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 policy map

Visa exemption

Holders of passports of the following 92 jurisdictions can visit Nicaragua without a visa for up to 90 days :
Date of visa changes

  • 1 May 1987: Finland
  • 19 March 2009: Russia
  • 1 April 2009: Ukraine
  • 31 October 2018: Venezuela
Cancelled:
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, Cuba, and Iran.
Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports of Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Montenegro, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Suriname and Thailand do not require a visa.

Visa on arrival

Citizens of the following 73 countries and territories can visit Nicaragua by obtaining a visa on arrival:

Substitude 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 valid 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 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.

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Nicaragua were from the following countries of nationality:
Country201520142013
276,767263,927273,015
275,406267,320243,039
167,448146,071163,758
155,701143,303150,963
90,29685,28394,957
35,26039,37033,832
22,22324,55324,676
19,03015,66614,947
17,39216,15513,936
14,73715,59610,604
Total1,386,4811,329,6631,229,410