Nicaragua is a country to drive slowly through — volcano rims at dawn, Pacific beaches, colonial towns that still feel like a secret. It's dog-friendly in the way plenty of Central America is: laid-back at the door once your paperwork is real. Nala loved it the one time we made it. The important thing is knowing which sign-off has to be ink and which can be pixels.

Pet import to Nicaragua is overseen by the national veterinary authority. Confirmed against an official source so far: a rabies vaccination, a health certificate and an import permit. Anything else — commonly a microchip, rabies vaccination and health certificate — is not yet confirmed for Nicaragua against an official source, so it's flagged in the table below rather than assumed.

How Nicaragua handles your pet

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Import permit · Required Yesverified 2026-08-12
Flea treatment · Required Yesverified 2026-07-14
Tick treatment · Required Yesverified 2026-07-14
Health certificate · Issuermédico veterinario oficial o privadoverified 2026-07-14
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-07-24
Health certificate · Original required Yesverified 2026-08-08
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-06-19
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-08-28
Internal parasite treatment · Required Yesverified 2026-07-14
Internal parasite treatment · Timing notestratamientos contra ENDOPARASITOS Y ECTOPARASITOS en los 30 días previos a la fecha del embarqueverified 2026-07-14
For a Nicaragua-bound health certificate, USDA-accredited veterinarians may sign electronically, but APHIS Veterinary Services still requires an original ink endorsement on the certificate. Plan the vet visit early enough that the sheet can be mailed to the APHIS office, ink-endorsed, and returned before the flight. VEHCS submission is fine on the vet side; the APHIS side is not paperless for this country.
Nicaragua rewards travelers who show up prepared and slow-paced. The customs door is friendly, but only when your certificate has the right kind of signature and your timing hasn't slipped. Build your plan in Pawgo — enter your flight date and your vet appointment, and the app tells you when to book the courier and when to relax. Then go find a hammock.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Nicaragua →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.