Nicaragua Costa Rica Border Crossing: Complete Travel Guide

Land border crossings can be stressful experiences if you don’t know what to expect, but fortunately you’ve come to the right place! Read on to find out everything you need to know about crossing the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica from start to end. This information is particularly useful for people travelling overland across Central America as well as people doing border runs between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Specifically, we will be covering:

• Entry requirements for Costa Rica
• Entry requirements for Nicaragua
• Exit fees and entry fees for Nicaragua and Costa Rica
• Locations of Nicaragua/Costa Rica land border crossings
• How to get to the Nicaragua/Costa Rica land border crossing points
• Our experience of crossing the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica
• Nicaragua visas – the CA4-90 day visa for Nicaragua as well as getting visa extensions in Nicaragua

Why do the Nicaragua to Costa Rica land border crossing

There are a number of reasons why people choose to cross the land border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The main reasons are as follows:

• Travelling overland across Central America – Central America is a great budget destination, especially if you travel overland. If you are planning to embark on this adventure, you will need to cross the land border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica during your trip.
• Border runs between Nicaragua and Costa Rica to renew visas – this is a common tactic of longterm visitors to Nicaragua as well as to Costa Rica. However with Nicaragua requiring Covid tests on entry it is much cheaper to get a visa extension if you can. We will outline how to get visa extensions in Nicaragua later on in this post.
• Flying in or out of Liberia Airport Costa Rica to go to Nicaragua – many people use Liberia Airport in Costa Rica when they want to go to Nicaragua. This is particularly the case during Covid where many flights to Managua Nicaragua are cancelled. Liberia Airport is around 1.5 hours drive from the Nicaragua Costa Rica border and is currently a much easier way to travel to Nicaragua.

Why we did the Nicaragua to Costa Rica border crossing

We came to Nicaragua in March 2020 as part of a year long trip around the world. Our plan was to travel overland from Mexico all the way through Central America to Panama. As part of this trip we planned to cross the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. We had originally planned to stay in Nicaragua for 3 weeks, but the world had other plans. When borders shut due to the Covid pandemic we found ourselves stuck in Nicaragua. We subsequently lived in Nicaragua for 18 months. During this time we immersed ourselves in this beautiful country.

We were on the CA4-90 day visa. During 2020 there were limited flights out of the country. Additionally, the land border to Costa Rica was closed between March 2020 and April 2021. As such the Nicaraguan government allowed us to keep extending our visas every 30 days. However in July 2021 we were given our final visa extension and told to leave the country in the next 30 days. We waited until the last possible day to leave Nicaragua. On August 22, 2021 we finally crossed the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica.

Nicaragua Costa Rica land borders

Where are the land border crossings between Nicaragua and Costa Rica?

The land border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is also known as Frontera Nicaragua Costa Rica.

There are 2 main land border crossings between Nicaragua and Costa Rica:

• Peñas Blancas – the most popular border crossing is at Peñas Blancas on the Pacific side of Nicaragua. This border crossing is around 1.5 hours from Liberia Airport in Costa Rica. It is also the closest border crossing to the main tourist destinations in Nicaragua.
• San Pancho-Los Chiles – we did the crossing on the Caribbean side at San Pancho. This is a great option if you want to discover more off the beaten path destinations in Nicaragua such as the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. It is also a convenient entry point for onward travel to La Fortuna in Costa Rica. In our experience, it was a fairly quick process when going from Nicaragua to Costa Rica at the San Pancho-Los Chiles border crossing. However if you are going from Costa Rica to Nicaragua the queues are very long.

Is the Costa Rica Nicaragua land border open?

Yes. The land border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is currently open. The land borders between Nicaragua and Costa Rica were closed from March 2020 to April 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. Since April 2021 the land borders are now open. Due to Covid, there are extra requirements when travelling between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. In order to have a smooth border crossing, preparation is key.

Preparing for the land border crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica

When preparing for the border crossing it is important to understand the entry and exit requirements for each country. The information we have is accurate as at January 2023. The situation is constantly evolving, so be sure to look up the current requirements if you are planning this trip yourself.

Costa Rica Entry Requirements

As at January 2023 the Entry Requirements for Costa Rica are as follows:

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 1: Valid Covid vaccination or valid Health Insurance NO LONGER REQUIRED

From 1 April 2022 Costa Rica has removed all Covid related requirements to enter Costa Rica. This means you do not need to provide proof of vaccination, recovery or health insurance to enter the country. There are also no Covid requirements for travel within the country.

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 2: Online Health Declaration (Costa Rica Health Pass) NO LONGER REQUIRED

From 1 April 2022 Costa Rica has removed all Covid related requirements to enter Costa Rica. As such, there is no requirement to fill out an online health declaration before arriving in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 3: Proof of onward journey

Proof of onward journey is a requirement for entry into Costa Rica. This can be in the form of a plane ticket or a bus ticket. This is not always asked for, but is technically a requirement. We were not asked for this when we entered Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 4: Proof of finances

Costa Rica requires visitors to be able to demonstrate that they have funds of at least $100 USD per person per month of stay. We were not asked for this when we entered Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 5: Valid passport

To enter Costa Rica, you will need to ensure you have your passport with at least 3 months validity beyond the date you enter Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 6: Check whether you require a Costa Rica visa or need to pay an entry fee

Costa Rica visa requirements vary by country. You can check your visa requirements for Costa Rica here. We have heard of Nicaraguan nationals not being granted access when flying in from the USA as they did not have a green card for the US.

As Australians we did not have to pay an entry fee for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Entry Requirement 7 (only for temporary or permanent residents): valid DIMEX and up to date caja payments

If you have a Costa Rican temporary or permanent residency you will also need the following:

• A valid DIMEX (Costa Rican residency card)
• Evidence that your Caja payments are up to date. If your Caja payments are not up to date you will still be able to enter. However, you will have 22 days to pay. You will also need to purchase valid Health Insurance to cover Covid medical expenses and Covid related lodging for the 22 day grace period.

Nicaragua Entry Requirements

Nicaragua Entry Requirement 1: Valid passport

A valid passport with at least one blank page and at least 6 months validity from the date of entry into Nicaragua

Nicaragua Entry Requirement 2: Proof of Covid vaccination or negative Covid PCR test

Nicaragua requires unvaccinated travellers to provide a negative PCR Covid test taken less than 72 hours before entry or 96 hours before entry if you’re travelling from Asia, Africa or the Oceania region.

From 16 June 2022 vaccinated travellers are no longer required to provide a Covid test to enter the country. They only need to provide their vaccination card or certificate showing two or more doses (or one dose in the case of Sputnik Light or Janssen/Johnson & Johnson). There are no limitations in terms of the year the vaccinations were received.

You can find a video of our experience getting a Covid test in San Jose Costa Rica here.

Nicaragua exit fee

We paid $3 USD per person for the exit at San Pancho. There’s an additional $1 USD building fee at the Peñas Blancas exit.

Costa Rica exit fee

The Costa Rica exit fee is $10 USD if exiting overland.

Nicaragua entry fee

There is a $13 USD entry fee to enter Nicaragua. There’s an additional $1 USD building fee at the Peñas Blancas border.

Costa Rica entry fee

There is no entry fee for Costa Rica.

How to get to the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border crossing

There are two official border crossings between Nicaragua and Costa Rica – at Peñas Blancas as well as at San Pancho Nicaragua / Los Chiles Costa Rica. Below are some options for how to get to both border crossings.

How cross land border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica by private transfer

For a completely hassle free experience, you can use a private transport company to drive you between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Alex Ruiz of Pacific Tours (WhatsApp +505 8918 1935) has an excellent reputation for providing private transport between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. He goes above and beyond to ensure that you reach your destination safely. A number of people in the Nicaragua expat community have said that Alex has also assisted them in dealing with airlines when there has been a problem with their flights. Private transfer is more expensive than other options, but you get full door-to-door service.

How cross land border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica by coach

One of the easiest ways to cross the land border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica is by coach. There are two coach companies that operate in Nicaragua – Nicabus and Tica Bus.

Nicabus operates buses between Nicaragua and Costa Rica:

• Managua (Nicaragua)-San Jose (Costa Rica) – fares are US$28.75 one way or US$57.50 return (prices as at January 2022)
• Chinandega (Nicaragua)-San Jose (Costa Rica) – fares are US$35 one way or US$70 return (prices as at January 2022)

Tica Bus operates buses throughout Central America as well as Mexico.

• Managua (Nicaragua)-San Jose (Costa Rica) – fares are US$29 one way or US$58 return (prices as at January 2022). There are a number of pick-up and drop-off points to choose from in both countries

How cross land border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas border crossing by public transport

How to get from Nicaragua to Peñas Blancas border crossing by public transport

The Peñas Blancas Border Crossing is in the south west of Nicaragua in the department of Rivas. The cheapest way to get to Peñas Blancas is by local bus. The bus to Peñas Blancas goes from Rivas, which is a major bus terminal in Nicaragua. You can get buses to Rivas from Managua, Granada, San Juan del Sur, Ometepe Island, Popoyo and many other popular destinations in Nicaragua. As an example, here is what you need to do to get a local bus from Granada to Peñas Blancas:

• Bus from Granada to Rivas – this costs 50 cordobas (as at 2022) and takes about 2 hours. The location of the bus stop in Granada is listed at “Nueva terminal de buses a Rivas” in Google maps.
• Bus from Rivas to Peñas Blancas – this costs 40 cordobas (as at 2022) and takes less than an hour.

How to get from the Peñas Blancas border crossing to Liberia Airport Costa Rica by public transport

Liberia Guanacaste Airport (airport code LIR) is an airport in Costa Rica which is close to the Nicaraguan border at Peñas Blancas.

From Liberia Guanacaste Airport, these are the buses you need to take:

• 521 bus from Peñas Blancas to Liberia. The travel time is approximately 1.5 hours and there’s a bus every 45 minutes from 5am until 6:30pm. Bus fare is 1750 colones (approximately US$3) per person (as at 2022).
• 513 bus from Liberia to Liberia Guanacaste Airport. The travel time is approximately 18 minutes and buses run every 1-2 hours. Bus fare is approximately 500-600 colones (around US$1). Alternatively a taxi takes around 16 minutes and costs US$16-20 and Uber costs around US$7.50 (as at 2022).

Bus timetable – 521 bus Liberia to Peñas Blancas Costa Rica

Note – this bus also stops at Santa Rosa National Park turnoff, Cuajiniquil turnoff and La Cruz. La Cruz is 1 hour by bus from Liberia and around 30 minutes by bus from Peñas Blancas.

For more information, see this website: https://grupotranbasa.com/

Bus timetable – 513 bus Liberia to Playa Matapalo via Liberia Guanacaste Airport Costa Rica

* From or to Nuevo Colon rather than Playa Matapalo.

Note – Liberia Guanacaste Airport is 18 minutes by bus from Liberia and around 45 minutes – 1 hour by bus from Playa Matapalo.

For more information, see this website.

How cross land border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica at San Pancho-Los Chiles border crossing by public transport

How to get from Nicaragua to San Pancho-Los Chiles border crossing by public transport

The San Pancho-Los Chiles Border Crossing is in the south east of Nicaragua in the department of Rio San Juan. In order to get to the San Pancho border crossing you will first need to get to San Carlos. The town of San Carlos is the gateway to San Pancho.

How to get to San Carlos Nicaragua by public transport

San Carlos is located on Lake Nicaragua and is also on the banks of the San Juan River. As such, it can be reached by land or by water.

Getting to San Carlos from Managua by bus

You can get to San Carlos from Managua by bus. This journey is around 280km and will take around 8 hours.

Getting to San Carlos from Granada by ferry

There are ferries from Granada to San Carlos via Ometepe Island. These ferries recommenced in October 2021 after being suspended for several years due to low water levels in Lake Nicaragua. The ferry between Granada and San Carlos runs once a week in each direction.

Getting to San Carlos from Granada by bus

From Granada you can also get to San Carlos by taking a few local buses. The buses you will need are:

• Granada to Masaya
• Masaya to Tipitapa
• Tipitapa to San Carlos

We slowly travelled along this journey by bus over the space of 2 weeks stopping at Boaco, Camoapa and Juigalpa along the way. Each leg of the journey took between 1-4 hours. This is a less visited part of the country but there are some lovely spots along the way. To see a different side of Nicaragua, we highly recommend taking some time to explore this part of the country.

How to get from San Carlos to the San Pancho border crossing

To get to the border from San Carlos, there are a number of different options:

• Bus to San Pancho
• Take a boat down the Rio Frio to San Pancho
• Catch a lancha boats to Santa Fe bridge and then catch a micro bus to San Pancho

How to get from the San Pancho border crossing to Los Chiles Costa Rica by bus

Once you cross the border into Costa Rica at San Pancho there is a bus stop just across the road from border control. Buses to the nearby border town of Los Chiles leave from this bus stop. The bus ride takes about 10 minutes and costs 275 colones per person. There are people that will exchange money for you at the border. We asked the bus driver and he pointed us to a person that was able to exchange money for us.

How to get from the San Pancho border crossing to other parts of Costa Rica

The bus from the border at San Pacho also goes to Ciudad Quesada. This is a major major city in Costa Rica and from here you can get buses to La Fortuna, San Jose and other parts of Costa Rica.

Our experience: San Pancho-Los Chiles border crossing from El Castillo

We decided to spend a few days at El Castillo on Rio San Juan before doing the border crossing. El Castillo is a 2-3 hour lancha boat ride from San Carlos along Rio San Juan.

Lancha from El Castillo to Sante Fe bridge and microbus to San Pancho

From El Castillo we took the 5am lancha to the Sante Fe bridge and a microbus from there to the border crossing at San Pancho. We did the border crossing on a Sunday and the other lancha times from El Castillo that day were at 9am and 1pm. Only slow lanchas operate on weekends, which means more stops along Rio San Juan. The full trip from El Castillo to the port at San Carlos takes 3 hours rather than 2 hours. Santa Fe is around half an hour before San Carlos if you are coming from El Castillo. There are a couple more lanchas on weekdays.

The ferry from El Castillo to Puente Santa Fe cost 100 cordobas each and the microbus from Santa Fe to San Pancho cost 50 cordobas each (prices as at August 2021).

Police checkpoint at Santa Fe bridge

There is a police check point just after the Santa Fe bridge. As such, once the microbus crosses the bridge everyone has to get out of the microbus and walk over to a tent to go through the police check point. For us this took around 10 minutes. The police asked us to show us the contents of some of our bags, they looked through our passport and asked us a few questions about where we were from and where we were going. If you are catching the microbus from Puente Sante Fe it might be easier to just walk over the bridge and go through the police checkpoint before catching the microbus.

Arriving at San Pancho Nicaragua

As the microsbus approaches the San Pancho border, they will make 2 stops. The first stop is for people crossing the border illegally and the second stop is for people crossing the border legally.

Exiting Nicaragua overland

After getting out of the microbus at San Pancho, we were greeted with hundreds of people waiting to get in at the border. The border control building was a large white building that appeared to be newly built. The road leading up to it was yet to be constructed and was a muddy dirt path. We joined the queue outside border control, anticipating that the next few hours would be a long wait.

A few minutes passed, and we decided to check with a border official to make sure we were in the right line. Fortunately for us, he lead us to a much shorter line which only had a few people in it. Even better, we were able to get into the air-conditioned building rather than standing outside in the heat of the day. Within about five minutes we paid our $3 USD exit fee each, our passports were processed and it was time to leave Nicaragua.

Entering Costa Rica overland

After exiting Nicaragua, we moved on to no mans land in between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. From there it was a short walk to the Costa Rica border control buidling. There was only one person in the queue ahead of us. Once we got to the front of the queue we handed over our passports, showed our QR codes and answered a few questions about our travel plans. Our passports got stamped and we were officially in Costa Rica.

Bus to Los Chiles Costa Rica from the Costa Rica border

Our first stop in Costa Rica was Los Chiles. The bus stop was just across the road from the Costa Rica border control building. We walked over to the bus stop and there was a bus there waiting for us. We had to pay the bus fare in the local currency colones and the bus driver pointed us to a man nearby who was able to exchange our remaining Nicaragua cordobas for colones. It was a very comfortable ride to Los Chiles and we were impressed with the condition of the buses in Costa Rica. The bus took about 10 minutes to reach Los Chiles and we paid 275 colones per person for the bus fare. The same bus continued on to Ciudad Quesada, which is a major transport hub with buses to La Fortuna, San Jose and other parts of Costa Rica.

Where to stay when doing the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border crossing at San Pancho-Los Chiles

We recommend the following low to mid budget accommodation near the San Pancho border crossing:

Where to stay in San Carlos Nicaragua

San Carlos is a vibrant lakeside town on the banks of Lake Nicaragua. The malecon area is a beautiful place to watch the sun set and see views of Ometepe Island.

For comfortable low budget accommodation, we recommend Hotel Gran Lago. Expect to pay around 700 cordobas per room for a couple.

Where to stay in El Castillo Nicaragua

El Castillo is a sleepy riverside town with plenty of history and natural beauty. An impressive fort towers over the town and has a lot of interesting history. The all day boat tour of the nature reserve Indio Maiz was one of the best tours we did in Nicaragua.

For a comfortable mid budget accommodation we recommend Hotel Victoria. Expect to pay between $40-$60 per night per couple including breakfast.

Where to stay in Los Chiles Costa Rica

Los Chiles is the border town in Costa Rica. There are a few nice restaurants and accommodation options in town. The main attraction is the nature reserve Caño Negro. You can hire a boat to take you down the river on a wildlife spotting tour for around $100 for 2 hours. This will cover the cost of the boat and the captain. We saw plenty of wildlife on this tour including 3 toed sloths, birds, an alligator and various types of monkeys.

While staying in Los Chiles we recommend staying at Hotel Heliconia. It’s conveniently located a short walk from the bus terminal and from the main part of the town. Rooms are comfortable and reasonably priced. Expect to pay around 25,000 colones for a room for a couple including breakfast or 18,000 colones excluding breakfast.

Is the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border crossing safe?

General safety considerations for travel near the Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border:

• Drinking water – The tap water on the Nicaragua side of the Border Crossing is not safe to drink. Hotels may provide bottled water for guests to use. The taps water on the Costa Rica side of the border is safe to drink
• Mosquitoes – we did not have an issue with mosquitoes in the area around the border crossing. Nevertheless, we recommend bringing insect repellent with you on your trip
• Road safety – We often travelled standing up in the back of vans or in vehicles without helmets or seat belts. Be aware that this does come with an element of risk
• Water safety – If you visit any of the coastal areas or lakes, take care when swimming as currents and waves may be stronger than you expect. On lanchas and boats life vests are provided
• Sun safety – The UV Index is very high in Central America. Sun protection such as sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses is very important to ensure you don’t get burnt.
• Dogs – In many countries in Central America, stray dogs are common. For more on dog safety while travelling, check out this video.

As with any destination, take all of your normal safety precautions.

Visas in Nicaragua: The CA4-90 day visa

If you’re visiting Nicaragua, you will probably be on a CA-90 day visa. Tourists on the CA4-90 day visa are permitted entry to the CA4 countries for a period of 90 days. The CA4 countries are Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. After the initial 90 days, 30 day visa extensions may be granted up to a maximum of 90 additional days. We have also heard of some people being granted getting 60 day or 90 day visa extensions, which means less trips back to the immigration office for renewals. This is not standard practice at the moment, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

It is reasonably common for perpetual tourists to do border runs between Nicaragua and Costa Rica every 90 days in order to reset their 90 day visas. Technically you are supposed to leave Nicaragua for at least 3 days in order to get another 90 day visa. However we have heard of people crossing the border and then returning in the same day.

How to get visa extensions in Nicaragua

Rather than doing a time consuming visa run, it may be possible to get a visa extension in Nicaragua. Visa extensions can be done at the immigration office in most major cities in Nicaragua. As at 2022 a 30 day visa extension costs $25 US plus 5 cordobas for the form. We have successfully renewed our visas in the immigration offices at Granada, Rivas, Estelí as well as the head office in Managua. Additionally, we tried to renew our visas in Ocotal, but they would not renew our visas at that office and instead sent us to Managua.

Same day visa renewals at Managua Nicaragua

Visa extension applications submitted at the head office in Managua are processed on the same day. The visa renewal application and approval process usually takes 1-2 hours.

Visa renewals in cities outside Managua Nicaragua

Regardless of where you submit your application for a visa renewal, all Nicaragua visa renewals are processed in the head office in Managua. You can apply for a visa extension in other cities in Nicaragua, however your passport will still need to be sent to the head office in Managua for processing. This process can take up to 2 weeks but is typically 5-6 business days. While your visa is being processed you will not have possession of your passport. You will also need to pay an extra 50 cordobas for postage.

Where are the immigration offices in Nicaragua?

An interactive map with the addresses and opening hours of immigration offices in Nicaragua can be found on this website. Most tourists get visa extensions in Managua head office, Granada or Rivas. One complicating factor is that addresses in Nicaragua can be difficult to understand. They are expressed not with street numbers but in relation to major landmarks. Below are the official address, our translation, the Google maps name of the location and the Plus code you can use in Google maps for the exact location.

Location of Managua Nicaragua immigration head office

Official address for immigration head office in Managua Nicaragua: Semáforos de la Tenderí 300 metros al lago. (This means it’s at the traffic lights 300 metres from the lake).

Google maps name for immigration head office in Managua Nicaragua: Directorate General of Immigration and Nationality.

Plus code for Google maps location of immigration head office in Managua Nicaragua: 4PXX+6PP, Avenida Xolotlan, Managua, Nicaragua.

Location of Granada Nicaragua immigration office

Official address for immigration office in Granada Nicaragua: De la capilla María Auxiliadora media Cuadra abajo Calle Real Xalteva. (This means it’s half a block below the Maria Auxiliador church on Calle Real Xalteva).

Google maps name for immigration office in Granada Nicaragua: Ministerio de Migración.

Plus code for Google maps location of immigration office in Granada Nicaragua: W2QV+4QR, Calle Atravesada, Granada, Nicaragua.

Location of Rivas Nicaragua immigration office

Official address for immigration office in Rivas Nicaragua: De la rotonda Jesús del Rescate 1/2 cuadra al sur. (This means it’s half a block south of the Jesús del Rescate roundabout).

Google maps name for immigration office in Rivas Nicaragua: Migration Nicaragua.

Plus code for Google maps location of immigration office in Rivas Nicaragua: C5VF+CH8, Rivas, Nicaragua.

What are the opening hours of immigration office in Nicaragua?

Most immigration offices in Nicaragua open from 8am-5pm Monday to Saturday. The immigration offices in Managua also open on Sundays from 10am-1pm.

Requirements for visa extensions in Nicaragua

We have applied for visa extensions in Granada, Rivas, Managua, Esteli and Ocotal. The requirements for getting a visa extension can vary depending on the immigration officer that processes your application.

The Ocotal office did not process our visa extension application. They sent us back to the head office in Managua. We have heard of someone having a similar experience in Matagalpa.

Requirements for visa renewals in Nicaragua

From our experience you need to provide the following in order to get a visa extension in Nicaragua:

• Your passport
• A photocopy of the front page of your passport. This is the page with your photo and personal details
• A photocopy of the most recent visa stamp for Nicaragua. This is either the most recent visa extension stamp or the entry stamp if this is your first visa extension in Nicaragua
• Some offices may also require a photocopy of your initial entry stamp for the CA4-90 day visa
• Some offices may also require proof of accommodation. Proof may be in the form of a photocopy of the receipt from your accommodation. It should include the cedula number of the owner of the accommodation. If you are in a couple or family you may need a separate photocopy of your receipt for each person applying for a visa extension
• Some offices may question you about your income, your travel plans and how much you pay for your accommodation

A basic level of Spanish will be very helpful in going through this process. The immigration officers may only speak Spanish and all of the forms are in Spanish. Google Translate helped us a lot in navigating this process.

Applying for a visa extension in Managua Nicaragua

For most immigration offices in Nicaragua, the one immigration officer will process your visa extension application from start to finish. However the process is different in Managua. In Managua there are a few different queues you need to line up in. This is because different people process different parts of the application. This process is a bit more complicated, but the steps are:

• Buy the form for 5 cordobas. This is from one of the windows in the middle of the room. Window 21 if memory serves me correctly
• Fill out the form
• Go to the front desk so that they can check your forms and give you a number
• Sit in the waiting area just in front of the front desk and wait for your number to be called. This will be in Spanish, but sometimes there is a television screen at the front displaying the ticket number and the window where that ticket is currently being processed
• Once your number is called, go to the relevant window. Hand in your paperwork and answer any questions that they have
• Go back to window 21 to pay the $25 USD for the visa extension. You will get 2 receipts – one for you and one that you need to hand in
• Go back to the window that processed you and hand in the receipt for them
• Go and sit back down and wait for your visa extension to be processed
• Once they call your name, go back to the window that processed your visa application. They will show you the stamp with your new exit date. You will need to either apply for a visa extension on that date or leave Nicaragua by that date

Final thoughts on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border crossing

If you want to learn more about the Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Crossing, check out our Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Crossing video.

Costa Rica Blogs

You can find out Costa Rica travel blogs below.

Nicaragua Blogs

You can find our Nicaragua blogs below.

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