# Visa policy of Nicaragua

Visitors to Nicaragua must obtain a visa from one of the Nicaraguan diplomatic missions, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries that can obtain a visa on arrival. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

## Visa exemption

Holders of passports of the following jurisdictions can visit Nicaragua without a visa for up to 90 days (unless otherwise noted). All visitors must hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay and documents required for next destination. Extension of stay is possible for additional 30 days for a fee.
| Abkhazia  Andorra  Antigua and Barbuda  Argentina  Australia  Bahamas  Bahrain  Barbados  Belarus  Belize  Brazil  Brunei  Canada  Chile  Costa Rica  Cuba  Ecuador | El Salvador$^{ID}$  Fiji  Guatemala$^{ID}$  Honduras$^{ID}$  Hong Kong  Iceland  Israel  Japan  Kazakhstan$^1$  Kuwait  Liechtenstein  Macao  Madagascar  Malaysia  Marshall Islands  Mexico  Monaco | New Zealand  North Macedonia  Norway  Palestine  Panama  Paraguay  Qatar  Russia  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  San Marino  São Tomé and Príncipe  Saudi Arabia  Singapore  Solomon Islands  South Africa | South Korea  South Ossetia  Switzerland  Taiwan  Trinidad and Tobago  Turkey  Tuvalu  Ukraine  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States  Uruguay  Vanuatu  Vatican City |
$_{ID-MayalsoenterwithanIDcardifcomefromacountrythatispartoftheCA-4Agreement.}$ $_{1-30days}$
Date of visa changes :
A visa is not required for a maximum stay of 90 days within 180 days for valid visa holders or residents of Canada, the European Union member states, or the United States. This does not apply to nationals of China and Iran.
Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports of Bolivia, Colombia, China, Dominica, Egypt, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan (30 days), Kenya, Malaysia, Montenegro, Morocco, Papua New Guinea (30 days), Peru, Philippines, Serbia (30 days), Singapore, Suriname and Thailand do not require a visa for a maximum stay of 90 days (unless otherwise stated).

## Visa on arrival

Citizens of the following countries and territories can visit Nicaragua by obtaining a visa on arrival up to 90 days:
| Angola  Algeria  Azerbaijan  Benin  Bhutan  Bolivia  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cambodia  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Colombia  Comoros  Cote d'Ivoire  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Djibouti  Egypt | Equatorial Guinea  Eswatini  Ethiopia  Gabon  Gambia  Georgia  Ghana  Grenada  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana  India  Indonesia  Jamaica  Jordan  Kiribati  Kyrgyzstan  Lesotho  Malawi | Maldives  Mauritania  Mauritius  Micronesia  Moldova  Montenegro  Morocco  Mozambique  Myanmar  Namibia  Nauru  Niger  North Korea  Oman  Palau  Papua New Guinea  Peru  Philippines  Rwanda | Samoa  Senegal  Serbia  Seychelles  Suriname  Tajikistan  Tanzania  Thailand  Togo  Tonga  Tunisia  Turkmenistan  Uganda  Uzbekistan  Zambia  Zimbabwe |

### Substitute visas

Nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, and Yemen or ordinary passport holders issued by Cameroon, Haiti, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Vietnam are granted a visa on arrival for US$50 provided the passport contains a credible US, Canada or Schengen visa.

## Transit

Transit without a visa is allowed for travellers who normally require a visa but are transiting within 24 hours and hold onward tickets. This does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cameroon, China, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Haiti, India, Iraq, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and Yemen.

## Tourist card

Nationals from all visa-exempt countries are required to obtain a tourist card (US$10) on arrival. Exempt are the citizens of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as holders of diplomatic, official, service or special passports issued to any country.

## Central America-4 Border Control Agreement

The Central America-4 Border Control Agreement is a treaty between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. A visa issued by one of the four countries is honored by all four of the countries. The time period for the visa, however, applies to the total time spent in any of the four countries without leaving the CA-4 area.

## Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Nicaragua were from the following countries of nationality:
| Country | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Honduras | 276,767 | 263,927 | 273,015 |
| United States | 275,406 | 267,320 | 243,039 |
| Costa Rica | 167,448 | 146,071 | 163,758 |
| El Salvador | 155,701 | 143,303 | 150,963 |
| Guatemala | 90,296 | 85,283 | 94,957 |
| Canada | 35,260 | 39,370 | 33,832 |
| Panama | 22,223 | 24,553 | 24,676 |
| Mexico | 19,030 | 15,666 | 14,947 |
| Germany | 17,392 | 16,155 | 13,936 |
| United Kingdom | 14,737 | 15,596 | 10,604 |
| Total | 1,386,481 | 1,329,663 | 1,229,410 |