-other-week. The clinical clock starts when the client is ready, not when the local queue clears.

Systemic Challenges

Panama's mental health system carries structural constraints that a single clinic cannot solve. WHO figures put the mental health workforce at roughly 0.03 workers per 100,000 people, one of the lowest ratios in the Americas region, and mental health receives a small share of the overall health budget. Private outpatient coverage in Panama typically limits psychology or psychiatry visits to a handful per year, with extended therapy paid out of pocket. Stigma around seeking care persists in many communities. Grouport works around these constraints by providing licensed clinicians outside the domestic workforce, weekly HIPAA-compliant video sessions delivered privately from home, and transparent $103 per session or $224 per month for every-other-week pricing that does not depend on local formulary caps or a public referral.

Urban-Rural Divide

Roughly 34 percent of Panamanians live outside the country's main urban centers, and the gap in specialist mental health access between Panama City neighborhoods like San Francisco or Costa del Este and communities in Darien, the Azuero Peninsula, or the Ngabe-Bugle, Guna Yala, and Embera-Wounaan comarcas is stark. Even within the metro area, commuting from La Chorrera or Panama Este to a specialist in Punta Pacifica can absorb an entire evening. Grouport equalizes access by delivering the same licensed one-on-one therapy over the same HIPAA-compliant video platform at the same $103 per session to a client in Bella Vista, a retiree in Boquete, a teacher in Santiago, or a rural resident with a mobile hotspot.

Grouport is built for Panama clients who want serious weekly one-on-one therapy without the wait, the commute, or the search for an English-speaking licensed clinician. Every therapist is a licensed U.S. clinician, every session is 45 minutes on a HIPAA-compliant video platform, and pricing is transparent at $103 per session billed monthly at $448, or every other week billed at $224 monthly, in the same U.S. dollars that circulate alongside the Balboa. Clients are matched right away after a short intake and can start this week, then stay with the same therapist for a full course of care, from an initial six to eight weeks through longer-term work, on a schedule that fits Panama's UTC-5 business hours.

Affordable Individual Therapy Costs for Panama Residents.

Grouport gives Panama residents immediate access to Individual Therapy at $103 per session on average, billed at $448 per month, 50 to 60 percent below the global average of $150 to $250 per session. Every session is a private 45 minute video appointment with the same licensed clinician each week, delivered on a HIPAA-compliant platform in English. The alternative every-other-week track runs at $224 per month, keeping a full course of one-on-one therapy predictable and affordable in the same U.S. dollars that already circulate in Panama.

Affordability and Income

Panama is classified as a high-income country with GNI per capita around $17,950 Atlas method and $39,210 in PPP terms, but private specialist care in Panama City can still absorb a meaningful share of a middle-class household budget once transportation, parking, and repeated out-of-pocket visits are added in. Grouport's $448 monthly subscription for weekly sessions, or $224 monthly for every-other-week, converts one-on-one therapy from an unpredictable per-visit expense into a fixed line item that families can plan around for the six to twelve months a full course of care typically takes, in the same U.S. dollars used every day in Panama.

Hidden Cost and Barriers

In-person therapy in Panama carries costs that rarely show up on the invoice. Commuting across Panama City between neighborhoods like Punta Pacifica, El Cangrejo, and Costa del Este can take 30 to 90 minutes each way in rush-hour traffic, plus taxi or rideshare fees, parking, and lost work hours. Clients outside the capital add domestic bus, ferry, or flight costs. Per-session private billing makes monthly totals hard to forecast, and finding a licensed English-speaking clinician with weekly availability often requires several intake calls. Grouport folds all of this into one predictable monthly subscription in U.S. dollars, $448 for weekly sessions or $224 for every other week, with no travel, no per-visit surprises, and cancel-anytime terms.

Immediate Availability

The eight-week wait typical of public mental health referrals in Panama, and the extended search often required to find an English-speaking licensed specialist in the private sector, mean that many clients drift out of the intake process before care ever begins. Grouport shortcuts that timeline by matching clients with a licensed therapist right after a brief online intake, so the first weekly video session is usually held within days at $103 per session or $224 per month for every-other-week. For Panama clients ready to start now, a licensed Grouport therapist is available this week.

How it Works

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Personalized match

We’ll get in touch with you to get brief context to make sure we match you with the therapist that best fits your needs & schedule. (Typically match in 24-72 hours)

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Meet weekly with a licensed mental health professional for 45-minute video sessions. With consistent online therapy services, you can start seeing meaningful results.

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Mental Health Conditions We Treat in

Panama

Beyond individual therapy, Grouport offers licensed therapists who specialize across the full spectrum of mental health needs and evidence-based approaches. Whatever you're looking for, we have a therapist for your needs.

Meaningful Results

Check out how our online therapy services have helped our members see life-changing results

Stephanie

“Grouport is time flexible and affordable and if it didn’t exist, I don’t know where I would go. I had looked into other places before Grouport and there really wasn’t any option like it.”

Michael

“I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling with anxiety or depression. The therapists are top notch and have made me feel really comfortable and my anxiety has improved tremendously in only a few sessions!”

Isabel

"I joined Grouport to work on myself and to heal. I’m learning so much at every session! The change I see not only in myself but in my fellow group members is abundantly encouraging and profoundly fulfilling. Group therapy with Grouport is a powerful healing tool."

Sheldon

“I was feeling very down at the end of 2020 and I was ready to do something drastic that I know I'd likely regret. The group definitely helped show me that there are people who feel the same way as I do.”

Nancy

“The therapy from Grouport is high quality and convenient. I am becoming much more self aware and am liking myself more. My relationships at work are better and I’m much happier.”

Emily

“I like the connection you can make with total strangers and the confidentiality it comes with.”

Olivia

“My weekly group helps me get through the week. Best experience ever!”

Danielle

"Grouport can help you with your issues. Their therapists are well trained to work with you on your issues. I felt my anxiety greatly improve after only a few sessions. I highly recommend it!"

Glenn

"Grouport's approach to DBT is a real strength. This approach provides tools and methods for working with difficult emotions and getting a handle on them. It has given me hope where other approaches have failed."

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Meet Our Therapists

Our therapists represent a wide range of clinical specialties & diverse backgrounds. They all undergo the most stringent credentialing process. Grouport therapists are caring, expert mental health professionals with years of experience helping people get the tools they need to see long-lasting change.

Grouport clinicians serving clients in Panama are licensed psychologists, LCSWs, LMHCs, LMFTs, LPCs, PsyDs, and PhDs credentialed in the United States and experienced across CBT, DBT, ACT, psychodynamic, and trauma-informed approaches. Sessions are conducted in English, and therapists routinely work with a global caseload of expatriates, remote professionals, bicultural clients, and international students, so cultural context is met with clinical rigor rather than assumption. Every clinician holds an active state license, carries appropriate malpractice coverage, and follows Grouport's ethical and clinical standards. All sessions are HIPAA-compliant and fully confidential.

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Affordable Individual Therapy & Care Options in Panama.

Group, individual, couples, family, IOP, and teen therapy — all online, all therapist-led. Mix and match care options to fit your needs — and get discounted pricing when you bundle.

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Individual Therapy

$112/session
billed at $448/month

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Group Therapy

$35/session
billed at $140/month

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Partnership

Couples Therapy

$123/session
billed at $492/month

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Family Therapy

$160/session
billed at $640/month

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IOP Therapy

$337/week
billed at $1,348/month

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Teen Therapy

$112/session
billed at $448/month

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Common Questions About Individual Therapy in Panama.

What therapy approaches do you use?

Grouport therapists use evidence-based mental health treatments, proven effective through research, including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression, and negative thought patterns; Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotion regulation and distress tolerance which is helpful for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Bipolar Disorder, Anger Management & more; Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, Gottman Method for couples and families; trauma-focused approaches like EMDR and CPT; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Solution-Focused Brief Therapy; and attachment-based approaches. We will present to you therapist options who specialize in the needs that are relevant for you. Your therapist will discuss their approach and tailor treatment to your specific needs and goals. The combination of research-backed methods and personalized care ensures effective treatment.

Do you treat children or only adults?

Grouport serves teens/adolescents (ages 11+), adults, couples, and families. Our teen therapy program consists of group therapy, individual therapy, and family therapy, or a combination based on what’s appropriate and the level of care your teen needs. So teens often combine group therapy + individual therapy at the level that meets their needs or they do our intensive outpatient program for more acute needs.

Can therapy help with relationship issues?

Yes, therapy is highly effective for relationship issues or for navigating the lack of relationships or desire to build more meaningful relationships. Our couples therapy helps partners improve communication, resolve conflicts, rebuild trust, navigate life transitions, and strengthen their connection. Family therapy addresses parent-child conflicts, sibling issues, blended family challenges, and communication breakdowns. Even individual therapy can significantly improve relationships by helping you understand patterns, set boundaries, communicate effectively, and address personal issues affecting your relationships. Our relationship issues groups, focus on navigating the challenges in relationships, specific relationships you’d like to personally focus on, or navigating the lack of relationships and the desire to strengthen certain relationships. We also provide couples groups where couples can work in a therapist-led group setting with other couples to navigate couples dynamics together. Many clients find that relationship issues improve relatively quickly once they learn and practice new communication skills with therapeutic support.

What if I'm struggling financially and can't afford online individual therapy anymore?

Grouport's online individual therapy is already one of the most affordable therapy options out there at $25 - $35 per session ($448/month), depending on the group you’re in. That's significantly cheaper than almost any other type of therapy out there. Maybe you can use receipts to get out of network insurance reimbursement, or use HSA/FSA funds. When paying quarterly or biannually, you also do receive discounts. While we try to make our services as affordable as possible, we understand that cost is a reality that people face and everyone's financial situation is different. Sometimes taking a planned break with the intention to return when finances improve helps. The goal is supporting your treatment access with what is financially viable for you.

Can online individual therapy replace individual therapy?

For some people, yes. For others, online individual therapy and individual therapy work best together. Depends totally based on what you need. Group gives you connection and perspective while individual gives you focused personal attention. Neither is inherently better, they just serve different purposes. Many people start with online individual therapy at first and add individual therapy later on, or attend group and add individual therapy when specific issues arise. A care coordinator or your therapist can help you determine whether group alone, individual alone, or both best serves your needs and ultimately you can decide that and your needs may adjust over time.

Can individual therapy help me become more assertive?

Group therapy is particularly effective for assertiveness building because you practice in real-time. In group sessions you can practice speaking up, saying what you need, setting boundaries, and disagreeing respectfully. You get immediate feedback and can try again the following session for consistent practice. Real-time practice beats talking about assertiveness in theory. Assertiveness is learned through doing, not just discussing and individual sessions offer a perfect practice environment to build these skills. Skills learned in group transfer to outside relationships and work situations and people often notice how it impacts that rather quickly for the better.

What if my insurance covers individual therapy but not individual therapy?

Group therapy at $25/session - $35/session is likely cheaper than your insurance copay for individual therapy would be anyways. You can submit receipts for out-of-network reimbursement if your plan offers it. The value and cost-effectiveness of individual therapy often exceeds insured individual therapy with copays.

Can therapy help with anxiety or depression?

Anxiety and depression are global mental health conditions. They might manifest differently across cultures, but the core experiences are similar. Therapy provides evidence-based treatment for anxiety and depression that works regardless of where you live. Mental illness is real everywhere.

What if I'm dealing with chronic illness or disability?

Living with chronic illness or disability creates mental health challenges everywhere. Medical systems vary by country, but the emotional impacts like grief, frustration, identity shifts, isolation, are similar. Therapy addresses the mental health side of living with chronic conditions.

What if therapy isn't helping—am I wasting money?

If you've genuinely tried for 12+ sessions and seen zero improvement, it may be a sign that you need a different therapist. Perhaps you need a different approach or different modality. Perhaps you need greater intensiveness combining multiple types of therapy like individual therapy and group therapy, or you need a comprehensive treatment plan that tackles different parts of your symptoms or diagnoses. Before concluding therapy isn't helping, ask yourself. Have you been consistent? Are you practicing skills outside sessions? Have you been honest with your therapist? How does the therapist fit feel? What do you feel like is missing from your care? Discuss lack of progress with your therapist and these different things and they might adjust the approach to better suit your needs. Usually there is a way to get things on a better track whether that's the current therapist adjusting the approach, switching therapists, or adding more sessions or types of care so that your treatment plan is fully addressing everything you need. With therapy overtime and consistent practice you should see progress over time.

Can I pay Grouport's $103 per session from Panama City using a local Visa or Mastercard tied to a balboa account?

Yes. Because the balboa is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and Panama's banking system settles in USD, any Visa or Mastercard issued by Banco General, Banistmo, BAC Credomatic, or Global Bank charges the $32 session fee cleanly with no forex spread. Digital wallets such as Nequi Panama and Yappy-linked cards work the same way, and there are no wire transfers or intermediary bank fees. You join weekly video sessions of one-on-one members with a licensed therapist right away on our HIPAA-secure platform.

Are Grouport's weekend individual sessions viable for someone working Canal-zone or Panama City business hours in the UTC-5 zone?

Yes. Panama sits on Eastern Standard Time year-round with no daylight saving shift, so weekend group slots land at the same clock time in Panama City, David, or Boquete as they do on the U.S. East Coast. Saturday morning and Sunday evening groups fit around Canal-zone shifts, banking hours, and expat retiree schedules without odd late-night logins. Weekday evening groups also run in local prime time. You pick a slot, join right away, and meet weekly with one-on-one members and a licensed therapist for $103 per session on our HIPAA-secure platform.

Individual Therapy Available Across Panama.

Regions

Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, Panama Oeste, Veraguas, and the indigenous comarcas of Ngabe-Bugle, Guna Yala, and Embera-Wounaan

Cities

Panama City, San Miguelito, Tocumen, David, Arraijan, La Chorrera, Colon, Santiago de Veraguas, Chitre, Las Tablas, Penonome, Aguadulce, Bocas Town, Almirante, Boquete, Volcan, Coronado, Pedasi

Zip Codes

0801, 0816, 0819, 0820, 0824, 0830, 0850, 0900, 1000

If you have an address in Panama, Grouport can serve you regardless of your zip code.

Online Individual Therapy Available Worldwide

Grouport offers online individual therapy available globally for people in 200+ countries. Find a licensed therapist that fits your needs for weekly one-on-one sessions.

Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
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