DGA Nica | Customs and Immigration

After crossing at Los Manos, I noticed my vehicle import permit had incorrectly listed my motorcycle as a truck. I visited the DGA here in Managua, but it would have been multiple days of red tape to fix it, so I didn’t bother. In the end, no one mentioned it when I exited the country at Penas Blancas.

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DGA experience
-$10 taxi from Managua Backpackers Inn
-arrived at 8am when they open, 2nd in line
-You show your passport go to the left then watch the TV for when you're called and which cashier/office.
-Took 10 mins to sort out the total fines I owed as I'd left my bike in Managua for more than 30 days while I went away for work.
The 1rst day you are over 30 days is $50 then it's $1 a day for every day after that. These are hand written on paper so make sure the amounts are clear. At the bank we couldn't tell if it said $23 or $33 but I knew it was $23.
-30 mins at Lafise Bank next door to pay fines (cash). normal bank line, not the insurance line.
-15 mins wait back at DGA
-Was told to come back 2 days later, I nicely explained that I was leaving either today or early tomorrow so that didn't work. She talked to her boss and I was asked to come back between 2-3.
- 10 cents bus ride back to hostal
- 10 cents bus back to DGA at 2:30 permit wasn't ready.
- waited until 3:30 (they close at 3:30) but given permit.
-back to bank, you sign in on the Ipad on the 1rst desk on the right for Seguro (insurance).
- waited 45 mins until my # was shown on the TV. proceed to desk.
- 5 mins to fill out insurance paperwork.
- get back in normal bank line to pay the $12 for 30 days (cash), that took another 35 mins.
- put name back into Ipad on 1rst insurance desk
- 2 mins to give receipt and get insurance paperwork.
- 10 cents bus ride back to hostal.

YES, the system is slow, clogged and can be improved. But, we're visitors here in a very beautiful Country. It's very easy to get frustrated. Don't be in a hurry. Try to enjoy even the difficult things.

Have an AMAZING DAY!
www.youtube.com/@TrippingwithAl

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Turned up on a Friday (tried the previous day but they were closed for a public holiday) at 10.30am ish. 10 minutes there, an hour queuing at the bank, 5 minutes there again, and they told me to come back the following Tuesday to collect my TIP. I explained that I was sleeping in my vehicle and not super comfortable spending that long on the city, and asked if they could possibly have it done for Monday - they conferred briefly then told me to come back at 2.30pm that same day - sure enough it was waiting for me when I returned. Magic. (Other than forgetting I needed insurance, which cost me a further two hours of queuing at the bank!

Cash only for bank payments; dollars or cordobas accepted.

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What a pain.

i arrived at 8 am and was the first in the office, from Leon I woke up at 4am just for that.

they tell me to come back Tuesday (4 days layer), I explain how annoying and painful that is to me and they tell me to come back at 3.

of course, at 3, nothing is done and they tell me to come back next week. So here am I in the bus back to Leon after having wasted my whole day in the giant shithole that Managua is, with the burden of having to come back.

Nicaraguyan bureaucracy so far has been a real pain in the ass to me compared to many other LATAM countries.

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Ok so I just did my extended TIP. You don’t need the letter anymore but most of the rest is correct below. However...I was there at 8am and after about 15 I was don’t but they told me to come back in 2 days!!! I told them
It’s 4+ hours to come here and they said you can talk to the Jefa but she doubts it because I’m American. Wow!!! I went and talk to the boss but she was busy and a young man ask if he could help me. He got on the phone and then went into the boss’s office. Then he told me to come back at 2. Sweet! So I return at 2 go straight to him and he gets on the phone. I over hear him say”un americano” after a few more moments he told me to go to the window to get it. They looked around and it wasn’t there so they asked me to talk a seat. I watched them print it out and sign it and stamp it and 2 minutes later they gave it to me. It was that easy for them to do it. I feel that they were making it harder because I’m American. Anyway good luck!!!

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Everything recently posted is correct. i was told i had to come back on Monday, 4 days later, to retrieve the new TIP. Try not to arrive just before noon. Everyone goes on a lunch break from noon until 1, so you may have to sit and wait for an hour like i did.

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Steps below are correct, easy process. My first 30 day renewal for a car was $10. However after the whole process they made me come back a full week later to pick up the new TIP because the staff that need to sign off the paperwork were on Christmas holidays... I was still allowed to drive with the expired TIP and the receipt they gave me as proof of my request for extension.

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We followed the steps stated below, which are correct and up to date however our experience was particularly painful. We think / hope it was an isolated incident of a person having a bad day.

Arrived at 0900 on a Wednesday. Handed in all necessary paperwork to get a new TIP. Paid the fine for it being expired for 90 days. $50usd fine with $1usd per day of expiration. DGA woman tells me to come back after 2pm (the same day) to pick it up! Thought I was getting lucky but here’s the kicker..... when I came back, the workers told me that the director is ‘quarantining’ our paperwork for 2 days because we are Americanos (NOT the standard overnight procedure). Our pieces of paper (not passports) needed to stay isolated in a separate area for 2 days before she went near them. Wow! We have been in Nicaragua for 6 months and the director was afraid of our paperwork. There was no mention of the fact that the previous TIP was so expired or anything making better sense. It was simply because of COVID and our citizenship.

Came back Friday afternoon and it still took until after 3pm to receive our new TIP. Hopefully this was just a result of someone having a bad day for the sake of other American over landers stuck in Nica, if there’s still anyone out there.

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Easy renewal of vehicle import. Due to Pandemic border closures, this is my 3rd renewal. They are very friendly and helpful here.

1) I go straight to DGA first, take a number for the secretaries to the left. (wait less that 5 min)

2) Tell them you are renewing. They give you a slip of paper for the bank next door.

3) In the bank go straight to the secretary desks on the right, find the computer pad to input your name. Wait to be called (less than 5 min) get insurance HERE. They need your ownership, passport and your old insurance slip. Pay at the teller for insurance and provide the slip of paper from the DGA, pay your 30 renewal.

4) Return to DGA, take a number for the Caja and wait to be called. Hand in old permit, copy of passport, a letter in Spanish stating reason for extension. They provide a long receipt printout.

5) All times I have had to return the next business day after 11am to get the permit. Hand in the printed slip and sometimes the passport. They give the permit.

My letter asking for extension.

La Atención de: Johana Torres

And just states that I entered into the country with my vehicle and I cannot exit due to the border closures. I used Google translate, it seemed to work alright. I made a copy of the original letter and just keep changing the date.

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retour d'expérience sur le renouvellement de l'importation temporaire de notre véhicule (TIP) au Nicaragua.
Pour rappel, cette importation n'est valable qu'un mois et ne peut se renouveler, en temps normal, qu'une seule fois (ce qu'on a fait le mois dernier). Or, là, c'était la deuxième fois. Arrivés deux jours avant l'expiration de notre deuxième TIP, on appréhendait un peut mais tout s'est bien passé. On a dû faire une lettre expliquant les raisons de ce renouvelement et on a ensuite eu le papier le jour suivant. 30 jours supplémentaires nous ont coûté 30$US. Et un mois de plus d'assurance, 12$US. L'adresse de la Aduana de Managua est toujours (12.151063,-86.233164) et pour l'assurance, avenue Masaya (12.115361,-86.256424)
A noter que dans les administrations et les banques, c'est contrôle obligatoire de température à l'entrée, gel sur les mains et parfois même désinfection des chaussures.
Voilà, on est tranquille pour un troisième mois, donc jusqu'à fin mai.

Voici la lettre qu'on a dû écrire à la douane, si ça vous intéresse.
Le corps du texte est :

YO SOLICITO UNA RENOVACION DEL PERMISO DE TURISMO DE MI VEHICULO DEBIDO A LA SITUACION DE LA PANDEMIA LAS FRONTERAS ESTAN CERRADAS.
LA PROROGA LA NECESSITO 30 DIAS.

we wanted to let you know how we renewed our TIP in NICARAGUA for the second time, since we can't go to other countries because the borders are closed due to the coronavirus.
As a reminder, this temporary importation is only valid for one month and, normally, you can only renew it once (which we did last month). This time was the second time. Arriving two days before the expiration date of our second TIP, we were a bit worried but everything worked fine. We had to write a letter explaining the reasons why and then we got the paper the next day. 30 days more cost us 30$US. And one more month for the insurance, 12$US. The Aduana of Managua is (12.151063,-86.233164). You pay at the bank next door. But for the insurance you have to go to the Lafise bank center on Masaya avenue (12.115361,-86.256424).
In the administrations and banks, they control your temperature at the entry, clean your hands and sometimes your shoes.
Now, we're fine for one more month, til the end of May.

For your information, here is the letter we had to write.

The text is :
YO SOLICITO UNA RENOVACION DEL PERMISO DE TURISMO DE MI VEHICULO DEBIDO A LA SITUACION DE LA PANDEMIA LAS FRONTERAS ESTAN CERRADAS.
LA PROROGA LA NECESSITO 30 DIAS.

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Can recommend to

1.Get the insurance in the bank next door than
2. queue and pay for the insurance and the new tip (we've been around 2hours at the bank because we had to queue 2times and it took ages..)
3. then go to the dga
4. if you're early and lucky you get it the same say

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We went there to renew the TIP. Very nice people. Easy and took about an houre to extend 30 day.
Copy of paasport an TIP

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Showed up to start at 3:00. Simple process. Returned next day after 2:00 picked up easily. Back to green bank to extend car insurance (12$usd). Super simple and got 30 days past expiration.

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It’s not true, that they don’t extend your permit and there is no need to wait for the end of the first 30 days. You‘ll get another 30 days on top of your original permit, but there is no possibilty to stay longer than 60 days with your car in Nicaragua.
We first went to the DGA and they gave us a paper for the bank. The whole process took about 1 hour. Everybody was very friendly and helpful, but we weren‘t able to pick up the new permit in the afternoon because the person, who has to sign it, wasn’t there at that particular day. They told us to come back the next day in the afternoon. We tried to pick it up the next morning because we wanted to leave Managua, but had to wait till 2 pm.

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NB you need to pay $1 per day at the Lafise Bank. Go there first, left hand quick queue, and ask for a 'código 40'. Make sure it's got your name which matches the import document.

Then make a copy (I'd get 2 to be safe). Go back past customs and take first right. There's a couple of copy shops a few metres down on other side of road.

Back in customs get a ticket (Caja option) from the computers by entrance and wait on right for your number to be called. Need licence, title and passport.

Then you need to come back tomorrow (in the afternoon for me, despite doing it in the morning).

There's a beautiful spot to camp about 20 minutes to the south (Casa Inti - on iOverlander) of you need to stay overnight.

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Super easy, here's a breakdown of process:
1) Park at DGA but go directly next door (out gate turn left to Bancentro- Green Bank). Ask to pay codigo 040 Renovación certifica de turismo de vehículos - $1per day max 30 days. Get receipt, leave bank.

2) Walk back past DGA to traffic light, cross side street , next to chicken shop, copy shop grill (red writing, green grill). Make one copy, 2 Cordobas per copy.

3) Go back to DGA, get ticket for their Caja (blue chairs) queue. Look for computer screens to print ticket for queue (on your left upon entering building).

4) Give clerk:
Passport
Title
Reg
Old permit
Bank Receipt & copy (they keep both)

They give you a cash register style receipt. (This is proof of permit till collection if pulled over by the police)

5) Go back next day. We explained we were due to drive many miles away, they agreed to complete same day, but it could mean lots of waiting around. We waited 2.5hrs and just made some lunch in parking lot. Up to you.

Enjoy the A/C in the building!!

6) Go get car insurance.

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to renew TIP. They will not "extend" but give you a new 30 day one from the date you are there in the office so best to wait till closer to the end of the existing one.

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