Driving in Nicaragua as a tourist: licence, speed limits and rules

Your licence

• Your valid home licence is accepted. The tourism board (INTUR) says for 30 days after entry; the law (Art. 144) ties validity to your licence’s own expiry date; some rental desks (Alamo, National, Enterprise) allow 60 days.
• INTUR says you do not need an International Driving Permit. Avis and Budget require one only if your licence is not in the Roman alphabet, and do not accept digital licences.
• Right-hand-drive vehicles are not allowed in Nicaragua.

Speed limits

Since June 2025 the National Police have applied a nationwide limit of 50 km/h for cars, buses and trucks and 40 km/h for motorcycles. Canada’s travel advice (2 Nov 2026) says it applies regardless of road signs, and in March 2026 the police said it remained in place. The traffic law itself still lists 45 km/h in towns, 60 km/h on urban roads and 100 km/h on highways. Radars are used on highways.

In practice: drive at or below 50 km/h (40 on a motorbike) unless an official update says otherwise. Exceeding a limit is fined C$2,500 and can bring a licence suspension.

Alcohol

• From 0.5 g/L of blood alcohol counts as light drunkenness (fine C$1,000); over 1 g/L is drunkenness (C$4,000); over 2 g/L, extreme (C$5,000). For drivers of passenger or freight vehicles the threshold is 0.2 g/L.
• Refusing the breath test is treated as drunkenness: you are detained and fined C$4,000.
• Drunk drivers can be held for up to 12 hours under the law; police have described detentions of 48 hours or more. The police planned 50,000 breath tests for Easter 2026 alone.

Belts, children and phones

• Driver and front passenger must wear seat belts (fine C$350).
• Children under 7 need a child seat and may not ride in front (C$350).
• Using a handheld phone while driving: C$250.
• At night use dipped headlights in lit areas and for oncoming traffic; driving without lights at night or in rain costs C$500.
• Emergency police line: 118.