My daughter will be working in Nicaragua for approximately a 6 month term. I am planning to drive from Canada to Nicaragua with her in late December and then fly back. I would like to leave my vehicle (no, not my motorcycle, my SUV) with her. Just to make everything a little more complicated, the SUV is registered to me, and it is somewhat complicated to transfer ownership/license/registration/insurance as we live in different parts of Canada.
My questions are: (1) Is it possible to get a 6 month or longer temporary importation permit for my SUV in Nicaragua? (2) How complicated will it be for my daughter to travel around Central America with a SUV owned by her father. Possibly to renew visa's and importation permits.

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1 LIFE

Hi Lend,

I just finished my trip here in Nicaragua and decided to live here after spending last year traveling and the previous 8 in the US.
At the border they gave me a 1 month import permit. trying to sort out my life i forgot about the permit and drove one month without it (illegally). when i realized that i could lose the bike i went to customs and had to pay a 100dls fine and 1 dls for each extra day that i was in the country. They gave me an additional month after begging the customs director. So I was able to keep the bike for three months here in the country until i was forced to nationalize it. I would imagine that if you talk to the right people you might be able get a 6 months permit once you explain your situation BUT i don't guarantee it. I was not able to do it.

the other option is to leave Nicaragua for a minimum of 3-5 days every time the import paperwork is about the expire and then come back.

the Central America borders i think are the worst in Latin America. i cannot imagine driving a vehicle with the registration with somebody else name... but everything is po$$ible here knowing the right individuals and if you are willing to put up with the headaches of dealing with a inefficient and corrupt system...

Nicaragua is an amazing place to be and your daughter will have a blast. you just need to have a lot of patience

let me know if i can be of any help my email is salcar at hotmail dot com

PS i think we crossed path in Ushuaia/Patagonia last year in December.. i was traveling with a BMW Dakar and with RickMcD on a KLR 650

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Nicaragua Motorcycle Rental and Tours

Thanks for the information. It is actually for a friend of mine, and his daughter, but it seemed simpler to write it as if it were my daughter. They are definitely going and may contact you via email.
Yes we crossed paths in Ushuaia last Xmas. My wife and I had dinner/drinks with you and Rick and probably 8 or 10 other motorcycle travelers on Xmas eve. It was a great time. We left Ushuaia 2 days later and finally arrived back in Canada Mid April. The Harley ran real well, except the challenges of getting the alternator and regulator repaired/replaced in Bolivia.

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1 LIFE

If I remember correctly you should be the third one on the left
Definitely a memorable Xmas!

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Nicaragua Motorcycle Rental and Tours