Adventures in travel with Robert Watcher and Anne Watcher
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Extending our Stay

by Anne Watcher on Monday February 18th, 2013 at 12:15pm

When you enter Nicaragua you pay $10.00 US and get a 90 day visitor's visa - stamp really - in your passport. It used to be that at the end of the 90 days you had to leave the country with Costa Rica being the easiest as C4 countries ( Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua) don't count. Recently they have made arrangements to do a one 90 day extension in Managua at the Migracion y Extranjeria office at Metrocentro Mall.

So last Monday, Feb. 11 Rob and I made the trip to Managua. We took the interlocal bus from Leon to Managua arriving at the UCA terminal. Cost for the bus was C$51 per person.

We then walked down to the mall along the busy roads of Managua. It was only about 1/2 a mile but took longer as we had to go all the way around the rotunda, which are very popular here - dodging and weaving through heavy traffic at every intersection.

We arrived at the mall around 10 am which is when the office opens and there was already a long line of people waiting their turn. When you get there you have to get a blank form from the officer at the door. This will cost you C$5 per form. You also need a photocopy of 2 passport pages, one with your information on it and the other one of the stamp showing the date you arrived. If you forget these, there is a photocopy shop right next door. You then go to the back of the line and wait.

While Rob held our place in line I attempted to fill out the form. Because if was all in Spanish I struggled with some of the words. I asked the girl at the photo booth if she could help me but she didn't speak much English or let on she didn't. I found out later from the gentleman that helped me that if I had paid her she would of helped. That's the way it is down here! Anyway he showed me which parts to fill out and offered me further help if I needed it.

I filled out the forms and Rob and I took turns holding our space in line while the other wondered around the mall, got something to drink or sat down to rest. Before too long, well 2 hrs. we were at the office door, about 30 mins. after that we were at the front of the line, gave the officer our forms and passports, and waited for her to figure out if we had overstayed our 90 days. We hadn't but if you are over there is a fine of C$50 per day.

She asked how long we wanted the extension for (even though this was one of the questions on the form). We only needed 60 days so that cost us C$1000 per person. I don't think she looked at much of the information I had provided but anyway I had it there if she had wanted to.

Next she hands your form and passport over to the other officer who actually does the stamping in the passport. Because we were here over the lunch hour we had to wait for her to return. I think this took close to another hour before we finally could exit, legal again for another 60 days!!


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