Can you bring your household goods to Nicaragua duty-free?

Some laws let people who return or move to Nicaragua bring their household goods without paying import duties and taxes. Whether you qualify depends on who you are and your situation. This check tells you what we found in the official texts, what is missing, and what to prepare.

• Nicaraguans coming back for good after more than 24 months abroad — household goods free of duty, IVA and ISC (Decreto 3-98 arts. 22-27; Convenio Arancelario art. 21 a)A Nicaraguan, or a Nicaraguan sent back by deportation, who was away from the country for MORE than 24 months before coming back for good brings the household goods free of the import duty (DAI), the IVA and the ISC. The exemption is granted for goods cleared within the three months before or after the person enters the country. The declaration must be made through a customs agent (Walio provides it), must come with a declaration certified by the Nicaraguan consulate nearest to where you lived abroad (your name, address abroad, time of residence of at least two years, and the list of the goods) and the goods are always physically inspected. Perfumes, cosmetics, jewellery, alcohol and tobacco cannot be exempted, and vehicles, machinery and office equipment are not household goods. Only Nicaraguans use this franchise: everyone else pays the ordinary import.
• Ley 535 — Nicaraguans who lived abroad between 2000 and 2005: household goods, professional goods and one vehicle, once per familyThe Ley Especial de Incentivos Migratorios exempts from import duties and taxes the household goods, the instruments and tools of a trade (up to US$200,000) and one new or used vehicle of a Nicaraguan family that settles in Nicaragua, ONCE per family. It requires having lived abroad at least the last five years before the law took force on 26 May 2005 (that is, from 26 May 2000 to 26 May 2005), a request to the Ministry of Finance (with a personal interview), proof of the time abroad authenticated by a consulate or by migration, and a sworn commitment to live in Nicaragua at least three years. The vehicle and the tools cannot be sold for three years. Most people who left after 2000 do not qualify and use the rule above.
• Diplomatic and consular staff and international organisations — franchise on reciprocity (Ley 822 arts. 111 no. 8 and 153 no. 8; Decreto 3-98 art. 24)The law exempts diplomatic and consular missions and their representatives from the IVA and the ISC when there is reciprocity (not the Nicaraguans who work for them), and international missions and organisations by their agreements. The household goods of a member of a mission must always be declared; the franchise is requested through the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Finance and applied by customs. We did not find the quotas, the time limits after arrival or the exact list of taxes for the household goods in any official text, so the rule is shown as unconfirmed: our team handles the franchise request with the Foreign Ministry and tells you what applies before you ship.

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