Nicaragua dual nationality: what Law 1268 says

Since January 16, 2026, Article 25 of Nicaragua’s Constitution reads: «La nacionalidad nicaragüense se perderá al momento de adquirir otra nacionalidad» (Nicaraguan nationality shall be lost upon acquiring another nationality). Law No. 1268 made the change. It was published in La Gaceta, Diario Oficial No. 09 that day and took effect on publication. Until then, the February 2025 constitutional text said the exact opposite, and the Migration Law (Law 761, as amended in November 2024) still does. This page reproduces the official texts and points out what those texts do not settle. It does not explain how they apply to any individual case (texts consulted October 3, 2026).

Versión en español

Key facts

RuleWhat it saysPublication
Constitution, Art. 25 (current text)«La nacionalidad nicaragüense se perderá al momento de adquirir otra nacionalidad.»Law No. 1268, La Gaceta No. 09, January 16, 2026
Constitution, Art. 25 (previous text)«La calidad de nacional no se pierde por el hecho de adquirir otra nacionalidad.» (nationality is not lost by acquiring another)Full text, La Gaceta No. 32, February 18, 2025
Law 761, Art. 47 (Migration Law)«La calidad de nicaragüense no se pierde por el hecho de adquirir otra nacionalidad»As amended by Law No. 1228, La Gaceta No. 222, November 29, 2024
Retroactive?Law 1268 does not say. Non-retroactivity appears in National Assembly press releases (May 2025)—
People dual from birth?No official text addresses it—
Procedure to declare loss?No official text found describes one—

The text of Law 1268

Law No. 1268, the «Ley de Reforma Parcial a los Artículos 23 y 25 de la Constitución Política de la República de Nicaragua», was passed by the National Assembly on January 14, 2026, promulgated on January 15, 2026 and published in La Gaceta No. 09 of January 16, 2026. The two amended articles read:

«Artículo 23 Las y los extranjeros pueden ser nacionalizados, previa renuncia a su nacionalidad originaria. Las y los centroamericanos de origen, residentes en Nicaragua, tienen derecho de optar a la nacionalidad nicaragüense sin renunciar a su nacionalidad. Artículo 25 La nacionalidad nicaragüense se perderá al momento de adquirir otra nacionalidad.»

In plain English: foreigners may be naturalized after renouncing their original nationality. Central Americans by origin who reside in Nicaragua may opt for Nicaraguan nationality without renouncing theirs. Nicaraguan nationality shall be lost upon acquiring another nationality.

On its effective date, the law says it «entrará en vigencia a partir de la fecha de su publicación en La Gaceta, Diario Oficial» (takes effect from its publication date). It contains nothing else: no transitional provision, no procedure, nothing about people who already held another nationality.

The National Assembly’s January 14, 2026 press release on the second-legislature vote described it as «ratificando con claridad y firmeza que quienes adquieran otra nacionalidad perderán su condición de nacionales» (ratifying clearly and firmly that those who acquire another nationality will lose their status as nationals).

What it said before: the February 2025 Constitution

The full text of the Constitution published in La Gaceta No. 32 of February 18, 2025 read:

«Artículo 23 […] En los casos de doble nacionalidad se procede conforme los tratados y el principio de reciprocidad. Artículo 24 Las y los traidores a la Patria pierden la nacionalidad nicaragüense. Artículo 25 La calidad de nacional no se pierde por el hecho de adquirir otra nacionalidad.»

Law 1268 amended only Articles 23 and 25. The sentence on dual nationality being handled «conforme los tratados y el principio de reciprocidad» (according to treaties and the principle of reciprocity) no longer appears in the new Article 23. Article 24 (traitors lose nationality) was not part of the reform.

The Migration Law still says the opposite

Law No. 761, the General Migration and Aliens Law, was amended by Law No. 1228 (La Gaceta No. 222, November 29, 2024). Its Article 47, «Conservación de la Nacionalidad», reads:

«Ningún nacional puede ser privado de su nacionalidad, salvo por las causales establecidas en la Constitución Política y leyes de la materia. La calidad de nicaragüense no se pierde por el hecho de adquirir otra nacionalidad Las y los traidores a la Patria pierden la nacionalidad nicaragüense.»

That text predates Law 1268 and contradicts the new Article 25. In the National Assembly’s official legislation database, consulted October 3, 2026, Law 761 appears as amended by Law 1228, and we found no later amendment of that article.

This is how the official texts themselves order the two rules:

  • Constitution, Article 168 (2025 full text): «La Constitución Política es la norma fundamental de la República; las demás leyes están subordinadas a ella. No tendrán valor alguno las leyes, instrumentos internacionales, decretos, reglamentos, órdenes o disposiciones que se le opongan o alteren sus disposiciones.» (The Constitution is the fundamental norm; all other laws are subordinate to it, and laws or provisions that oppose it have no value.)
  • Law 761, Article 46 (as amended by Law 1228): «La doble nacionalidad se regirá de conformidad a la Constitución Política de la República de Nicaragua, Acuerdos, Convenios y Tratados Internacionales sobre la materia en que Nicaragua es Estado Parte, así como el principio de reciprocidad.» (Dual nationality is governed by the Constitution, treaties and the principle of reciprocity.)

We found no official text (court ruling, regulation or resolution) that expressly applies that hierarchy to the conflict between Article 47 of Law 761 and the new Article 25. A page that cites Article 47 as the current rule without mentioning Law 1268 is out of date.

Does it apply to people who already held another nationality?

The text of Law 1268 does not say. The idea that the rule is not retroactive comes from statements by the president of the National Assembly, Gustavo Porras, published by the Assembly press office while the reform was being passed:

  • May 20, 2025: the release says loss «será aplicada una vez que la Reforma Parcial a la Constitución se apruebe en Segunda Legislatura y la misma entre en vigencia» (will apply once the reform is approved in the second legislature and takes effect) and quotes Porras: «los que tienen doble nacionalidad a estas alturas, o triple, estén tranquilos» (those who already hold dual, or triple, nationality can rest easy).
  • May 21, 2025: the release quotes Porras: «Este precepto establece que, hasta el momento en que la ley entre en vigencia, se mantendrá la doble nacionalidad para aquellas que hayan sido adquiridas previamente» (until the law takes effect, dual nationality acquired beforehand is kept). Per the same release, Porras said «el nicaragüense que opte a otra nacionalidad después de enero de 2026, rechaza, deja patentado la renuncia a su nacionalidad» (a Nicaraguan who opts for another nationality after January 2026 thereby renounces theirs).

These are press statements, not the text of the law. The principle they invoke is in Article 27 of the Constitution (2025 full text), which gives every person the right, item 14, «A que no le sea aplicada la Ley de forma retroactiva, salvo cuando en materia penal beneficie a la o el preso» (not to have the law applied retroactively, except in criminal matters when it benefits the prisoner). Law 1268 did not amend that article.

People who are dual nationals from birth

No official text consulted addresses how the new Article 25 applies to someone who holds another nationality from birth, for example a child born in the United States to a Nicaraguan mother or father. The texts do not say whether holding another nationality from birth counts as «adquirir» (acquiring) another nationality, or what happens in that case. We do not answer that question because the official sources do not.

What the migration statutes do say, all of it predating Law 1268:

  • Law 761, Article 45: «Son nacionales: […] 2. Los hijos de padre o madre nicaragüense; 3. Los nacidos en el extranjero de padre o madre que originalmente fueron nicaragüenses, siempre y cuando lo solicitaren después de alcanzar la mayoría de edad o emancipación» (nationals include children of a Nicaraguan father or mother, and those born abroad to parents who were originally Nicaraguan if they apply after reaching adulthood or emancipation).
  • Law 761, Article 46 (as amended by Law 1228): children of Nicaraguan parents born abroad and registered at the consulate «deben ser inscritos en el Registro Civil de las personas de la localidad de su elección y gozan de los mismos derechos y prerrogativas establecidos en la Constitución Política, sin perjuicio de los derechos que adquiere en el país de nacimiento o de su domicilio habitual» (must be registered in the civil registry of their chosen locality and enjoy the same constitutional rights, without prejudice to rights acquired in the country of birth or habitual residence).

For registering a US-born child, see register a US-born child with Nicaragua. For the child’s passport, see Nicaraguan passport for minors.

Other grounds for loss in the law

  • Constitution, Article 24: «Las y los traidores a la Patria pierden la nacionalidad nicaragüense.» (Traitors to the homeland lose Nicaraguan nationality.)
  • Law No. 1145, the Special Law Regulating Loss of Nicaraguan Nationality (La Gaceta No. 25, February 10, 2023), Article 2: «Las personas sentenciadas al tenor de lo dispuesto en la Ley N° 1055 […] perderán la nacionalidad nicaragüense» (persons sentenced under Law No. 1055 shall lose Nicaraguan nationality). Article 3 says «La autoridad judicial es la competente para aplicar la presente Ley, debiendo notificar al Consejo Supremo Electoral» (the judicial authority applies it and must notify the Supreme Electoral Council).

A note for reading other sources: the old Law No. 149, the Nationality Law, is listed in the official legislation database under «Anexo III, Registro de Normas sin Vigencia o Derecho Histórico» (norms no longer in force). Any text citing it as current law is out of date.

What the official texts do not say

As of October 3, 2026, we found no official text stating:

  • whether the loss in Article 25 happens automatically or requires a resolution;
  • which authority declares it, how it is notified or how it is recorded in the Civil Registry or on the cédula;
  • how consulates or the Directorate General of Migration and Aliens treat the passport or cédula of someone who acquired another nationality;
  • how the rule applies to people who are dual nationals from birth.

The Foreign Ministry and Migration websites could not be consulted on October 3, 2026 (the Foreign Ministry domain did not resolve and the Migration portals showed a security check). How this affects you depends on your situation, and that answer has to come from a lawyer; this page does not give it.

The text may change again

A separate «Ley de Reforma Parcial a la Constitución Política» (initiative No. 202610194) was approved in first legislature on September 1, 2026; the certification of that vote was published in La Gaceta No. 163 of September 2, 2026. On September 29, 2026, the National Assembly press office reported («Pueblo Presidente conoce Informe sobre Reforma Constitucional») that its second stage of consultations was under way ahead of the second-legislature vote. As of October 3, 2026 that reform is not law. Its published text amends Articles 12, 47 and 152, among others, and the terms of elected offices; it does not amend Articles 23 or 25 and does not mention nationality. Before making any decision that turns on this rule, check the text in force in La Gaceta and in the National Assembly’s official legislation database.

Your US immigration status

This page covers Nicaraguan law only. The texts quoted do not refer to immigration status in the United States. US rules on naturalization and dual nationality are a separate subject this page does not cover. For questions about your US immigration case, see find pro bono legal help.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General educational information about Nicaraguan legal texts. This subject changed in January 2026 and may change again; the official texts leave several points on this page unresolved. Verify the text in force directly in La Gaceta and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Not legal advice.