Nicaragua work permit and worker residence

Article 16 of Law 761, as reworded by Law 1228 (La Gaceta No. 222, 29 November 2024), says that people of other nationalities who enter Nicaragua for work must request from the DGME a migration status with the right to work, for a period of three to twelve months that can be extended, meeting the requirements of the regulation; they may also apply to change their migration category. Work (trabajo) and cross-border work (trabajador transfronterizo) appear among the fifteen non-resident subcategories of article 15.

Article 12 states that non-residents may not carry out paid activities on their own account or as employees unless the Ministry of the Interior has authorised them in special circumstances, such as artists, athletes, members of public shows, temporary workers and business people. For migrant workers, the authorisation is granted in consultation with the Ministry of Labour.

For longer employment, temporary residence under article 25 includes the subcategories of scientists, professionals, technicians and specialised staff; economic agents, entrepreneurs, directors, managers and administrative or operational company staff; and self-employed or employed workers. Temporary residence lasts from three months to one year and is renewable. For nationals who need a consulted visa, article 101 lists a consulted resident visa for professionals, which only the DGME can authorise.

Retirees and rentistas who hold residence need a separate permit to engage in paid activities. Workers of companies in the free-zone regime and their dependants, endorsed by the national free-zone commission, are exempt from the guarantee deposit that other residents must lodge.

Under article 122 as amended in 2024, authorisation for a non-resident to work, for a maximum of one year, costs CA$25 per month. Annual temporary residence costs CA$100 for employed or self-employed workers (subcategory 6) and CA$200 for other subcategories such as professionals and company staff. The permit that allows a retiree or rentista resident to take paid work costs CA$200. Amounts are in Central American pesos and are paid in córdobas at the Central Bank's official rate.

Article 151 obliges public and private employers who hire foreigners to require a valid residence card with work authorisation or a work permit issued by the DGME, to include the worker in the payroll, to report the hiring to the DGME within five working days with the worker's names, nationality, position, income, contract term and address, to keep an updated list of foreign workers, and to report the end of employment within five working days. Under article 152 workplaces must allow immediate migration inspections and supply information on foreign staff when requested.

Paid work without authorisation is one of the grounds on which the DGME can revoke a foreigner's stay or residence (article 38).

Dependent relatives of temporary residents, up to the second degree of consanguinity and first degree of affinity, form their own temporary residence subcategory (subcategory 13), with an annual fee of CA$100.