Q24N — The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo announced a new immigration policy on Friday, February 13, that eliminates visa-free access for citizens of 128 countries, including China, Cuba, Venezuela, and several African nations.
Based on available information, there are no credible reports indicating that Nicaragua has banned 128 countries; rather, these citizens will now be required to apply for a Consular Visa (category “C”) to enter Nicaragua.
This measure comes amid accusations, mainly from the United States, that Nicaragua has used migration flows as part of its political strategy or “weapon.” In 2024, a report by the Inter-American Dialogue warned that the massive migration of Nicaraguans and people from undemocratic, impoverished, or politically unstable countries has been used by the Ortega dictatorship as a foreign policy tool against the United States, considering the migration phenomenon an “economic opportunity” that is generating billions of dollars.
According to the official statement published by the Ministry of the Interior, the visa requirements of nationals of countries that previously enjoyed visa-free entry or eased immigration procedures will take effect on February 16, 2026.
The provision also establishes that citizens holding diplomatic, official, service, public affairs, and special passports, with which Nicaragua has signed bilateral agreements, remain exempt from visa-free entry.
According to the official, updated list from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Governance (Ministerio de Gobernación), the intention of the measure is to regulate “entry, exit, and stay in the national territory,” an argument the regime presents as part of its sovereignty to establish immigration categories.
Countries subject to a mandatory Consulted Visa (category C)
Conversely, the regulation places a large number of countries under the mandatory “consulted visa” requirement (Category C), requiring prior authorization before departure. This requirement now applies to the following states:
Afghanistan, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China (ordinary passport holders only), Colombia (respecting the partial reciprocity of visa-free entry for Nicaraguans born in the Nicaraguan Caribbean and Colombians born in the Raizal Islands of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, Santa María, and Catalina), Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India (ordinary passport holders only), Indonesia (ordinary passport holders only), Iran (ordinary passport holders only), Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico (ordinary passport holders only), Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, New Zealand, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru (ordinary passport holders only), Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia (ordinary passport holders only), Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Syria (ordinary passport holders only), Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uganda, United Arab Emirates (ordinary passport holders only), Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela (ordinary passport holders only), Vietnam (ordinary passport holders only), Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Visa-exempt countries for travel to Nicaragua
The following countries and territories are exempt from visa requirements to enter Nicaragua:
Abkhazia, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, South Ossetia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, and Vatican City.