CA-4 Border Control Agreement: 90-Day Stay, Fees, and Vehicles

The CA-4 Border Control Agreement is a 2006 pact among Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua that treats the four countries as a single immigration zone: you clear immigration once at your first point of entry and can then travel across their shared internal borders on one 90-day stay, without additional visas or entry stamps.¹ Citizens of the four member countries move between them using only a national ID card. Foreign visitors move on whatever entry document their nationality requires, but only need one of them for the whole zone.

Which Countries Are In, and Which Are Not

The four signatories form a continuous corridor from Guatemala’s border with Mexico down to Nicaragua’s border with Costa Rica. Each keeps its own government, police, and customs service. What they share is the immigration framework.

Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama are not part of the agreement, even though they sit on the same isthmus. Crossing from Nicaragua into Costa Rica, or from Guatemala into Belize or Mexico, means leaving the CA-4 zone entirely and going through full immigration processing on both sides. That distinction matters, because your 90-day clock only runs while you are inside the zone, and stepping outside it is the only way to reset that clock.

What Foreign Visitors Need to Enter

U.S. passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays in any of the four countries. Honduras requires your passport to have at least six months of remaining validity.² Guatemala has no minimum validity requirement beyond the passport being valid on arrival, but you do need at least one blank page for stamps.³ Traveling with at least six months of validity is the safe default, since a side trip into Honduras is easy to add mid-itinerary.

Nationals of countries without a visa-waiver arrangement with the bloc need the Visa Única Centroamericana, the Central American Single Visa, before arrival. One document covers all four member countries. The list of nationalities that require it varies, so confirm with the embassy of your first destination country before booking.

Border officers commonly ask for proof of onward travel and evidence that you can support yourself financially during your stay. A return or onward ticket plus a recent bank statement or credit card is usually enough.

How the Shared 90-Day Stay Works

The 90 days begin when you enter the first CA-4 country and count down continuously across all four. Crossing from Guatemala into Honduras does not restart the clock. Two weeks in El Salvador, a month in Honduras, and three weeks in Nicaragua all draw from the same pool. Immigration officers track your stay by the entry stamp issued at your first point of arrival into the zone.

The practical consequence catches many travelers out: you cannot extend your time by hopping between member countries. A “border run” from Honduras into El Salvador is an internal trip and buys you nothing. To actually reset your stay, you have to leave the zone entirely, typically into Mexico, Costa Rica, or Belize. Travelers widely report that a minimum of 72 hours outside the zone is needed before re-entering with a fresh 90-day period, though enforcement varies by border post.

Overstay Fines

Each country sets its own overstay penalty. Nicaragua charges non-residents roughly $3 per day beyond their authorized stay.⁴ Guatemala charges about 15 quetzales per day (roughly $2) and will not let you leave the country until the fine is paid; it also imposes a separate $100 penalty if you lack an entry stamp or proof of entry.³ Honduras warns of “significant exit fines” for overstays but does not publish a specific per-day rate.² Daily rates are low, but an accumulated fine at departure can turn a short overstay into a real problem, and officials can flag your record.

Applying for an Extension

If you need more time, apply at the immigration office of the country you are currently in. In El Salvador, the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería handles extension requests and can grant up to an additional 90 days. Expect to bring a passport photo, proof of financial resources, evidence of onward travel, and a hotel reservation. Extensions run roughly $20 to $30 depending on the country, with fees adjusted periodically. Apply while you still have several days left on your original stay; waiting until the last day or after expiration makes the process harder and can trigger overstay fines instead.

Entry and Exit Fees by Country

The zone is not fee-free, and costs vary by country and by whether you arrive by air or by land.

El Salvador charges a $12 tourist card fee at airports and seaports. The card is valid for 90 to 180 days depending on your passport validity and purpose of travel. U.S. passport holders born in El Salvador are exempt.⁵

Nicaragua charges a $10 tourist entry stamp on arrival, cash only, with exact change recommended. When leaving Nicaragua by air, a $42 exit tax applies, though airlines typically fold this into the ticket price. A separate $10 exit stamp fee applies to Nicaraguan residents departing the country.⁶ At Managua’s Augusto C. Sandino International Airport, the full departure charge is $38, with the terminal-rights portion normally included in your airline ticket.⁷

Guatemala does not charge a specific tourist card or entry fee for U.S. passport holders, but requires an electronic immigration and customs declaration form.³ Honduras similarly does not charge a separate tourist card fee for visa-exempt nationalities staying under 90 days.²

Land crossings throughout the region tend to add small ancillary charges that vary by post: municipal taxes, fumigation, photocopying. Carry plenty of small U.S. dollar bills and local currency. Cash rules at land borders, and ATMs are not always nearby.

Traveling With a Child

CA-4 countries take child protection at borders seriously, and the paperwork is stricter than many travelers expect. If you are traveling with a child but without the other parent, sort this out before you leave home.

Honduras sets one of the stricter standards. Anyone under 21 traveling without both parents needs a notarized written authorization from the non-traveling parent. If the letter is notarized in Honduras, a Honduran notary has to do it. If it is notarized in the United States, it must be apostilled by the state registrar where the notary is registered. Honduran immigration may also accept letters notarized at a Honduran embassy or consulate in the U.S. If one parent is deceased or does not have legal custody, carry supporting documents such as a death certificate, sole-custody court order, or a birth certificate naming only one parent.²

The other CA-4 countries impose similar requirements, though age thresholds and format rules vary. Guatemala and El Salvador generally require notarized parental consent for minors traveling with only one parent or a non-parent guardian, and Nicaragua’s rules are comparable. The U.S. Department of State recommends that any parent traveling internationally with a child carry a notarized consent letter from the other parent, a copy of the child’s birth certificate, and any relevant custody documentation.⁸ Assembling this paperwork a few weeks before departure is far easier than trying to resolve it at a border checkpoint.

Driving Your Own Vehicle Through the Zone

A private vehicle adds a second layer of bureaucracy on top of your personal immigration. After clearing your passport at the immigration window, you go to the customs office, often labeled “Aduana,” to handle the vehicle paperwork. The two processes are separate, and skipping the vehicle step creates problems that can follow you for years.

Temporary Import Permits

Each country issues its own temporary vehicle import permit, even though the immigration zone treats your personal entry as unified. In Guatemala, the process involves filing a Declaraguate form (Q160, roughly $20), paying for a tourism or transit sticker (Q100, roughly $13), and an authorization form fee (Q60, roughly $8). You will need the original vehicle title, vehicle registration, a valid driver’s license, and your passport with the entry stamp showing your authorized stay period. If you are driving someone else’s vehicle, bring an original notarized authorization from the owner.⁹ The other CA-4 countries follow a broadly similar process at different fee levels.

Inspections and Fumigation

Customs agents will physically inspect the vehicle at most border crossings, verifying the VIN against your paperwork and checking the cargo area. At several crossings, particularly when entering Nicaragua, vehicles must also pass through a fumigation lane. The fumigation fee is typically a few dollars, paid at a separate window near the customs office. Not every border post requires fumigation, but expect it.

Canceling the Permit When You Leave

When you leave a CA-4 country with your vehicle, you must return to the customs office at the border to formally cancel the temporary import permit. This step is not optional, and border officials will not remind you. Failing to cancel a vehicle permit can lead to substantial fines, impoundment of the vehicle on a future visit, or both. Keep every piece of vehicle paperwork organized and accessible at every crossing.

Cash Declarations

Honduras requires all travelers to declare any amount over $10,000 in cash when entering or leaving the country. Fines for failing to declare can exceed one-third of the total amount carried.² The other CA-4 nations have similar declaration thresholds. If you are carrying significant cash for any reason, declare it proactively at every crossing rather than hoping no one asks.

1
International Organization for Migration. The Central American Free Mobility Agreement (CA-4)
2
U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Honduras International Travel Information
3
U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Guatemala International Travel Information
4
U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua. Immigration Laws
5
U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. El Salvador International Travel Information
6
U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Nicaragua International Travel Information
7
Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Nacionales e Internacionales. Departure Tax
8
U.S. Department of State. Travel with Minors
9
Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria. Requirements for Temporary Importation of Tourist Vehicles