Register a US marriage with Nicaragua: no consular fee by law

A Nicaraguan who marries in the United States can register that marriage with Nicaragua’s Civil Registry, part of the Supreme Electoral Council (Consejo Supremo Electoral, CSE). According to the CSE, Nicaraguans residing abroad who marry where they live «podrán inscribirlo presentando los siguientes requisitos en el Consulado de Nicaragua, del país de residencia» (may register it by presenting the requirements at the Nicaraguan consulate in the country of residence). Ley 710, the consular fee law, exempts «Inscripción de matrimonio» (marriage registration) from payment. The key constraint is documentary: the CSE requires the US marriage certificate apostilled or legalized and, if it is not in Spanish, translated by a Nicaraguan notary with more than ten years of incorporation before the Supreme Court of Justice (requirements published by the CSE, checked October 3, 2026; CSE pages carry no date).

Versión en español

Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Registry authorityCivil Registry (Registro Civil de las Personas), CSE
Where to fileNicaraguan consulate in the country of residence (CSE)
Where it is recordedMunicipality where one spouse’s birth is registered or where the couple establishes residence (CSE)
Consular fee for registrationExempt (Ley 710, Art. 4 d)
US documentOriginal certificate, apostilled or legalized (CSE)
TranslationNotary of the Republic of Nicaragua incorporated for more than ten years (CSE)
Route without the consulateMunicipal registry where the birth is registered, in Nicaragua (CSE)
Marriage certificate afterwardsC$ 120 (CSE)
Processing timeNot published by the CSE

How the CSE defines marriage

The CSE page defines marriage as «la unión voluntaria entre un hombre y una mujer constituida por el libre y mutuo consentimiento de los contrayentes con aptitud legal para ello, a fin de hacer y compartir una vida en común y constituir una familia basada en la solidaridad y el respeto mutuo» (the voluntary union between a man and a woman, by free and mutual consent of parties with legal capacity, to share a life in common and form a family based on solidarity and mutual respect). The same page covers both marriage and stable de facto unions (unión de hecho estable).

Requirements the CSE publishes

The CSE presents the list with the qualifier ‘según el caso’ (depending on the case) and states that the requirements are mandatory:

RequirementDetail (CSE text, translated)
US marriage certificateOriginal marriage certificate, apostilled or legalized by the country where it was celebrated
Translation, if not in SpanishTranslation by a notary of the Republic of Nicaragua incorporated before the Supreme Court of Justice for more than ten years
Alternative: consular certificateMarriage certificate issued by the Nicaraguan consulate abroad, duly legalized by Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry, «dentro de los 90 días contados a partir de su realización» (within 90 days counted from its performance)
Spouses’ identificationCédula (national ID) or passport of the spouses
Spouses’ birthsBirth certificates of the spouses
Person filingCédula of the person appearing (compareciente)

On the CSE list the translation and the consular certificate are joined by «ó» (or): they are two different documentary routes. The CSE does not explain which date «su realización» (its performance) refers to in the 90-day window; confirm with the consulate or the Civil Registry.

Step by step

  1. US certificate. Obtain the original marriage certificate issued in the US (see US vital records by state).
  2. Apostille in the US. Nicaragua has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since May 14, 2013 (HCCH status table). How a US document is apostilled: apostilling a US document.
  3. Translation by a Nicaraguan notary incorporated for more than ten years, if the certificate is in English.
  4. Both spouses’ documents: cédula or passport and birth certificate for each. For the Nicaraguan birth certificate, see Nicaragua birth certificate from the US.
  5. Filing at the consulate of Nicaragua in the country of residence. 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. The Foreign Ministry website did not resolve and its appointment portal rejected requests on October 3, 2026, so we publish no booking system.
  6. Registration at the Civil Registry of the municipality where one spouse’s birth is registered or where the couple establishes residence.

Registering it directly in Nicaragua

The CSE page adds that if the marriage abroad was not reported to the Nicaraguan consulate, it may be registered at the municipal registry where the birth is registered in Nicaragua. If someone else will handle that in Nicaragua on your behalf, see Nicaragua power of attorney at a US consulate; Ley 710 sets US$ 100 for authorizing powers of attorney at a consulate.

Costs under the law and the CSE

  • Marriage registration at the consulate: exempt. Ley 710, Art. 4, lists among the consular services exempt from payment ’d. Inscripción de matrimonio’.
  • The US$ 20 remittance fee does not apply on the text. Row I.2 of the Ley 710 table charges US$ 20 for sending a certification of vital events (hechos vitales) to Nicaragua, and Art. 4 a defines vital events as «nacimiento y defunción» (birth and death). The law does not extend that fee to marriage.
  • Getting married at the consulate is a different service: Ley 710 sets US$ 100 «Por la celebración de Matrimonio y la constancia correspondiente» (row II.3). It is not the registration of a marriage performed before a US authority.
  • Consular translation: Ley 710 sets fees for translating Civil Registry documents into Spanish (US$ 10 per page), but for this procedure the CSE requires a translation by a Nicaraguan notary with more than ten years; it does not mention consular translation.
  • Apostille and notarial translation: the CSE does not publish those costs.

Under Art. 2 of Ley 710, consular fees are payable in US dollars or the equivalent in the currency of the country where the transaction takes place (law checked October 3, 2026).

After registration: the marriage certificate

The CSE issues the marriage certificate for C$ 120 (fee checked October 3, 2026). It asks for a special power of attorney (Poder Especial de Representación) and a photocopy of the certificate; without the photocopy, you give the spouses’ names, the place and date of the marriage and the registry details (volume, page, entry and registration date). A request made by the person concerned or by their father, mother, sibling, grandparent or child needs no power of attorney, and for any procedure at the Central Registry offices the person concerned presents their cédula, according to the CSE.

What the CSE does not publish

  • The processing time for registration.
  • Whether the consulate sends the file to Nicaragua or how the result is delivered.
  • The cost of the notarial translation.

Your US immigration status

The CSE list asks for Nicaraguan identity documents (cédula or passport), the marriage certificate and the spouses’ birth certificates. It does not ask for US immigration documents.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. CSE requirements can change and its pages carry no date. Verify directly with the Nicaraguan consulate or the Civil Registry of the Supreme Electoral Council. Not legal advice.