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Entering the country

INTUR specifies at least six months of validity when entering with a passport. Foreign travel advisories address their own travellers: the United Kingdom and Spain count from arrival; Canada, for a regular Canadian passport, from planned departure. Check the requirements for your document and with your carrier. INTUR’s list places 69 nationalities under visa exemption and 128 under consulted visa, category C; New Zealand and Iceland appear in the latter group. The rule is not identical for all documents: the list includes ordinary-passport conditions and a reciprocity note for Colombia. Check your nationality, passport type and applicable exceptions in the official list and requirements before travelling. If you need a consulted visa, arrange it before your trip. Official sources describe pre-arrival procedures differently: INTUR lists a mandatory electronic immigration form before arrival, while other advisories distinguish the entry route or purpose of travel. Do not interpret those differences as a tourist exemption. Confirm the procedure for your nationality, entry route and purpose with the Directorate General for Migration and your carrier before departure. INTUR lists a US$10 tourist card for foreign visitors whose nationalities are not covered by CA-4. EAAI publishes a US$44.23 international departure terminal fee included in the ticket; its page dates that rate from May 2016. EAAI lists exemptions, including transit passengers and children under two, as well as other official categories. Check your ticket’s breakdown with the airline. Canada and the United Kingdom describe stays of up to 90 days without a visa for their travellers; immigration authorities decide the permitted stay and record it in the entry stamp. The United Kingdom warns British-citizen passport holders that entry may be refused without an onward ticket. If you need an extension, request it from Migration before your stay expires and check the applicable fee; it is not automatic. Also read CA-4 if you have already stayed in another country covered by the agreement. Nicaragua belongs to CA-4 with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Canada describes a shared stay of up to 90 days for Canadian tourists, set at first entry, with border checks and stamps. This does not remove nationality-specific visa requirements: the United Kingdom warns that its citizens need a visa for Honduras. Do not bring drones: Spain states that entering with them or night-vision binoculars is prohibited; the United Kingdom identifies a ban on drone possession and use under Law 1230, introduced in December 2024. INTUR states that high-end electronics and professional photography equipment may not be brought in and may be held until departure. Possible return of the equipment does not mean it is permitted on entry.

Money

The currency is the córdoba (NIO, C$). According to Canada, US dollars are easy to exchange and Canadian dollars cannot be exchanged; it advises exchanging money only at banks or official exchange offices. Credit cards are usually accepted, but outside the main cities there may be no ATMs. The United Kingdom warns of muggings when changing money on the street, and Spain says amounts over 10,000 US dollars must be declared on entry.

Health and emergencies

The yellow fever certificate requirement depends on origin, transit, age and medical exemptions. The CDC describes an entry requirement for travellers aged one year or older arriving from countries with transmission risk; the CDC does not impose that rule. INTUR lists transit exemptions and, separately, age or medical exemptions requiring a certificate from the origin country’s health ministry. Its thresholds and timing conditions do not fully match the other sources consulted. Before travelling, confirm your case with Nicaraguan authorities and consult a healthcare professional; do not assume an exemption based on age or a stopover. The US CDC has a level 2 notice for a chikungunya outbreak: protect yourself from mosquitoes. It recommends preventive malaria medication in the North and South Caribbean Coast autonomous regions, not in Managua. Outside Managua good medical care is limited, according to Canada. Canada lists these emergency numbers for Nicaragua: police 118, medical assistance 128 and firefighters 115.

Getting around

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua receives international flights. EAAI also lists as domestic airports those of Puerto Cabezas, Bluefields, Corn Island, Ometepe, San Juan de Nicaragua and Costa Esmeralda. This guide does not calculate road routes or travel times and offers no arrival points; the known connections of each destination are in its guide. Border crossings include Peñas Blancas, with Costa Rica, and El Guasaule, El Espino and Las Manos, with Honduras; their opening hours were not confirmed: those read are for public holidays or from unofficial sources. Spain states that travellers entering by land or sea must complete the migration form and send it seven days in advance, and its embassy strongly recommends doing so to avoid border delays that can exceed 24 hours. Ticabus publishes buses from Managua to San José, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and San Salvador, and Transnica to San José (undated pages). Canada warns of theft on public buses and advises against sharing taxis with strangers; Spain, agreeing the fare beforehand, because taxis have no meter. The United Kingdom advises against driving at night: the main highways between cities have no street lighting.

Entry requirements change. Always confirm them on the official immigration website. Directorate General for Migration and Foreign Nationals (DGME)