Residency for Canadians in Nicaragua – written by a Lawyer Mr. Paul Tiffer
Updated in March 2021.Canadians have the same right to apply for residency and obtain the same benefits as any other nationalities. They will be able to apply as retirees, Foreign Investors, (below there are two links with information about this status) Business people, Missionaries, Spouse, Workers etc.
I decided to write this article because sometimes there are confusions in this process.Basically the difference with US & British citizens or some other nationalities is regarding the legalization of their documents.Because Canada it is not part of the Hague Convention for Public Documents of 1961 (Apostille) documents have to be authenticated to be legal in Nicaragua.
I will explain according my experience the path to follow:Every single document to be legal and valid to apply for residency such as: birth certificate, police record, pension letter, marriage license (when it is necessary) naturalization certificate (when it is necessary) have to be authenticated and translated.
The first step will be to notarize the documentation; then it must be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada first/Global Affairs Canada.Nowadays there are two options to continue the authentication:
a). It could be authenticated in the new Nicaraguan Embassy in Ottawa, Their address is:Global Affairs CanadaAuthentication Services Sections (JLAC)125 Sussex DriveOttawa, ONKIA 0G2(613) 252-5880
b) It could be authenticated at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Washington:Telf……….. : 001-202-939-6531From …….: Monday to Friday 9:00am – 1:00pm Address : 1627 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington DC 20009.
2- The documents have to be translated to Spanish by a certified translator.
3. Send on the following documents: the notary’s certificate; form duly completed and signed.
4. Certified check or money order from any bank in the name of Embassy of Nicaragua worth US$25.00 per document, you can make only one money order.
5. Included in it, a Canadian Post prepaid envelope or other means of mail to be able to send all documentation back to your home.
6. After the authentication in Canada or USA, documents have to be authenticated at the Nicaraguan Foreign Affair Ministry in Managua.
Both Consulate accepts pre-paid envelop to be sent to TIFER & ASOCIADOS office in Managua directly.Be aware Nicaraguan’s government requires original from the documents to apply for residency. Please take into consideration that when a foreign person comes to Nicaragua receives a tourist Visa which will last depending of their nationality. Canadians and USA citizens will receive Visa by 90 days which can be renewed for another 90 days, If during this time it is in the process to obtain residency it will be mandatory to renew the Visa until the Residency is granted and receive the Cedula.
There are immigration offices in the main cities of Nicaragua and extension can be obtained in any of them.The testimony below is from a Canadian who already obtained his residency as retiree, and because he was from the Province of Ontario he didn´t send his documents to Ottawa. Please check with your government.
Testimony of a Canadian who already received his residency, as retiree, regarding how to legalize his documents: “Authentication. Good day Paul, I hope that you are doing well. I have just returned to Nicaragua. During my stay in Canada, I collected the doctor´s letter, the police report, my birth certificate, and the statements for two different pensions. First I had them notarized, then I had the Ministry of Government Services in Ontario certify the notarized copies. After doing so, I phoned the Nicaraguan Consulate in Washington D.C. to find out where I should send the notarized, certified documents to be authenticated. I was told to send them to the Washington Consulate, because it has jurisdiction over residents of the province of Ontario in Canada. In the package of documents which I sent to Washington, I included a pre-paid FedEx envelope with your name and address on it, which the consulate will use to forward the documents once it has authenticated them.
The Health Certificate can be obtain in a Nicaraguan at the “Centro de Salud”
For your specific questions, please contact the Lawyer who wrote to article above names Paul Tiffer. He comes highly recommended with the immigration/residency process. For more info, visit his website http://www.TifferLawFirm.com
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