Permanent residency and Nicaraguan citizenship: rules since 2024

Permanent residence

• Categories: immigrant; immigrant with capital (investor certified by MIFIC); spouse, children and parents of those; blood or marriage ties to Nicaraguans; refugees. Central Americans can apply directly.
• Length: up to 5 years, renewable.
• Fee: US$/$CA 250 for 5 years for immigrants and family ties; US$/$CA 500 for the rest.
• For marriage ties the regulation asks for at least 2 years of marriage or a declared stable union.

Naturalization

• General rule: 7 years of residence counted from your permanent-residence card, after renouncing your original nationality.
• Other routes: resident Central Americans (without renouncing); marriage or registered union with a Nicaraguan; parents of Nicaraguan children after 2 continuous years of residence; people who set up an industry or development activity, after 1 year of permanent residence.
• There is a test on Spanish, geography, history and political and social organization.
• Naturalization is a sovereign act: it may be approved or refused.

Dual nationality

Since 16 January 2026 (Law 1268), Nicaraguan nationality is lost on acquiring another. Officials said it is not retroactive, but the law has no transitional clause and the US State Department reports cases of Nicaraguan-Americans whose Nicaraguan nationality was revoked. If you are Nicaraguan and plan to acquire another nationality, talk to a lawyer.