Nicaragua passport renewal in the United States

Applications for ordinary passports from abroad are received by Nicaragua’s Dirección General Consular “por medio de las representaciones diplomáticas y consulares” (Ley 761, Article 75, as reformed by Ley No. 1228, La Gaceta No. 222, 29 November 2024). The fee is US$50, set by law for every consulate.

Nicaragua’s executive branch publishes no consular-procedure pages we could reach, so this page is built on the statutes themselves — the consular fee law, the migration law and its regulation — as read on 3 October 2026. Statute says what a consulate must charge and ask for; it is not proof of how a given consulate operates today.

Fees set by law

Ley No. 710, Ley de Tasas por Servicios Consulares (La Gaceta No. 67, 13 April 2010, listed as in force), fee table section III:

Ley 710 itemFee (US$)
III.1 “Por trámite de Pasaporte Ordinario”$50
III.2 New passport for retirees (jubilados) — 50% exoneration under Ley No. 160$25
III.3 “Por Revalidación de Pasaporte”$20
III.5 “Por Pasaporte Provisional”$10

Fees do not vary by office: Article 2 says “Los funcionarios de las Misiones Diplomáticas y Representaciones Consulares cobrarán únicamente las tasas por servicios establecidas en la presente Ley”, payable “en dólares de los Estados Unidos de América o su equivalente en la moneda del país donde se realice la transacción”. The expedite surcharges in Article 6 were transitory — “tendrán una validez de cinco años, a partir de la vigencia de esta Ley” — and are not part of the current fee.

Ley 710 also sets these payment and exemption rules (checked October 17, 2026):

  • Article 9 requires the consular official to issue official receipts for collection of the statutory fees.
  • Article 4(j) exempts services needed by Nicaraguans in extreme vulnerability who need consular protection. That situation must be duly justified under the criteria established in the law’s regulation.
  • For services under that exemption, Article 4 requires expedited, free processing. This is a statutory condition, not a finding that a particular applicant qualifies.

Documents

The Reglamento de la Ley 761 (Decreto 31-2012), Article 20, lists the requirements for adult renewal:

  1. “Pasaporte anterior”
  2. “Formulario de Trámite Migratorios”
  3. “Comprobante de Pago de Libreta de pasaporte”
  4. “Carnet o Certificación Consular y/o Cédula de Residencia vigente. Aplicable únicamente a los Nicaragüenses Residentes en el Exterior que no tienen Cédula de Identidad. Cuando la Cédula haya sido renovada debe entregar fotocopia ampliada de la misma.”

Photos: “Excepcionalmente cuando no se cuente con el sistema para la captura de imagen, presentar dos fotos tamaño pasaporte” (Article 262).

For minors, Article 21 lists the form, the previous passport and proof of payment for the booklet, plus a fourth item on the birth certificate: “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, when the original birth certificate is not available, an original copy in good condition is requested from the Migration archive; regulation text read 15 October 2026). For first-time passports the birth certificate is an express requirement (“Partida de Nacimiento original en buen estado”, Articles 18 and 19).

The regulation is from 2012. Ley No. 1228 (2024) ordered the presidency to adapt it, and no adapted text was found — so treat these lists as the official baseline and confirm with the consulate.

Nicaragua’s Consejo Supremo Electoral issues “Certificaciones para tramites de Renovaciones de Pasaporte en el Exterior”. A parent, child, sibling or spouse requests it at a CSE office in Nicaragua; “NO SE ADMITEN PODERES NOTARIALES”; a spouse requests it “Presentando Certificado de Matrimonio o Unión de Hecho Estable actualizado” (presenting an updated marriage certificate or stable de facto union certificate); the cost is C$ 750.00 (córdobas), paid at Banpro branches or agents, and the payment receipt handed over at payment must be presented. The required documents are the “Presentación de Cédula de Identidad que identifique al titular y para demostrar el vínculo” (a cédula identifying the holder and showing the relationship) and the payment receipt (CSE page read 15 October 2026). The Reglamento does not name this certification as a consular requirement, so ask the consulate whether your case needs it. More on the cédula: Nicaragua consular ID and cédula.

What the regulation adds on consulates, minors and lost passports (checked October 16, 2026)

From the Reglamento de la Ley 761 (Decreto 31-2012):

  • Consulates and passports: Article 6(m) has the Director General delegate “la recepción y entrega de Pasaportes” (receipt and delivery of passports) to diplomatic representations abroad “donde lo demande la población nicaragüense” (where the Nicaraguan population demands it). It also says issuing passports at consulates “será sin menoscabo del cumplimiento de los requisitos establecidos en el presente Reglamento” (does not set aside the regulation’s requirements).
  • First passport for a minor, parents’ IDs: Article 19 asks for “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”. That means a photocopy of both parents’ cédulas, plus the original cédula of the parent who handles the application, shown when the application starts and again when the passport is collected. If the parents are foreign nationals, they must present a residence card or travel document.
  • First passport for an adolescent of cédula age: Article 19.7 says they “podrán presentar cualquiera de los siguientes documentos: Colilla de Cedulación, cédula de Residencia en el Exterior, Carnet o Certificación Consular”.
  • Lost passport of a minor (case without a police report): Article 22 says “Cuando se trate de menores de edad, la declaración deberá ser presentada por los padres o tutores” (for minors, the written declaration is presented by the parents or guardians).

Validity

“Los pasaportes tendrán una vigencia de diez años salvo cuando se trate de pasaportes de menores de dieciséis años, los cuales tendrán una vigencia de cinco años” (Ley 761, Article 76).

Lost or stolen passport

  • With a police report: Ley 761, Article 78 — the loss or theft “deberá ser denunciado ante las autoridades policiales del lugar donde se encuentre”, and a copy of the report presented to the 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.”
  • Without a police report: Reglamento, Article 22 — a written declaration of the loss before the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería “y pago de la multa correspondiente de conformidad a la Ley.”

Ley 710’s consular fee table has no separate line for a lost passport.

Appointments and online applications — what we could not verify

As of 3 October 2026, Nicaragua’s foreign-ministry website does not resolve, its appointment portal (citas.cancilleria.gob.ni) rejected our requests from a normal browser, and the migration-procedures portal (tramitesconsulares.mint.gob.ni) showed only a bot-verification page. News outlets have reported an online passport application system; we found no official page describing how it works, what it costs or how passports are delivered, so this page makes no claim about it. Processing times are not published in any official source we could reach.

Your US immigration status

The passport follows from Nicaraguan nationality. One item on the regulation’s lists is a residence document: Article 20.4 asks Nicaraguans abroad who have no cédula for a consular card or certification «y/o Cédula de Residencia vigente», and for a child’s first passport Article 19.6 asks Nicaraguan parents living abroad for the «Cédula de Residencia del país que corresponda». The regulation does not say which US document, if any, meets that item; ask the consulate. Consulates operate under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963). We found no official source on whether or how a consulate shares applicant data with US agencies, so we make no claim either way.

Where to do it

Official sources

Versión en español

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes, based on Nicaraguan statutes as published. Fees and requirements can change and consular practice may differ from the regulation. Verify directly with the Nicaragua consulate. Not legal advice.