It is more important than ever to get travel insurance and check your cover. See the FCDO’s guidance on foreign travel insurance.

There is no British Embassy in Nicaragua. Our consular support there is limited. If you need emergency consular assistance, you should contact the British Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, at +506-2258-2025.

If you need to contact the emergency services in Nicaragua, call 118 (police), 128 (ambulance) or 115 (911 from a mobile) (fire). The 24-hour hotline for COVID-19 related queries is 132.

An active tropical storm is predicted to affect the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, making landfall on Sunday 9 October 2022, possibly as a hurricane. Monitor local news reports and keep up to date with FCDO travel advice and social media. You can sign up for our email alert service to be notified of any updates to our travel advice. Follow the advice of local authorities, including any evacuation orders.

The hurricane season usually runs from June to November. You should monitor local and international weather updates from the World Meteorological Organisation and the US National Hurricane Centre. See Natural disasters. See our tropical cyclones page for advice about what to do if you are caught up in a storm.

Nicaragua has established an absolute ban on electronic smoking devices, prohibiting the import, export, sale, storage and use of e-cigarettes and similar devices, with or without nicotine. Customs officials can confiscate these products from travellers at the border.

Many areas of the country experienced a period of political disturbances in April 2018, resulting in hundreds of deaths and detentions according to UN reports. Protests led to violent clashes and use of tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. The situation is now quieter but remains unpredictable. You should stay well away from all demonstrations and gatherings, even if apparently peaceful, as these could result in outbreaks of violence. See Political situation.

Keep up to date with FCDO travel advice and social media. You can sign up for our email alert service to be notified of any updates to our travel advice.

The Nicaraguan border may close at short or no notice. See Entry requirements.

Nicaragua is in a seismically active region. See Natural disasters for advice about what to do before, during and after an earthquake. You should seek reliable local advice before and during any tourist activity around volcanoes.

Mosquito-borneDengue diseasesis are endemic to Latin America and the Caribbean. Nicaragua has an elevated incidence of thesedengue and risk is particularly high during the rainy season (May to November). Cases of Chikungunya virus have been confirmed in Nicaragua. There are reports of a rise in Malaria cases, including in May 2021 around the north-western city of Chinandega. See Health.

Around 17,500 British tourists visited Nicaragua in 2017 but numbers have dropped since the 2018 protests. Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in Nicaragua, attacks can’t be ruled out. See Terrorism