Nicaragua has ended visa‑free entry for Cuban citizens, severing another important lifeline for nationals from the Caribbean island and closing off a route many used when travelling north towards the United States, the Central American government said on Sunday.
Under the new policy, Cubans with ordinary passports must now obtain visas to enter Nicaragua, a change that effectively halts a longstanding visa exemption that had allowed them to use the country as a transit point en route to the US‑Mexico border.
The government did not offer detailed reasoning for the decision, but the move comes after US complaints that Managua’s previous policy facilitated irregular migration by enabling Cuban citizens to pass through the country on their way north. Washington has also been applying wider pressure on Nicaragua over political prisoners and human rights concerns.
The visa exemption was first introduced in 2021, making Nicaragua a key gateway for Cubans seeking to travel through Central America toward the United States.
The change is expected to make it more difficult for Cubans to migrate via Central America, forcing many to consider longer and more dangerous routes, as Nicaragua has historically been one of the most accessible transit countries for the journey north.
