If I live in Nicaragua, do I have to renounce or relinquish my US citizenship?

Living abroad, be it Nicaragua or anywhere else, does not mean you have to give up your loyalty to your country or pledge your loyalty or "allegiance"  to another.

 

Personally, we feel no need to become a citizen of our host country, Nicaragua, and enjoy all the rights of a Nicaraguan except for voting and earning Social Security benefits that translate into a pension at retirement.  The retirement pension in Nicaragua is around US $100 a month or...

Living abroad, be it Nicaragua or anywhere else, does not mean you have to give up your loyalty to your country or pledge your loyalty or "allegiance"  to another.

 

Personally, we feel no need to become a citizen of our host country, Nicaragua, and enjoy all the rights of a Nicaraguan except for voting and earning Social Security benefits that translate into a pension at retirement.  The retirement pension in Nicaragua is around US $100 a month or less so there is no need to work into that system.

 

You should maintain your US citizenship and apply for your residency once you have made the decision to relocate.

 

There are benefits in residency.  You can ship your household goods duty free. Bring in an automobile duty free and buy and ship a new car or truck every 5 years duty free.

 

And that is just a few of the benefits in obtaining residency.  There are things you can't do if you are not a resident. You can't open a bank account without your residency is one of  the biggest challenges.

 

Residency is simple but not easy.   What is needed are copies of every certificate or legal document that applies to you and your life such as: birth certificates, marriage licenses, health certificates, police records, and a few more items.  But don't take my word for this, talk to an attorney that specializes in immigrations.  Some charge thousands of dollars but you can find the same tasks performed for under $800 per person if you shop around.

 

The financial requirements in Nicaragua are some of the lowest in Central America and time from application to Residency Card is usually under 6 months.  Some documents are time sensitive, like police records and health certificates so once you have those, get the process started ASAP or you may find you have to supply more updated  documents and that will slow down the process.

 

The entire process is painless. You simply have to check off all the items required on the list and submit the entire package in a timely fashion and.... Wait! 

 

So don't worry about citizenship.  Focus on residency and start your lives anew with us here in Nicaragua. Our expat community is growing quickly and there are always more folks showing up at our Friday night gringo cocktail parties.