Nicaraguan provisional passport in the US: lost, stolen or expired
If a Nicaraguan in the United States loses their passport or has it stolen, Law 761 requires reporting it to the police where they are and filing a copy of the report with the consulate (or with Migration) so the booklet number is circulated. The provisional passport is still on the legal list of migration documents. Issuing it abroad is the job of the Directorate General for Consular Affairs (Dirección General Consular), through the consulates (Law 761, as amended by Law 1228 of November 2024). The fee set by law is US$10 for a provisional passport (Law No. 710, text consulted October 3, 2026). Under Law 1228 it is valid for one year and only to return to Nicaragua; in exceptional cases it may be authorized to return to the place of origin or residence, if the receiving country accepts it. All of this is what the law provides: we found no current consular page describing the procedure.
Key facts
| Item | What the law provides (consulted October 3, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Does the provisional passport exist? | Yes: «7. Pasaporte Provisional» on the list of migration documents (Law 761, Art. 70, as amended by Law 1228) |
| Who issues it abroad | «La recepción de solicitudes de pasaportes ordinarios y emisión de pasaportes provisionales en el exterior, está a cargo de la Dirección General Consular, por medio de las representaciones diplomáticas y consulares» (Art. 75) |
| Consular fee | US$10 «Por Pasaporte Provisional» (Law 710, table III.5) |
| Loss or theft | Police report where you are, and a copy to Migration or the consulate (Law 761, Art. 78) |
| No police report | Written declaration before Migration and payment of the fine (Regulation, Art. 22) |
| Validity and use | One year, only to return to Nicaragua; exceptionally, to return to the place of origin or residence if the receiving country accepts it (Law 761, Art. 2 bis, item 25, added by Law 1228) |
| Requirements, processing time, booking | Not published in the official sources that could be consulted |
What the law says about the provisional passport
Law No. 1228 (La Gaceta No. 222, November 29, 2024) rewrote Article 70 of Law 761. It now says the passport «es un documento público, personal, individual e intransferible, que utiliza el titular a cuyo nombre expide el Estado de Nicaragua para viajar y acreditar en el exterior la identidad y nacionalidad nicaragüense» (a public, personal, non-transferable document the holder uses to travel and prove Nicaraguan identity and nationality abroad). It then lists the migration documents for Nicaraguans, including the «Pasaporte Provisional». Article 75, also amended, assigns its issuance abroad to the Directorate General for Consular Affairs, through the diplomatic and consular missions.
What changed in 2024. The previous consolidated text of Law 761 (La Gaceta No. 09, January 18, 2024) defined the provisional passport as «Documento de viaje que se otorga a las personas nacionales que se les ha extraviado, deteriorado o vencido su pasaporte en el extranjero. Son expedidos por las representaciones nicaragüenses en el exterior, su validez es por un año y expira una vez que retorne al país» (a travel document for nationals whose passport was lost, damaged or expired abroad, issued by Nicaraguan missions, valid for one year and expiring on return to the country). Law 1228 replaced Article 70 with a list without definitions, but it also added a definitions article, Article 2 bis, whose item 25 now reads: «Pasaporte Provisional: Documento de viaje que se expide a las personas nicaragüenses, que estando en el exterior, se les ha extraviado, deteriorado o vencido su pasaporte. Son expedidos por las representaciones nicaragüenses en el exterior, su validez es por un año y únicamente para retornar a Nicaragua. En casos excepcionales podrá autorizarse el uso del mismo para retornar al lugar de procedencia o de residencia, siempre y cuando el país receptor lo acepte.» (a travel document for Nicaraguans abroad whose passport was lost, damaged or expired, issued by Nicaraguan missions, valid for one year and only to return to Nicaragua; in exceptional cases its use may be authorized to return to the place of origin or residence, provided the receiving country accepts it). So the one-year validity remains; what changed is the use: the 2024 text said it expired on return, and the current text limits it to returning to Nicaragua.
The salvoconducto is no longer on the list. The January 2024 text included the «Salvoconducto» (safe-conduct document) among the migration documents. The list as amended by Law 1228 does not.
If the passport was lost or stolen
Article 78 of Law 761 says: «Cuando un pasaporte es hurtado, robado o extraviado, deberá ser denunciado ante las autoridades policiales del lugar donde se encuentre. De esa denuncia, la persona deberá presentar copia ante la Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería o al consulado nicaragüense del lugar donde se encuentre, con el fin de que el número de libreta de pasaporte sea circulado, condición indispensable para la reposición del mismo.» (A stolen or lost passport must be reported to the police where the person is; a copy of the report goes to Migration or to the local Nicaraguan consulate so the booklet number is circulated, an indispensable condition for replacement.)
For someone in the US, that means a report to the local police where you are, and the copy of that report to the consulate. The same article adds that «en los casos de vencimiento, destrucción parcial o total, defecto, alteración, falsificación, o mutilación» (in cases of expiry, partial or total destruction, defect, alteration, forgery or mutilation), the holder must present the passport with the replacement request.
No police report. Article 22 of the Law 761 Regulation says that, if no report is filed, the person «debe declarar por escrito ante la Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería la pérdida del mismo […] y pago de la multa correspondiente de conformidad a la Ley» (must declare the loss in writing before the Directorate General of Migration and Aliens and pay the corresponding fine). For minors, «la declaración deberá ser presentada por los padres o tutores» (parents or guardians file the declaration). The text names the Directorate General of Migration and Aliens, not the consulates. The Migration fee and fine table (Law 1228, Article 121) sets $CA 75.00 (Central American pesos) for «Pérdida de pasaporte» (loss of passport). That is a Migration fine in Nicaragua, and the law does not say it is charged at consulates.
Step by step under the law
- File a report with the police where the passport was lost or stolen, and keep a copy.
- Give the copy to the Nicaraguan consulate for your area so the booklet number is circulated (Article 78).
- Confirm with the consulate the requirements for a provisional passport or a replacement. We found no current official list for the provisional passport.
- Pay the fee set by law: US$10 for a provisional passport, «en dólares de los Estados Unidos de América o su equivalente en la moneda del país donde se realice la transacción al tipo de cambio oficial vigente» (in US dollars or the local-currency equivalent at the official exchange rate) (Law 710, Article 2).
The fees set by law
| Item (Law 710, Art. 3 table) | Fee |
|---|---|
| «Por Pasaporte Provisional» (provisional passport) | US$10 |
| «Por trámite de Pasaporte Ordinario» (ordinary passport processing) | US$50 |
Law No. 710 (La Gaceta No. 67, April 13, 2010) is listed in the official legislation database as in force, with no amendments. Its Article 2 says consular officials «cobrarán únicamente las tasas por servicios establecidas en la presente Ley» (charge only the fees set by this law). The ordinary passport fee applies to a passport renewal.
Minors born abroad
Law 761, Article 63, says consulates «podrán expedir pasaporte provisional a los menores de edad nacidos en el exterior, hijos o hijas de padre o madre nicaragüense» (may issue a provisional passport to minors born abroad to a Nicaraguan parent). See Nicaraguan passport for minors.
What cannot be confirmed from the US
The Foreign Ministry website did not resolve on October 3, 2026. Its appointment portal rejected requests, and the Migration portals showed a security check. There is no current official source on:
- which documents consulates ask for today for a provisional passport;
- how long it takes;
- when, and by whom, the exceptional use to return to the place of residence that Article 2 bis allows is authorized;
- which consulates are serving today and how to book.
To locate offices, see Nicaraguan consulates in the US and the consulate appointment tracker.
Your US immigration status
The passport proves Nicaraguan identity and nationality (Law 761, Article 70), and the texts quoted on this page for the provisional passport and replacement do not ask for US immigration documents. The police report is filed with local police. If you are worried about how it affects your immigration situation, see find pro bono legal help.
Related information
- Nicaragua consular procedures in the US
- Renewing a Nicaraguan passport in the US
- Nicaraguan passport for minors
- Cédula certification for passport renewal abroad
- Nicaragua dual nationality: what Law 1268 says
- Nicaraguan consulates in the US
- Consulates by state
Official sources
- Law No. 1228, amending Law 761 (La Gaceta No. 222, November 29, 2024), Arts. 2 bis, 70, 75 and 121: legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni
- Law No. 761, consolidated text (La Gaceta No. 09, January 18, 2024), Arts. 63, 70 (previous text) and 78: legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni
- Regulation of Law No. 761 (Decree 31-2012), Art. 22: legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni
- Law No. 710, Consular Service Fees Law (La Gaceta No. 67, April 13, 2010): legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni
Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. The rules quoted are those the law provides; we did not confirm the current practice of any consulate. Verify directly with the Nicaraguan consulate for your area. Not legal advice.