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  #1  
Old 30 Jul 2014
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Extending visa/moto permit for CA-4 countries

I'm in Nicaragua now and my 3 month CA-4 (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua) visa and moto permit expire on August 8th. I was wondering if there's a way to extend it without having to cross the border to Costa Rica? I injured my neck and probably shouldn't be riding. If I do have to cross, would I be able to come right back to Nicaragua the same day or I have to spent few days in Costa Rica? And finally, what happens if I don't do anything and cross to Costa Rica some 20 days after it expires? I assume I'll have to pay some kind of fee, but how much and how is it calculated?
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  #2  
Old 2 Aug 2014
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For yourself I would just bus it to the border and get another 90 days. You should be able to get it same day.

Whilst you are there try to get an extension for the bike. I guess it would be best not to wait to the last minute to do this so if you get refused you have options.

Overstaying your visa will be a fine, probably an amount per day and would be at the whim of the guard. You might end up in jail or deported.

Overstaying the permisso might get the bike impounded, or a fine. The amount depending on the mood of the Policia

Personally I would bus it to the border if I can't get an extension then just pay for it to be trucked to the border if you can't ride it. You might find someone to ride it for you if you go to a hostel, one of the guests might be willing if you want to risk it.
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  #3  
Old 5 Aug 2014
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Contact a Community...

Horizons Unlimited has a great feature to message riders in a long list of countries. The feature is called "Contact a Community." Click on the CONNECT menu item, then the link to, you guessed it, Contact a Community. Next you'll pick a country and perhaps a city or region, then scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the fields, and add your message. There are lots of suggestions along the way... I recommend posting in the local language (ex. Spanish) and in English. Google Translate does a serviceable job of translating your message, but I always put a warning that the message was translated. Here is the link t the contact page: Contact a Community | Horizons Unlimited

I sent messages asking about bike storage to communities in Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and four in Costa Rica. Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua don't have a community mail box at this time. I am sure Grant & Susan would be happy to have someone represent those countries.

As the answers come in I will post the details here.
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2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride
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Old 6 Aug 2014
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bonded warehouse

Hey renimus,

I reached out to SalCar, the intrepid rider of Nica. He used this service to store a motorcycle. Medisan is a bonded warehouse.

Medisan Agency
Phone (+505) 2249.9030 or 2249.3939 32
Fax: (+505) 2249.9190
Email:gerenciageneral@agenciamedisan.com medisanggral@datatex.com.ni


If you are closer to the Honduras or Costa Rica frontier, there is probably a bonded warehouse near by where you can "suspend" the temporary importation while it is being stored. You don't want to cancel the permit, you want to suspend it. A Google search for bonded ware house + 'your country' will return more results.



You are very close to the expiration date. Going beyond that date leads to fines in some countries. At some point a country will insist that you import the equipment, duties, taxes, the whole disaster. Seek out an aduana offices at your first opportunity and get the importation extended.


Salcar put me in touch with Gabriel, his motorcycle tour business manager. Apparently Gabriel knows of another customs agent. I wrote to ask for contacts and if he knows of an aduana office in Managua. Chances are there is an aduana office near the airport, as well as more than one bonded warehouse.


If you are in need of support, Salcar has offered to put you up at his place. I will send details via private message.


Hope your neck is getting better and you get the importation sorted out in time...or without too much delay.

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride
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Old 6 Aug 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Bodtke View Post
Hey renimus,

I reached out to SalCar, the intrepid rider of Nica. He used this service to store a motorcycle. Medisan is a bonded warehouse.

Medisan Agency
Phone (+505) 2249.9030 or 2249.3939 32
Fax: (+505) 2249.9190
Email:gerenciageneral@agenciamedisan.com medisanggral@datatex.com.ni


If you are closer to the Honduras or Costa Rica frontier, there is probably a bonded warehouse near by where you can "suspend" the temporary importation while it is being stored. You don't want to cancel the permit, you want to suspend it. A Google search for bonded ware house + 'your country' will return more results.



You are very close to the expiration date. Going beyond that date leads to fines in some countries. At some point a country will insist that you import the equipment, duties, taxes, the whole disaster. Seek out an aduana offices at your first opportunity and get the importation extended.


Salcar put me in touch with Gabriel, his motorcycle tour business manager. Apparently Gabriel knows of another customs agent. I wrote to ask for contacts and if he knows of an aduana office in Managua. Chances are there is an aduana office near the airport, as well as more than one bonded warehouse.


If you are in need of support, Salcar has offered to put you up at his place. I will send details via private message.


Hope your neck is getting better and you get the importation sorted out in time...or without too much delay.


Hey Peter,

I got your email this morning. I wanted to post reply here for other riders that might be following this post. Thank you very much for your help!
Since I'm closer to border than Managua, I've decided to ride to the border today and extend the permit. I learned last night that I don't need to actually cross the border. Moto permit extension can be sorted out at immigration office on Nicaragua side.
I'll take it easy in hopes it doesn't mess with my neck too bad.
Thanks again!

Frano
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Old 7 Aug 2014
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detail...

Hola renimus,

Hope your ride to and from the border when well and that your neck is not any worse for the wear.

The question of how to extend the temporary importation comes up a lot in this forum, so knowing how it is done in Nicaragua is bound to help someone down the line. Can you share the details of extending the temporary importation? What is the name of the border, what offices, the steps and how much were the fees...these detail would be great.
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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Last edited by Peter Bodtke; 7 Aug 2014 at 13:59. Reason: typo
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Old 7 Aug 2014
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Originally Posted by Peter Bodtke View Post
Hola renimus,

Hope your ride to and from the border when well and that your neck is not any worse for the wear.

The question of how to extend the temporary importation comes up a lot in this forum, so knowing how it is done in Nicaragua is bound to help someone down the line. Can you share the details of extending the temporary importation? What is the name of the border, what offices, the steps and how much were the fees...these detail would be great.


Ok. I was told by few knowledgeable locals that I can either go down to border or to Managua to extend my permit and that it's "relatively" easy. Border being closer to me, I decided to go there. Once I arrived, one of the immigration guys told me that I needed to do it at least a week before expiration in order to simply just extend the permit. Not sure how true that was, but my only option at that point was to cross over to Costa Rica and come back. The whole process was a nightmare and took over 5 hours, lot of paperwork, running back and forth and LOT of "gringo tax". The whole deal cost me bit over $100 and about half of that was bribes and made up fees. After I was almost done with everything and about to get back into Nicaragua, Police officer directly asked me for bribe and said I won't get stamp (required) on my moto permit until I pay him $15.
In all honesty, if my things were with me, I wouldn't go back to Nicaragua but instead just head down south. Things on Costa Rica side somewhat easier and it seems like my moto permit and insurance (mandatory) are valid for 90 days regardless how many times I enter/exit country, so I won't have to pay again for it. That wasn't the case when I was reentering Nicaragua. Had to pay again for everything, including insurance I already had. Very frustrating. This is my 4th and probably last time in Nicaragua. I had similar experience in Honduras, but that was somewhat expected. Fact that they treat people like idiots and just try to squeeze few extra bucks makes me feel unwelcome. I'll spend my money elsewhere where foreigners are shown some respect.
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Old 22 Oct 2014
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so helpful

I'm so grateful to you guys for the time and effort you put into your posts. I usually do things the hard way and it costs me money and time. I'm going to the border tomorrow to extend my permit hopefully no issues arise. Thanks again. Joel
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