Apostille Nicaraguan documents from the US: Hague member since 2013

Nicaragua has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since May 14, 2013, according to the status table of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH, checked October 3, 2026). Nicaraguan documents are not apostilled by the Civil Registry: the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) answers that the Central Registry only certifies records and that «la Auténtica y Apostilla se realiza ante Cancillería General de la República» (authentication and apostille are done at the Foreign Ministry). The Foreign Ministry website did not resolve on October 3, 2026, so there is no published official fee, channel or processing time we can cite. In the other direction, the CSE requires US documents to arrive apostilled or legalized and, if they are in English, translated by a Nicaraguan notary incorporated for more than ten years.

Versión en español

Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Apostille ConventionNicaragua acceded September 7, 2012; in force May 14, 2013 (HCCH)
Who apostilles Nicaraguan documentsForeign Ministry, Cancillería General de la República (per the CSE)
Does the Central Registry apostille?No, it only certifies records (CSE)
Fee, channel and time for a Nicaraguan apostilleNot published in any reachable official source (Foreign Ministry offline)
Documents issued by a consulateLegalized by Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry (CSE); authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ley 761, Art. 51)
US documents for the Civil RegistryApostilled or legalized + translation by a Nicaraguan notary incorporated before the Supreme Court of Justice for more than ten years (CSE)
Consular legalization (Ley 710)US$ 10 to US$ 75 depending on the type of document
Foreign documents for migration filingsMaximum validity of six months after issuance (Regulation of Ley 761, Art. 260)

Part 1: Nicaraguan documents for use in the US

The sequence the CSE describes has two separate steps:

  1. Civil Registry certification. The Central Registry or a municipal Civil Registry issues the certificate (for example, the birth certificate for C$ 120 or the single-status certificate for C$ 300, CSE fees checked October 3, 2026).
  2. Authentication and apostille at the Foreign Ministry. Question 6 of the Civil Registry FAQ: «¿El Registro Central Autentica y Apostilla los documentos emitidos? No, Registro Central solo certifica las actas, la Auténtica y Apostilla se realiza ante Cancillería General de la República.» (Does the Central Registry authenticate and apostille the documents it issues? No, it only certifies records; authentication and apostille are done at the Foreign Ministry.)

What we could not confirm. On October 3, 2026, www.cancilleria.gob.ni did not resolve and the Foreign Ministry’s appointment portal rejected requests, including from an ordinary browser. The HCCH page on Nicaragua’s competent authority showed no content. For that reason this page does not state the apostille fee, whether it can be requested online, how long it takes, or whether a third party can handle it. If someone in Nicaragua will handle it for you and needs a power of attorney, see Nicaragua power of attorney at a US consulate.

Part 2: documents issued by a Nicaraguan consulate

A certificate issued by a consulate (for example, the consular registration of a birth or a marriage) is legalized at the Foreign Ministry, according to the official texts:

  • Birth: the CSE accepts a birth certificate issued by the Nicaraguan consulate abroad, «debidamente legalizada por Cancillería de Nicaragua, independientemente de la edad» (duly legalized by Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry, regardless of age).
  • Marriage: the CSE accepts a marriage certificate issued by the Nicaraguan consulate abroad, «debidamente legalizada por Cancillería de Nicaragua, dentro de los 90 días contados a partir de su realización» (duly legalized by Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry, within 90 days of its performance).
  • Proof of nationality: Ley 761 (Art. 51) includes the certificate of birth registration issued by Nicaraguan diplomatic or consular offices abroad, «debidamente autenticado por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores» (duly authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
  • Powers of attorney granted at a consulate: answering a question about annulment of registry entries, the CSE says a special power requested at a consulate is sent «en original y con la debida Apostilla o Legalización» (in original and with the due apostille or legalization).

Part 3: US documents for use in Nicaragua

For the Civil Registry (CSE)

To register a birth or a marriage that took place abroad, the CSE requires:

  • The original certificate ‘Apostillado o Legalizado’ (apostilled or legalized) by the country where the birth occurred or the marriage was celebrated.
  • If it is not in Spanish, a translation by a notary of the Republic of Nicaragua incorporated before the Supreme Court of Justice for more than ten years.

How a document is apostilled in a US state: apostilling a US document. The full procedures: registering a US marriage with Nicaragua and registering a US-born child with Nicaragua.

For migration filings

The Regulation of Ley 761 (Decree 31-2012) provides:

  • Art. 259: all documents from abroad must be presented in original, in Spanish, with the authentications required by law (‘con las debidas Auténticas de Ley’).
  • Art. 260: documents from abroad have a maximum validity of six months after issuance, provided they carry no expiration date set by the issuing authority.

That regulation dates from 2012. Ley 1228 (November 2024) amended Ley 761 and ordered the Presidency to adapt the regulation; we found no adapted text, so these articles are quoted as they appear in the regulation the National Assembly’s database lists as in force.

Consular legalization and translation fees (Ley 710)

Ley 710, the Consular Services Fee Law (La Gaceta 67, April 13, 2010), which the National Assembly lists as in force, sets these fees in dollars. Under its Art. 2, they are payable in US dollars or the equivalent in the currency of the country where the transaction takes place.

Consular service (Art. 3 table, section V)Fee
Legalization: studies of all kindsUS$ 10
Legalization: commercial actsUS$ 75
Legalization: acts relating to civil statusUS$ 20
Legalization: notarial actsUS$ 40
Legalization: certifications issued by various authoritiesUS$ 20
Translation into Spanish, per page: studiesUS$ 10
Translation into Spanish, per page: Civil Registry documentsUS$ 10
Translation into Spanish, per page: notarialUS$ 20
Translation into Spanish, per page: commercialUS$ 20
Translation into Spanish, per page: any other documentUS$ 5

These are fees set by law, checked October 3, 2026; they do not confirm that a US consulate offers each service today. For Civil Registry registrations, the CSE requires a Nicaraguan notary’s translation, not a consular one. Our Nicaragua consulate directory lists three offices serving the public in the US (Miami, New York and Washington, D.C.), based on 2024 press reports.

Your US immigration status

The CSE and Ley 710 requirements quoted here concern the document and its authentication. They do not ask for US immigration documents.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Consular fees, CSE requirements and Foreign Ministry rules can change. Verify directly with Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry, your consulate and the body that will receive the document. Not legal advice.