United Kingdom visa requirements for Nicaraguan citizens

Online application on GOV.UK and a biometrics appointment at an application centre in another country (there is no centre in Nicaragua)

Since 5 March 2026 a Nicaraguan needs a visit visa to travel to the United Kingdom. Until then the ETA, the electronic authorisation for exempt countries, was enough, and it is no longer granted to them. The British Government cited asylum claims: almost 90% of those made by Nicaraguans in 2025 were lodged on arrival at a British port or airport. The visa is applied for and paid online on GOV.UK, no earlier than three months before the trip, and fingerprints and a photo must then be given at an application centre, and there is none in Nicaragua: GOV.UK says to choose one in another country, which means planning an earlier trip and whatever visa or authorisation that other country requires. A decision usually arrives about three weeks after the appointment.

Official application site →

Fee

135 GBP

Fee for the Standard Visitor visa of up to six months. Long-term visas, with stays of up to six months per visit, cost GBP 506 (2 years), 903 (5 years) and 1,128 (10 years). The application centre's service charge is added to the fee.

Required documents

• A passport or travel document valid for the whole of your intended stay. Unlike other destinations, the UK does not require extra months of validity beyond the trip
• Evidence that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit
• Evidence that you can support yourself and any dependants for the duration of the trip without recourse to public funds
• Evidence that you can pay for your return or onward journey
• Where someone else is paying for the trip, documentation showing who is covering the costs

Health insurance

Not mandatory for this destination.

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

Transit rules

The UK draws a line between two kinds of transit. If you are only changing planes and will not pass through border control, the relevant permission is the Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV), and you stay in the transit area without entering the country. If you do pass through border control but leave the UK within 48 hours, the relevant permission is the Visitor in Transit visa. Staying longer than 48 hours rules both of them out: you then need a Standard Visitor visa. Whether you need a transit visa at all depends on your nationality.