The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, through the Ministry of the Interior, has ordered the cancellation of the visa-free entry benefit for Cuban citizens that had been in place since November 2021.
“All citizens of the Republic of Cuba holding ordinary passports have changed their migratory category from ‘A,’ visa-exempt, to category ‘C,’ consulted visas at no cost,” the Ortega regime ordered through provision 001-2026, a copy of which was obtained by LA PRENSA.
Although the measure has not been published in La Gaceta, it states that it took effect on Sunday, February 8, and was signed by Commissioner General Juan Emilio Rivas, director general of the General Directorate of Immigration Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior.
Read also: Chinese-Funded Punta Huete Airport in Nicaragua Shows Little Progress, Embassy Photos Reveal
Changes Ordered Amid Tensions With the United States
The change comes amid heightened tensions between Nicaragua and the U.S. government, which has demanded the release of political prisoners held by the Ortega regime and has accused it of promoting irregular migration to the United States.
Since 2024, after asserting that Nicaragua is being used as a transit route for migrants seeking to reach the United States irregularly, Washington has imposed sanctions on air transport companies, charter flights, and business figures accused of facilitating irregular migration.
In January last year, the U.S. government, under the administration of Donald Trump, announced a new visa-restriction policy, continuing the line of sanctions expanded during the Joe Biden administration against companies and individuals that facilitate irregular migration to the United States.
In November last year, U.S. authorities imposed sanctions on Nicaraguans accused of “facilitating illegal migration” to the United States, stating that “investigations indicate that the entities these individuals represent facilitated travel through Nicaragua, enabled by the permissive migration policies deliberately designed by the Nicaraguan dictatorship.”
Read also: China’s Investment Strategy in Nicaragua: Low Capital, High Economic Presence
With those sanctions, the U.S. State Department said it revoked “visas” that were valid at the time and imposed “additional restrictions to ensure that these individuals cannot enter the United States.”
Transport Companies to Be Notified
Nicaragua’s Immigration Directorate, in the provision leaked to LA PRENSA, specified that the changes will be communicated to Cuba’s consular representation in Nicaragua and to Nicaragua’s consular offices abroad.
It also said it will notify the Nicaraguan Civil Aviation Authority in order to “inform air transport carriers of its implementation,” as well as the country’s various land and maritime transport companies.
