The colonial rooftops and cathedral of Granada, Nicaragua

Who needs a visa for Nicaragua?

Latin America and the Caribbean · Managua

Photo: MongeNajera / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Of 198 nationalities, 89 enter Nicaragua with no paperwork at all. The rest: 73 can get a visa at the border and 36 must be approved before they travel.

We have not found a Nicaragua government portal we can link to with confidence, so we link to none — a lookalike is worse than nothing. Apply through Nicaragua's own immigration service or its embassy.

What do you need?

Who needs what

Visa free 89

Nothing to apply for and nothing to pay before you travel.

Visa on arrival 73

Issued at the border rather than beforehand. Bring the fee in cash in the currency the border post accepts. It is a permission, not a guarantee.

Visa required 36

You must apply and be approved before you travel. Airlines will refuse to board you without it.

About Nicaragua

Region
Central America
Capital
Managua
Population
7,007,502 2025 · 108th of 197
Size
130,373 km² 96th largest of 199
Density
54 per km²
Language
Spanish
Currency
Nicaraguan córdoba NIO
Borders
Costa Rica Honduras

Capital, area, languages and currency from the open country dataset, pulled 21 September 2026. Population from the World Bank, series updated 13 July 2026. Density is calculated from the two figures above.