Permanent Residence as Investor (Residente Permanente Inversionista)

Year establishedPublished

2011

Governing lawPublished

Ley No. 761, Ley General de Migración y Extranjería (arts. 30, 32, 35), as amended by Ley No. 1228 (2024), and its regulation; investment registration now under Ley No. 1240, Ley de Inversiones Extranjeras (2025), which repealed Ley No. 344

Responsible authorityPublished

Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Ministerio del Interior; investment certificate from the Ministerio de Fomento, Industria y Comercio (MIFIC)

What the program providesPublished

Five-year renewable Nicaraguan permanent residence for a US$30,000 investment in a business or real estate project

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Minimum agePublished

18 years

Clean criminal record requiredPublished

Yes

Local health insurance requiredPublished

No

Nationality restrictionsPublished

No

Basic eligibilityPublished

Invest at least US$30,000 in a lawful activity in Nicaragua (business, real estate, tourism, industry or agroforestry project) and obtain the MIFIC investment certificate

Generational limitPublished

Not applicable

Family sponsorshipPublished

Yes

Spouse includedPublished

Yes

Children includedPublished

Yes

Child age limitUnknown

Unknown

ChildrenPublished

Law 761 art. 30 lets the spouse, children and parents of an investor resident hold permanent residence as dependants; no age cut-off for children found

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Processing timePublished

From 4 weeks

Can apply without travelingPublished

No

How you applyPublished

Investment certified by MIFIC, then application filed in person at the DGME in Managua

Required in-person stepPublished

MIFIC inspection visit to the business with the investor present; filing and residence card collection at the DGME in Managua

What the processing time measuresPublished

MIFIC investment certificate takes about 4-8 weeks (law firms GCH and Corrales); no published time for the DGME residence stage

Official application routePublished

https://www.migob.gob.ni/migracion/tramites/solicitud-de-residencia-permanente/

Minimum investmentPublished

$30,000

Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Unknown

Unknown

Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published

$30,000

Processing feePublished

$136

Application feeUnknown

Unknown

Total cost to applyPublished

$136

Monthly income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly pension income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly rental income requiredPublished

None required

Savings requiredUnknown

Unknown

Proof of sufficient fundsUnknown

Unknown

Local bank deposit requiredPublished

No

Minimum local bank depositPublished

None required

Minimum investment as published (Sept 2026)Published

USD 30,000

Other investment routes (Sept 2026)Published

Qualifying spend can be real estate, a new or existing business, tourism, industrial or agroforestry projects; supporting evidence may include property deeds, equipment purchases, leases and services. Above US$60,000 a CPA investment certificate is required. Law 761 art. 35 also mentions state bonds and financial-institution securities, but no current procedure for that route was found.

Fees paidPublished

Before approval

Cost notesPublished

Law 761 fee table: five-year permanent residence card C$5,000 (about US$136); residence form C$50. Investments above US$60,000 need a certificate from an authorised public accountant. Legal and translation costs extra. Fee table may have been updated since 2011.

Stay required to keep statusPublished

1 day/year

Minimum days per year in country (July 2026 figure)Published

None

Physical presence requiredPublished

No

In-country visit requiredPublished

Yes

Move-in windowPublished

0 months

Length of residencyPublished

60 months

Residency is lifetimePublished

No

RenewablePublished

Yes

Maximum durationUnknown

Unknown

Maximum duration is lifetimePublished

Yes

Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published

Permanent residence can be cancelled after more than one year outside Nicaragua (exceptions for health, study or family reasons)

Tax residency rulePublished

Residents staying more than 183 days per year will be considered tax residents

Personal income taxPublished

range between 0%-30%

Time to permanent residencyPublished

Immediate

Time to citizenshipPublished

7 years

Work for a local employerUnknown

Unknown

Start a businessPublished

Yes

Remote or freelance workPublished

Yes

Local healthcare accessUnknown

Unknown

University accessUnknown

Unknown

Can buy landPublished

Yes

Local bankingPublished

Yes

Permanent residence timeline basisPublished

Immediate upon approval

Citizenship timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Investment note (Sept 2026)Published

The November 2024 reform (Ley 1228) removed pensioner and rentista residence from permanent status and ended the 3-year temporary-to-permanent route. Investor residence stays permanent, and naturalisation now needs 7 years as a permanent resident (was 2 years for investors). Ley 1240 (in force from about May 2025) replaced Ley 344 as the foreign investment law; its regulation may change how the investment is certified.

Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published

The card lasts 5 years and is renewed while the investment is maintained. Citizenship needs 7 years as a permanent resident since the 2024 reform. No yearly stay is required, but staying out of Nicaragua for more than a year can cost the status.

Official program websitePublished

https://www.migob.gob.ni/migracion/tramites/solicitud-de-residencia-permanente/

Investment source (Sept 2026)Published

https://www.gchnicaragua.com/residencia-por-inversion-y-constitucion-de-empresas-para-extranjeros | https://corralesyasociados.com/blog/proceso-de-registro-de-inversion-para-efectos-de-obtencion-de-residencia/ | https://consortiumlegal.com/en/2025/07/29/immigration-reform-in-nicaragua-changes-of-interest-for-2024/

Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published

https://oig.cepal.org/sites/default/files/2011_leygeneralmigracionyextranjeria_nic.pdf | https://www.gchnicaragua.com/residencia-por-inversion-y-constitucion-de-empresas-para-extranjeros | https://corralesyasociados.com/blog/proceso-de-registro-de-inversion-para-efectos-de-obtencion-de-residencia/ | https://consortiumlegal.com/en/2025/07/29/immigration-reform-in-nicaragua-changes-of-interest-for-2024/ | http://legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni/normaweb.nsf/3133c0d121ea3897062568a1005e0f89/cd011ea2048a79b006258c3b00691963?OpenDocument=

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.