Warden Message

WARDEN MESSAGE – NICARAGUA

February 26, 2007

Visit of IRS Representative

IRS Taxpayer Service Specialist Digna Davila, will be in the Consular Section March 7 and 8 to provide free tax assistance to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who must file taxes this year.  Only 10 open slots are available.  Interested parties should call Graciela Blandon at 266-6010, ext. 4710 to schedule an appointment, or write to Graciela directly at BlandonGX@state.gov

Responding to Transit Police

The Embassy has received a number of complaints from U.S. citizens who have been stopped by transit police authorities demanding bribes in order to avoid paying fines.  Transit police have seized driver licenses and car registration documents from motorists who refuse to or are unable to pay.  Subsequently, these drivers have reported difficulties in recovering the seized documents.  U.S. citizens are urged to ensure that their vehicles comply fully with Nicaraguan transit regulations, including being in possession of an emergency triangle and fire extinguisher, and that the vehicle is properly registered.  If transit police authorities demand an on-the-spot payment, drivers should ask for the officer's name and badge number, as well as a receipt, and inform the Embassy of when/where the event took place.  (Reports should be sent via email to consularmanagua@state.gov.)  Rental car agencies should also be advised if their vehicles have been deemed negligent in meeting Nicaraguan transit regulations.

Safety in San Juan del Sur
U.S. citizens in Nicaragua are advised of continuing tension in San Juan del Sur following the February 21 sentencing to thirty years in prison of a U.S. citizen for murder of a local resident.  On December 7, a mob assaulted a U.S. citizen criminal defendant and attempted to take him from police custody as he was being escorted from a court hearing in Rivas.  Pistol shots and rubber bullets were fired by police in response to angry crowds outside the courthouse in Rivas on February 16, the day the guilty verdict was announced.  The Embassy’s Security office has cautioned Embassy employees and family members who plan to visit San Juan del Sur to avoid any large gatherings or protests associated with this case.
Additional Information

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Cautions, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Embassy is located at Kilometer 4 1/2 (4.5) Carretera Sur, Managua; telephone (505) 266-6010 or 268-0123; after hours telephone (505) 266-6038; Consular Section fax (505) 266-9943; E-mail: consularmanagua@state.gov Web page: http://nicaragua.usembassy.gov/.