The Fiestas Patrias IVA Exemption will once again be in effect during this year’s Independence Days holidays. The purpose of the holiday exemptions is to “promote tourism and get more Nicaraguan families out enjoying the patriotic events around the country”. The program was introduced during Nicaragua’s Bicentennial Independence Holidays in 2021.
The 2025 exemption period will run from Friday September 12th to Monday September the 22nd.
During this period, certain businesses in the food, beverage and lodging sectors will be exempt from having to collect the 15% IVA (a value added tax comparable to the GST in Canada and VAT in the UK).
The link for the DGI notice (01-2015) can be found here: https://www.dgi.gob.ni/pdfNoticia/4526 and the link to the guide for businesses is contained within that notice.
Those businesses familiar with the exemption will likely go to the DGI web page https://dgienlinea.dgi.gob.ni/ and click on the Fiestas Patrias icon (bottom left). This is the mechanism for the pre-registration, confirmation, and registration of IVA businesses in the food, beverages and lodging sectors mention previously.
Banking
National banks usually post their hours of operation for Statutory Holidays a few days before. However with Sunday the 14th September and Monday 15th of September both being Statutory Holidays there will likely be a three day bank closure.
Under Labor Code rules, when a Statutory Holiday falls on a Sunday (the weekly day of rest), it gets moved to the Monday for pay and time off purposes. This year, Monday 15th September is also a Statutory Holiday; therefore the Sunday Stat moves to the Tuesday. This means that the banks will most likely be closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Statutory Holidays-Labor Code
As above, the Sunday the 14th September Statutory Holiday falls on a Sunday, therefore it will “move” to the Tuesday as Monday 15th is also a Stat this year. The Labor Code addressees this eventuality.
Public Employees Vacation
Non-essential state workers at a national, departmental and municipal level will start their vacation at the end of the work day on Friday the 12th of September 2025 and return to work on Monday 22nd of September 2025.
