How to Establish your Free Trade Zone User Company

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The governing authority in charge of overseeing the Free Trade Zone Regiment is called Comisión Nacional de Zona Francas (CNZF).  

 Quienes Somos – Comisión Nacional de Zonas Francas 

The Free Trade Zone regime was established in 1976 through Decree No. 22 "Creation of Industrial Export Free Zones," dated March 23, 1976, published in the Official Gazette, No. 76, on the 30th of the same month. Its regulations, Decree No. 47 "Regulation of the Law on Industrial Export Free Zones," were approved on October 8, 1976, and published in Gazette No. 235 on October 16, 1976.

2024, the current governing Law on Free Trade Zones is No.917 approved on October 8th, 2015.

According to the article posted by tecno-soluciones, in Nicaragua various types of companies can be registered, including anonymous societies, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, cooperative societies, and individual enterprises. The type of company that is most suitable will depend on the business objectives, the size of the company, the number of partners or owners, the level of liability                                                                                                                    desired, and other factors.

What are the steps to create a company in Nicaragua?

According to the article posted by tecno-soluciones,these are the general steps to establish a company in Nicaragua:

1.  Reserve the company name: You must submit three name options for your company to the General Directorate of Intellectual Property Registry (DGPI) and wait for the institution's response to see if any of the names are available.

2.  Company constitution: The public deed of the company must be drawn up, establishing the statutes, share capital, and members of the board of directors. This deed must be presented before a notary public. Specifially for a free trade zone company the "public deed" or "instrument" must be of single purpose, created for a specific purpose, limited purpose, or project.

3.  Commercial Registry: You must register the company in the Commercial Registry, submitting the public deed and other necessary documents, such as the name reservation certificate, identification of shareholders, and deposit of share capital.

4.  Obtain the Tax Identification Number (NIT): You must obtain the NIT for the company, which involves registering with the General Directorate of Revenues (DGI).  

5.  Registration with the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS): You must register employees with the INSS so that they have access to social security benefits.  

6.   Registration with the Ministry of Labor: You must register with the Ministry of Labor to comply with labor obligations and obtain work permits.  

7.  Licenses and permits: Depending on the company's activity, it may be necessary to obtain licenses and permits from other government institutions.  

8.  Registration with the municipality: Finally, you must register with the corresponding municipality to obtain the commercial operation permit.

 Solicitud de Ingreso – Comisión Nacional de Zonas Francas 

1.  Application form for entry into the Free Trade Zone regime.

2.  Public deed of the articles of incorporation of the commercial company duly registered in the Public Registry.

3.  Company layout.

4.  Single taxpayer registration card (RUC) (simple copy).

5.  General description of the project (Include Background).

6.  Export volum

7.  Import volume.

8.  Recruitment and Training Plan for new jobs.

9.  Project scope.

10.  Detailed description of each stage of the industrial process or service.

11.  Request for environmental permit or authorization (simple copy). Attach environmental permit application form or authorization presented to MARENA.

12.  Deed of ownership or lease contract for operator companies only deed of ownership is accepted (one authenticated copy).

13.  General power of administration duly registered in the Mercantile Public Registry (one authenticated copy).

14.  Bank references from the head office of your country of origin (original)

15.  Commercial references from the head office of your country of origin (original)

16.  Official receipt (simple copy) of payment for the entry application procedure.

1. Operators, procedure US$800.00, *deposit US$20,000.00
2. Users, procedure US$500.00, *deposit US$15,000.00

17.  Identity card (simple copy) of the legal representative.

18.  The entry request must be submitted in writing in original and copy through an accredited CONSULTANT before the CNZF.

1. The company must make the deposit as a guarantee once its approval is notified by the Commission.

Please contact ZIPSA for more information about any of these processes, we can help with all your for Free Trade Zone needs.