Nicaragua tourist visa and entry requirements

INTUR's page on migration requirements, updated in October 2026, explains that Nicaragua's migration rules set different categories by nationality. Its free-visa list includes, for example, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica, while a separate list names the countries that need a consulted visa (Category C), such as Afghanistan, Cuba and ordinary passport holders of China, India, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela, with reciprocity conditions for Colombia. The page links to the Ministry of the Interior's procedure for entry visas and advises travellers to check the rules for their country before travelling.

The Ministry of the Interior's migration pages could not be retrieved for this guide, so the information here relies on INTUR's summary. Travellers on passports other than ordinary ones should check with a Nicaraguan consulate.

Under Ministerial Resolution 341-2025 of the Ministry of Health, travellers coming from a country with yellow fever transmission risk on the WHO list, if fewer than six days have passed since they left it, must present the original international yellow fever vaccination certificate, on paper or digitally. Travellers only in transit through risk countries, and those transiting Panama City within 24 hours, are exempt.

Children under nine months, people over 60, pregnant or breastfeeding women and people with egg allergy or weakened immunity are also exempt if they carry a medical certificate from their home country's health ministry. The list includes several South American countries and most African countries.

INTUR lists a passport valid for at least six months, the mandatory electronic migration form completed before arrival, and a USD 10 tourist card fee for travellers whose nationality is not covered by the CA-4 agreement between Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Everyone else pays the tourist card fee.

High-end electronic equipment, drones and professional photographic equipment are not allowed in and may be held and returned on departure; INTUR recommends declaring that you are not carrying such items to avoid retention.

Under Law 761 a visitor is admitted for the stay that corresponds to the migration category, and can ask the DGME for an extension before that stay ends; overstaying leads to a fine and deportation (article 109). Since the November 2024 reform an extension of one to thirty days costs CA$25, and an overstaying non-resident pays a fine of CA$3 per day plus a CA$10 exit visa. Travellers in transit may stay at most five days, and the transit visa for nationals who need one costs CA$25.

Under article 107, every foreigner must enter through an authorised border post, present a passport valid for more than six months, carry the entry visa if one is required and complete the migration formalities. Article 113, as amended in 2024, lists grounds for refusing entry at the border, including inconsistent information, failure to show economic means to stay and leave, and taking part in national politics; such refusals are not open to appeal.

INTUR asks visitors to confirm the requirements for their own country before travelling, because entry rules depend on nationality. For longer stays, see this guide's pages on temporary residence, work, family residence, permanent residence and refugee status, which are based on Law 761 as amended in November 2024 and on Law 655.