Nicaraguan passport for minors in the US: what the law says

Abroad, ordinary passport applications and the issuing of provisional passports are handled by the Directorate General for Consular Affairs (Dirección General Consular), through Nicaragua’s diplomatic and consular missions (Law 761, Article 75, as amended by Law 1228 of November 2024). The law sets the consular fee at US$50 for processing an ordinary passport and US$10 for a provisional passport (Law No. 710, Article 3 fee table, text consulted October 3, 2026). A passport for a child under sixteen is valid for five years. The requirements list for minors is in a 2012 Regulation that the law itself orders updated. We found no current consular page confirming it, so everything below is what the law provides, not the confirmed current practice of any particular consulate.

Versión en español

Key facts

ItemWhat the law provides (consulted October 3, 2026)
Who receives applications abroadDirectorate General for Consular Affairs, through diplomatic and consular missions (Law 761, Art. 75, as amended by Law 1228)
Minors born abroad«Los consulados nicaragüenses, podrán expedir pasaporte provisional a los menores de edad nacidos en el exterior, hijos o hijas de padre o madre nicaragüense» (consulates may issue a provisional passport to minors born abroad to a Nicaraguan parent) (Law 761, Art. 63)
Consular fee, ordinary passportUS$50 «Por trámite de Pasaporte Ordinario» (Law 710, table III.1)
Consular fee, provisional passportUS$10 «Por Pasaporte Provisional» (Law 710, table III.5)
Validity5 years under age 16; 10 years otherwise (Law 761, Art. 76)
RequirementsLaw 761 Regulation (Decree 31-2012), Arts. 19 (first time) and 21 (renewal)
Processing time and booking systemNot published in the official sources that could be consulted

Requirements: first passport (Regulation, Article 19)

Article 19 of the Law 761 Regulation lists the requirements for a first-time ordinary passport for minors:

  1. «Formulario de Trámite Migratorio» (migration procedure form).
  2. «Partida de Nacimiento original en buen estado» (original birth certificate in good condition).
  3. «Fotocopia de la Cédula de Identidad de ambos padres y original del Padre o Madre que realiza la gestión al momento de iniciar el trámite y al retirar el Pasaporte» (photocopies of both parents’ cédulas, and the original of the parent handling it when filing and when collecting the passport).
  4. «Comprobante de Pago de Libreta de Pasaporte» (proof of payment for the passport booklet).
  5. «En caso que los padres sean extranjeros deberán presentar Cédula de Residencia o Documento de Viaje» (if the parents are foreigners, a residence card or travel document).
  6. «En el caso de que los padres sean Nicaragüenses Residentes en el Extranjero deberán presentar la Cédula de Residencia del país que corresponda» (if the parents are Nicaraguans residing abroad, the residence card of the corresponding country).
  7. «En los casos de adolescentes en edad de cedulación, podrán presentar cualquiera de los siguientes documentos: Colilla de Cedulación, cédula de Residencia en el Exterior, Carnet o Certificación Consular» (teenagers old enough for a cédula may present a cédula application stub, a foreign residence card, or a consular card or certification).

Some points the text does not settle. For a child born outside Nicaragua, it does not say whether the «partida de nacimiento» means the Nicaraguan registration of the birth or the foreign birth certificate. It also does not say which US document counts as the «Cédula de Residencia del país que corresponda». Confirm both with the consulate. Separately, Article 51 of Law 761 lists among the proofs of nationality the «Certificado de inscripción de nacimiento expedido por las representaciones diplomáticas u oficinas consulares nicaragüenses en el exterior, debidamente autenticado por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores» (consular birth-registration certificate authenticated by the Foreign Ministry).

Requirements: renewal (Regulation, Article 21)

To renew a minor’s passport, Article 21 asks for:

  1. «Formulario de Trámite Migratorios» (migration procedure form).
  2. «Presentar Pasaporte anterior» (the previous passport).
  3. «Comprobante de Pago de Libreta de Pasaporte» (proof of payment for the booklet).
  4. «Excepcionalmente, cuando no se cuente con la partida de nacimiento original se solicitará al el archivo de Migración, un ejemplar en original y en buen estado» (exceptionally, if the original birth certificate is not available, an original copy is requested from the Migration archive).

Step by step under the law

  1. Determine the type of application: first time (Article 19) or renewal (Article 21).
  2. Gather the documents on the matching list. If your child was born in the US and is not yet in the Nicaraguan registry, see register a US-born child first.
  3. Confirm the current requirements with the consulate for your area: the Regulation dates from 2012, and Law 1228 (fifth article) says «La Presidencia de la República de Nicaragua adecuará el Reglamento» (the Presidency will adapt the Regulation). We found no adapted text.
  4. File at the consulate with the parent handling the process, who shows their original cédula when filing and when collecting the passport (Article 19, item 3).
  5. Pay the consular fee. Law 710 says fees «serán pagadas 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» (are paid in US dollars or the equivalent in local currency at the official exchange rate).

Fees: what the law sets

Law No. 710, the Consular Service Fees Law (La Gaceta No. 67, April 13, 2010), is listed in the official legislation database under the «Registro de Normas Vigentes» (norms in force), with no amending norms (consulted October 3, 2026). Its Article 2 says: «Los funcionarios de las Misiones Diplomáticas y Representaciones Consulares cobrarán únicamente las tasas por servicios establecidas en la presente Ley» (consular officials charge only the fees set by this law).

Item (Law 710, Art. 3 table)Fee
«Por trámite de Pasaporte Ordinario» (ordinary passport processing)US$50
«Por Pasaporte Provisional» (provisional passport)US$10

The table has no separate fee for minors. Do not confuse these consular fees with Migration fees inside Nicaragua: Law 1228 sets $CA 10.77 (Central American pesos, paid in córdobas at the Central Bank’s official rate) for the «Libreta de Pasaporte Ordinario para menores de 16 años». That is a fee of the Directorate General of Migration and Aliens in the country; the law does not say it applies at consulates.

Provisional passport for minors born abroad

Article 63 of Law 761 says consulates «podrán expedir pasaporte provisional a los menores de edad nacidos en el exterior, hijos o hijas de padre o madre nicaragüense, de conformidad a los requisitos y procedimientos establecidos para tal efecto» (may issue a provisional passport to minors born abroad to a Nicaraguan parent, under the established requirements and procedures). It adds that, «para todos los efectos migratorios» (for all migration purposes), they must comply with the law and its Regulation, «debiendo tanto para el ingreso como para el egreso del país, poseer la documentación que a tales efectos se exige a los nicaragüenses» (holding, for both entry and exit, the documents required of Nicaraguans).

We found no current official source saying whether US consulates issue a child born here an ordinary passport or only the provisional one. For a lost or stolen passport, see Nicaraguan provisional passport.

Travel to Nicaragua: the exit visa

Law 1228 (Article 84) says: «Los y las nicaragüenses menores de dieciocho años residentes en el exterior, están exentos del requisito de Visa de Salida, siempre y cuando su retorno se realice dentro de noventa días, contados a partir de su ingreso al país. Pasado el término de los noventa días se deberá efectuar el trámite de la visa correspondiente.» (Nicaraguans under eighteen residing abroad are exempt from the exit visa if they return within ninety days of entering the country; after ninety days, the corresponding visa must be processed.) The same article adds that minors over sixteen and under eighteen «no requerirán visa de salida cuando estén emancipados» (do not need an exit visa when emancipated), shown by a marriage certificate, a birth certificate recording the court ruling, or a notarized authorization from both parents. Article 95, as amended by Law 1228, requires parents to process the exit visa for minors «excepto cuando se demuestre que viajan con ambos padres» (except when it is shown that they are travelling with both parents).

What the Regulation and Law 1228 add (checked October 16, 2026)

  • Passports at consulates follow the Regulation. Article 6(m) of the 2012 Regulation lets the Director General of Migration delegate the receipt and delivery of passports to the diplomatic representations abroad «donde lo demande la población nicaragüense» (where the Nicaraguan population requires it). Issuing passports at consulates is «sin menoscabo del cumplimiento de los requisitos establecidos en el presente Reglamento» (without prejudice to the Regulation’s requirements).

  • Exit visa documents, when an exit visa is required (Regulation, Art. 29). The list is:

    • migration procedure form;
    • original cédula of the parent filing, plus photocopies of both parents’ cédulas;
    • a «Permiso Notarial de Salida, en el cual comparecen los progenitores reflejados en la partida de nacimiento, autorizando la salida del menor» (notarized exit permit in which the parents named on the birth certificate authorize the child’s exit);
    • a passport valid for more than six months, «excepto cuando existan Tratados Bilaterales y/o Regionales que dispongan una vigencia menor» (except where bilateral or regional treaties allow less).

    This list is from the 2012 Regulation. The Law 1228 exemptions are described above (Articles 84 and 95).

  • One parent abroad (Art. 30). The filing parent presents a Certificado de Movimientos Migratorios showing the other parent is outside the country, and a notarized permit authorizing the child’s exit.

  • Both parents abroad (Art. 32). The representative («Apoderado») presents a «Permiso de Salida Notariado» issued by the Nicaraguan consulate in the country where the parents are. It must be authenticated by the Directorate General for Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry. Items 1 and 4 of Article 29 also apply. If the parents left a special power or a notarized guardianship and care document, the representative or guardian must present notarized permission to request the minor’s exit visa, together with a copy of the representative’s or guardian’s identity card.

  • Children born abroad (Law 761, Art. 46, as amended by Law 1228). Children of a Nicaraguan father or mother who are born abroad and registered at the Nicaraguan consulate «deben ser inscritos en el Registro Civil de las personas de la localidad de su elección» (must be registered in the Civil Registry of the locality of their choice).

  • Preventive alert for minors (Law 761, Art. 10, item 28, as amended by Law 1228). The Directorate General of Migration and Aliens may circulate, for a period of no more than seven business days, minors in imminent danger of being taken out of the country irregularly. The request must be made in writing by one of the parents or their legal representative to that Directorate.

Additional exit-permit cases in the same 2012 Regulation (checked October 16, 2026), subject to the exit-visa exemptions described above:

  • Parents who are minors without cédulas (Article 31): their own parents represent them for authorization of the child’s exit permit.
  • Both parents deceased (Article 34): present the certified judicial judgment granting custody to the relative, the notarized exit permit and the guardian’s cédula. Article 29 items 1 and 4 also apply: the migration procedure form and a passport valid for more than six months, except where bilateral or regional treaties allow less.

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. So there is no current official source on the booking system, processing time, whether photos are taken at the consulate, or which consulates are serving today. To locate offices, see Nicaraguan consulates in the US.

Dual nationality

Since January 16, 2026, Article 25 of the Constitution says «La nacionalidad nicaragüense se perderá al momento de adquirir otra nacionalidad» (Nicaraguan nationality shall be lost upon acquiring another nationality) (Law No. 1268). No official text addresses how that applies to a child who holds another nationality from birth. See Nicaragua dual nationality: what Law 1268 says.

Your US immigration status

A Nicaraguan passport follows from nationality, not from US immigration status. But the 2012 Regulation does mention a document from the country of residence: for Nicaraguan parents residing abroad it asks for «la Cédula de Residencia del país que corresponda» (the residence card of the corresponding country) (Article 19, item 6). The text does not say which US document meets that requirement or what happens if the parents do not have one. Confirm it with the consulate. If you have questions about your US immigration situation, see find pro bono legal help.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-17. General procedural information for educational purposes. The requirements quoted come from a 2012 Regulation the law orders updated, and the fees are those set by law, not the confirmed practice of a consulate. Verify directly with the Nicaraguan consulate for your area. Not legal advice.