Immigration: Nicaragua

General information, not legal advice. Data as of October 14, 2026

Visa line

Nicaragua does not have its own column. If you were born in Nicaragua, you use the rest-of-the-world column ("All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed").

Family (Final Action Date / Date for Filing):

Employment: EB-1 C / C; EB-2 01APR25 / 15MAR26; EB-3 15JUN24 / 01AUG24; other workers 01JUN22 / 01JUL22; EB-4 and religious workers 15DEC22 / 01JAN25, but the part for religious workers who are not ministers expires December 11, 2026 unless Congress extends it.

If you and your spouse immigrate together (cross-chargeability):

• If your spouse was born in a country with a longer line (for example, Mexico in the family categories), your spouse can use the Nicaragua column. For that, you both must get the green card in the same case, as the principal applicant and the accompanying spouse.
• It does not apply if you are already a citizen or resident and you petition for your spouse: in that case, your spouse's country of birth counts.

Nicaragua is not in Proclamation 10998 or 10949 (visa suspension for certain countries). It is also not in the USCIS pause for people from the countries in those proclamations.

Bond for tourist or business visas (B-1/B-2):

• Since April 2, 2026, Nicaragua is on the State Department's list of countries whose citizens must post a bond to get a B-1/B-2 visa.
• If the consular officer decides the person qualifies for the visa, the officer asks for a bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000. The amount is decided at the interview.
• It is paid only when the consular officer says so, with Form I-352, and only on Pay.gov. If it is paid without the officer asking for it, the money is not returned. Paying the bond does not guarantee the visa.
• With that visa, you enter and leave the U.S. only through commercial airports. Charter flights, private aviation, and land or sea crossings are not allowed. If the conditions are met, the bond is canceled and the money is returned.

2026 pause on immigrant visas:

• Starting January 21, 2026, the State Department stopped issuing immigrant visas (the ones requested from outside the U.S. to live here) to people from 75 countries. Nicaragua was on that list. Tourist visas and other nonimmigrant visas were not paused.
• On August 21, 2026, a federal court in New York struck down that pause (case CLINIC v. Rubio). The State Department says that, because of that order, it no longer applies the pause as of that day. It also says that people from those countries may submit their visa application and attend their interview.
• The government appealed. The New York court refused to suspend its order while the appeal is decided. The government asked the court of appeals for the same thing, and that court has not yet ruled (according to the public copy of the court record, updated October 12, 2026).
• This may change. If your relative in Nicaragua is waiting for an immigrant visa, check travel.state.gov before their interview.

Which chart USCIS uses: in November 2026, USCIS says to use the "Dates for Filing" chart for family and employment cases if you apply for a green card inside the U.S. This changes every month.

Careful: a current date does not mean you can apply for a green card inside the country. Talk to a lawyer or accredited representative.

Official sources: State Dept. · Visa Bulletin Nov. 2026 ↗ · State Dept. · B-1/B-2 visa bonds ↗ · State Dept. · 75-country visa pause ↗ · GovInfo · Proclamation 10998 (text) ↗ · Federal Register · Proclamation 10949 ↗ · USCIS · Hold policies and court orders ↗ · USCIS · Visa Bulletin filing charts ↗ · State Dept. · 9 FAM 503.2 ↗

TPS

What happened:

• The U.S. government ended TPS for Nicaragua. The notice was published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2025 (90 FR 30086).
• TPS for Nicaragua ended on September 8, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Nicaragua had TPS since January 5, 1999.
• Today there is no re-registration and no way to apply for TPS for Nicaragua. There is no new notice in the Federal Register.

The court case (National TPS Alliance):

• On December 31, 2025, a federal judge in California canceled the termination of TPS for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua (case 3:25-cv-05687).
• On February 9, 2026, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals put that decision on hold.
• On June 25, 2026, in another TPS case (Mullin v. Doe), the Supreme Court said the law does not let judges review these terminations on claims that are not based on the Constitution. It did not decide what happens with claims based on the Constitution.
• Because of that, on July 14, 2026, the Ninth Circuit canceled the December decision (case 26-199).
• The lawsuit continues in the California court only on one claim based on the Constitution. A hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2027. The date may change, and nothing is necessarily decided that day.
• Today no court order brings back TPS for Nicaragua.

What USCIS says today:

• Its Nicaragua page says that TPS and its benefits ended on September 8, 2025.
• USCIS says TPS Nicaragua work permits (category A12 or C19) stopped being valid on September 8, 2025.

What to do if you had TPS:

• Do not use a TPS work permit that is no longer valid.
• Talk soon with a lawyer or an accredited representative. Check whether you have another immigration path, such as a family petition, an employment petition or asylum.
• If you plan to apply for asylum, check the deadlines. USCIS says that having had TPS can "stop the clock" on the one-year deadline to apply for asylum, if that year had not already run out. But the federal rule (8 CFR 208.4) says you must apply within a reasonable time after TPS ended, and TPS for Nicaragua ended on September 8, 2025: that time may have already passed. Every case is different.
• Do not let other applications or permits you have expire. If you have a case in immigration court, go to all your hearings.
• No one can "renew" or "bring back" TPS for Nicaragua today. If someone promises it to you for money, it is a scam.

Official sources: USCIS · TPS for Nicaragua ↗ · Federal Register · TPS end (90 FR 30086) ↗ · E-Verify · Nicaragua TPS work permits ↗ · Supreme Court · Mullin v. Doe (2026) ↗ · eCFR · 8 CFR 208.4 (asylum deadline) ↗

Parole

What CHNV parole was:

• It let people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, with a sponsor in the U.S., enter with parole for up to 2 years. They could apply for a work permit (category C11). The process for Nicaraguans started in January 2023.

What happened:

• The government ended the program with a Federal Register notice of March 25, 2025 (90 FR 13611).
• The notice said that parole that had not expired would end on April 24, 2025, unless there was a different individual decision. It also said: "DHS intends to revoke parole-based employment authorization."
• A federal court in Massachusetts put parts of the notice on hold in April 2025. The Supreme Court lifted that hold on May 30, 2025. Since then, the government can end that parole and revoke those work permits.
• On September 12, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals canceled the Massachusetts court's order (case 25-1384).
• The notice says DHS would not confirm the sponsorship forms (I-134A) that were still pending. Today no court order brings back that parole.

What to do if you came with CHNV parole:

• Check your USCIS online account (myUSCIS). USCIS says you are told there when your parole and your work permit end.
• The notice says that people who already got another legal status or another basis to stay do not have to leave the country because of that notice.
• Talk soon with a lawyer or an accredited representative. If you have another pending application or a case in immigration court, keep it up to date and go to all your hearings. If you plan to apply for asylum, also ask about the deadlines.
• No one can "renew" or "bring back" CHNV parole today. If someone promises it to you for money, it is a scam.

Official sources: Federal Register · CHNV end (90 FR 13611) ↗ · USCIS · CHNV: Supreme Court stay ↗ · First Circuit · Case 25-1384 (CHNV) ↗ · USCIS · CHNV: Massachusetts court order ↗

DACA

The rules are the same for Nicaraguans as for any other country.

• USCIS still renews DACA and its work permits.
• It accepts new requests but does not process them. Paying for one today does not give you DACA.
• Your current DACA and work permit stay valid until they expire.
• Renew 120 to 150 days before it expires. Cost: $85 (I-821D) + $470 online or $520 on paper (I-765) = $555 or $605. There is no fee waiver. Only very limited fee exemptions exist, and USCIS must approve them before you file; see uscis.gov/DACA.
• There may be changes in Texas; check the USCIS page (uscis.gov/DACA).

Official sources: USCIS · DACA (renewals) ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 fees (G-1055) ↗ · USCIS · Form I-821D fees (G-1055) ↗

Consulates and appointments

• We could not find the list of Nicaragua's consulates in the U.S. on an official website of the Government of Nicaragua.
• The U.S. State Department page with foreign office contacts for consular notification lists 3 Nicaraguan offices: the Embassy in Washington, D.C., (202) 939-6531 and (202) 939-6570; Miami (Florida), (305) 265-1415; and New York, (212) 986-6562. It does not give addresses, hours or websites, and those numbers may not be for services.
• Call before you go: confirm by phone the address, the hours, which services they offer and whether you need an appointment.
• Nicaragua's Ministry of the Interior says Nicaraguans abroad can still apply for a passport in person at consulates and embassies, or request it online (see PASSPORT AND CÉDULA).
• Do not use private websites that claim to be "Nicaraguan consulates," and do not pay agents. The Ministry of the Interior asks people not to pay anyone for the online passport process.

Official sources: State Dept. · Nicaraguan offices in the U.S. ↗ · MINT · Online passport from abroad ↗ · MINT · Passport if you live abroad ↗

If a relative is detained

• Look for them at ice.gov/locator with their A-number and country of birth (Nicaragua), or with their name and country of birth.
• If they do not show up, ICE says to call the appropriate local ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) field office.
• Your relative can ask that their consulate be notified. Nicaragua is not on the State Department's list of countries that must always be notified.
• To contact the Embassy of Nicaragua, the State Department gives the phone number (202) 939-6531 and the email consularnotification.nic@embanic.org. It has not been confirmed that this email gets answered.
• Look for a lawyer or an accredited representative soon. On uscis.gov there is a list of accredited representatives and free or low-cost legal services.

Official sources: ICE · Locating a detained person ↗ · State Dept. · Mandatory consular notification ↗ · State Dept. · Nicaraguan offices in the U.S. ↗

Passport and cédula

• Passport from the U.S.: the Ministry of the Interior (MINT) says you request it online at tramitesconsulares.mint.gob.ni, without a lawyer. It works for a first passport (adults and minors), renewal of an expired passport and replacement of a lost one.
• First you create a user account. Then you fill in your information and upload the documents as a photo or PDF.
• First passport: identity card (cédula, both sides), birth certificate and photo. Renewal: previous passport, cédula and photo.
• The photo is passport size, with a white background, no glasses, cap or filters, and no white or black blouse or shirt.
• Cost: $50 (or C$1,832). When you finish, the system sends you an email to pay online with a Visa or Mastercard (credit or debit). If there is a problem with your documents or photo, you are told before payment.
• MINT says (March 2026) that payment confirmation takes 5 to 8 days and delivery can take 1 to 3 months, depending on the country.
• You can also apply in person at a consulate or embassy. MINT does not publish the cost of applying in person; ask by phone.
• The adult passport is valid for 10 years, according to the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration (DGME).
• Cédula: the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) issues it. The first one is free; you can apply from age 15 and it is delivered at 16. All its cédula offices are in Nicaragua.
• The CSE says cédula procedures are strictly in person. The only exception is the certification of the cédula to renew a passport abroad. The CSE does not publish a way to get or renew the cédula from the U.S.
• In Nicaragua, replacing or renewing the cédula costs C$300 (córdobas).
• Birth certificate: it costs C$120, according to the CSE. The CSE does not explain how to request one from abroad.
• The State Department says that, for a U.S. visa process, the U.S. Embassy only accepts certificates from Nicaragua's Central Registry.
• Authentication and apostille of Nicaraguan documents are done at Nicaragua's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería).
• Neither the passport nor the cédula gives you immigration status or a work permit in the U.S.

Careful: use only tramitesconsulares.mint.gob.ni to request the passport online. Do not pay agents.

Official sources: MINT · Online passport from abroad ↗ · DGME · Passport validity (10 years) ↗ · CSE · National ID card (cédula) ↗ · CSE · Birth certificate ↗ · CSE · Cédula replacement and renewal ↗ · CSE · Authentication and apostille ↗ · State Dept. · Nicaragua civil documents ↗ · MINT · Passport if you live abroad ↗

Children born in the U.S. and nationality

What changed in 2026:

• Law No. 1268 changed articles 23 and 25 of Nicaragua's Constitution. It was published in La Gaceta, Diario Oficial No. 09, on January 16, 2026, and has applied since that day.
• The new article 25 says: "La nacionalidad nicaragüense se perderá al momento de adquirir otra nacionalidad" (Nicaraguan nationality will be lost at the moment another nationality is acquired).
• The new article 23 says a foreigner can become a naturalized Nicaraguan after first giving up their nationality of origin. Central Americans by origin who live in Nicaragua can choose Nicaraguan nationality without giving up their own.
• Before, according to the text of the Constitution published in La Gaceta No. 32 of February 18, 2025, article 25 said: "La calidad de nacional no se pierde por el hecho de adquirir otra nacionalidad" (nationality is not lost by acquiring another nationality).

What the U.S. State Department says:

• Since January 16, 2026, Nicaragua's Constitution prohibits dual nationality in most circumstances.
• The change is not retroactive, and it is not clear how it will be enforced or with what procedures.
• Some people who were Nicaraguan and U.S. citizens have had their Nicaraguan citizenship revoked.
• People documented as U.S. citizens might no longer be considered Nicaraguan citizens.

What the law does not say:

• The text of Law 1268 does not mention children born with two nationalities, such as a child of a Nicaraguan father or mother born in the U.S.
• No published official explanation about those cases was found. If you have questions about how it affects you, talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative.

How to register a child born abroad (CSE):

• The birth is reported at the Nicaraguan consulate. If it was not reported, the child can be registered at the Municipal Registry in Nicaragua up to and including age 7.
• To register the child at the Municipal Registry in Nicaragua, the CSE asks for the original U.S. birth certificate, with an apostille or legalized. If it is not in Spanish, it needs a translation by a Nicaraguan notary who has been registered with the Supreme Court of Justice for more than 10 years.
• Instead, you can bring the birth certificate issued by the Nicaraguan consulate, legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With that certificate, the child's age does not matter.
• Also bring the cédula or passport of the Nicaraguan father or mother and the cédula of the person doing the process.

Official sources: National Assembly · Law 1268 (2026) ↗ · Central Bank · 2025 Constitution ↗ · State Dept. · Nicaragua travel advisory ↗ · CSE · Registering births abroad ↗

If you return to Nicaragua

• The State Department's travel advisory for Nicaragua is Level 3 ("reconsider travel"). It was issued on May 14, 2026.
• The State Department says the Government of Nicaragua has denied entry to and expelled U.S. citizens, including dual Nicaraguan-U.S. citizens and people who had traveled before without problems.
• If you are also a U.S. citizen: the State Department says that, if you have Nicaraguan nationality, you must carry both your U.S. and Nicaraguan passports, and you must leave Nicaragua with the same passport you used to enter. It also says that, if you are arrested there, the U.S. is less likely to be able to get consular access to you, and the U.S. embassy may be denied that access.
• For U.S. citizens, the State Department says entry costs $10 in cash (tourist stamp for up to 90 days) and there is a $42 exit tax, which is usually included in the plane ticket.
• The U.S. government has the CBP Home app for people without legal status who decide to leave. DHS says it gives a free trip, an exit bonus once you confirm in the app that you arrived, and forgiveness of certain fines for not leaving. DHS has changed the bonus amount several times: check dhs.gov/cbphome. The app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
• If you have a pending asylum application and you leave the U.S. without travel permission (advance parole), the federal rule (8 CFR 208.8) presumes you abandoned your application. And if you leave with travel permission but go to Nicaragua, the country you say you fled, the same rule also presumes you abandoned it, unless you show compelling reasons for that trip. Talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative before using the app.
• No program for returning Nicaraguans was found on an official Nicaraguan website.

Official sources: State Dept. · Nicaragua travel advisory ↗ · DHS · CBP Home app ↗ · eCFR · 8 CFR 208.8 (asylum and travel) ↗

Sources: travel.state.gov, fam.state.gov, federalregister.gov and govinfo.gov, whitehouse.gov, uscis.gov, e-verify.gov, supremecourt.gov, federal courts (case records), ecfr.gov (8 CFR), dhs.gov, ice.gov, mint.gob.ni and migob.gob.ni (Nicaragua's Ministry of the Interior and General Directorate of Migration and Immigration), cse.gob.ni (Supreme Electoral Council), legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni (Law 1268, La Gaceta No. 09 of 2026) and bcn.gob.ni (2025 Constitution). Always check the official source before you start a process.

Consulates in the U.S.