Every way into El Salvador.

The Permiso Especial de Ingreso (PEI) is an online entry authorisation for visa-required foreign nationals who cannot obtain a consular or consulted visa through normal channels because there is no accessible Salvadoran consulate, due to distance, or by force majeure. Applicants register and apply at the official portal elsalvadorpei.migracion.gob.sv, upload supporting documents and pay before the request is reviewed and validated by the DGME. The published fee is USD 100. Once granted it permits short-stay entry of up to 90 days; it is a travel-authorisation substitute for a visa and does not grant work, study or residence rights.

Government fee

$100

Max stay

90 days

Nationals of visa-exempt countries (Group A, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the EU/Schengen states and most Latin American nations) enter El Salvador for tourism by purchasing a Tourist Card at the port of entry for USD 12. The card permits a stay of up to 90 days, which can be extended at the Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria (DGME). Because El Salvador is part of the Central America-4 (CA-4) Border Control Agreement with Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, the 90-day allowance is shared across all four countries on a single entry. The card does not authorise work, study or residence. Holders of a valid United States, Canadian or Schengen visa may also use this route.

Government fee

$12

Processing time

1 day

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Under the Central America-4 (CA-4) Border Control Agreement, citizens of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua move freely into El Salvador for up to 90 days without a visa or passport, presenting only their national identity document. The 90-day period is counted across the combined CA-4 area, so time spent in any of the four member states draws down the same allowance. This entry is for visit and tourism purposes only and does not by itself grant work authorisation or residence; longer stays or employment require a change of migratory status with the DGME.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Nationals classified by El Salvador as requiring a visa (Group B) must obtain a Visa Consular at a Salvadoran embassy or consulate before travelling for tourism, family visits or short business. The visa is issued directly by the consular post for nationalities whose entry can be authorised at consular level, and admits the holder for up to 90 days. The fee depends on the consular post and the nationality's reciprocity schedule. The visa does not permit work or study and does not lead to residence; longer or working stays require a temporary residence application with the DGME.

Max stay

90 days

Nationals of countries placed in El Salvador's most restricted category (Group C) require a Visa Consultada, where the application is referred by the consulate to the DGME and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San Salvador for prior authorisation before a visa is issued. It applies to nationalities subject to additional security review and admits the holder for short visits of up to 90 days once approved. Processing is longer because the request must be consulted with central authorities. The visa is for visit purposes and does not confer work, study or residence rights.

Max stay

90 days

El Salvador grants temporary residence to foreign business persons and commercial representatives (forms F-5 and F-6) who carry on or represent a commercial enterprise in the country. Like other temporary residences it is granted for up to two years and is renewable, and authorises the holder to conduct the declared business activity. Applicants document their commercial role, the company involved and a clean criminal record. Successive renewals lead to eligibility for definitive residence. This is distinct from a short business visit, which a visa-exempt national can do on the Tourist Card.

• Work: Authorises the declared business activity in El Salvador.
• Study: Residents may study.
• Residency: Renewable temporary residence leads to definitive residence.
• Family: Dependants apply as accompanying persons (F-9).

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

Foreign nationals enrolled at a recognised Salvadoran educational institution apply to the DGME for temporary residence as a student (form F-10), granted for up to two years and renewable for the duration of the studies. The applicant must show admission or enrolment at the institution and means to cover tuition and living costs. The residence is tied to continued enrolment and does not by itself authorise employment. Students may later change to another migratory category if they take up work or other activity.

• Study: Authorises enrolled study at the named institution.
• Residency: Renewable while studying; may transition to other categories that lead to definitive residence.

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

Foreign nationals taking up employment in El Salvador apply to the DGME for a temporary residence with work authorisation (form F-3), granted for up to two years and renewable for an equal period. The category covers transnational and migrant workers sponsored by a Salvadoran employer and authorises lawful employment for the named employer or activity. After successive temporary-residence periods the holder may apply for definitive (permanent) residence; nationals of Hispanic-American or Spanish origin follow a shorter path. The permit requires a job offer or employment relationship and a clean criminal record.

• Work: Authorises employment for the sponsoring employer/activity named in the permit.
• Study: Residents may study while holding the permit.
• Residency: Renewable temporary residence leads to definitive residence after the required period (shorter for Hispanic-American/Spanish-origin applicants).
• Family: Dependants may apply as accompanying persons (form F-9).

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

A reform of article 152 of El Salvador's Ley Especial de Migracion y Extranjeria allows foreign nationals who contribute to the country's economic, social and cultural development, through a donation or investment in a government-designated program or a sustainable investment project, to obtain definitive (permanent) residence through an agile, expedited DGME procedure. The required amount is set by the specific government program rather than a single fixed figure in the migration law. Definitive residence grants the right to live and work in El Salvador on equal terms with Salvadorans, and the reform also opens a route to naturalisation for qualifying contributors.

• Work: Definitive residents may carry out any lawful activity, including employment.
• Study: Definitive residents may study.
• Residency: This grants definitive (permanent) residence directly and opens a route to naturalisation for qualifying contributors.
• Family: Family members may be included per the program and DGME rules.

El Salvador's Freedom Passport program, enabled by the December 2023 reform of the Ley Especial de Migracion y Extranjeria allowing naturalisation for contributors to government development programs, offers citizenship in exchange for a non-refundable contribution of USD 1,000,000 paid in Bitcoin (BTC) or Tether (USDT) to a government development fund. It is the first crypto-denominated citizenship-by-investment scheme. The government caps approvals at 1,000 applicants per year and applicants must pass Know Your Customer and due-diligence checks; there is no physical residency requirement to keep the citizenship once granted. Applicants apply through authorised agents. Spouses and dependent children can be added for an additional per-person amount. Figures should be confirmed against the official program terms before relying on them.

• Work: Citizens may live and work in El Salvador without restriction.
• Study: Citizens may study without restriction.
• Residency: Confers citizenship directly; El Salvador permits dual citizenship and imposes no physical-residency requirement to retain it.
• Family: Spouse and dependent children can be added for an additional per-person contribution per the program terms.

Min. investment

$1,000,000,000

Foreign nationals who can support themselves from a stable passive income (such as rents, investments or annuities) rather than a pension may apply for temporary residence as a rentista (form F-8), granted for up to two years and renewable. The applicant documents the source and regularity of the income, which must be sufficient to live in El Salvador without local employment. Successive renewals lead to eligibility for definitive residence. No single fixed minimum-income figure is published in the migration forms; income is assessed case by case.

• Study: Residents may study.
• Residency: Renewable temporary residence leads to definitive residence.
• Family: Dependants apply as accompanying persons (F-9).

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

Foreign nationals who establish or invest in a business in El Salvador apply to the DGME for temporary residence as an investor (form F-4), granted for up to two years and renewable. The applicant must document the investment and the legal existence of the enterprise. The category authorises the holder to manage and reside on the basis of the investment and provides a path to definitive residence after the required renewal periods. El Salvador does not publish a single fixed minimum-investment figure for this category in the migration forms; the threshold is assessed against the investment and corporate documentation submitted.

• Work: Authorises managing and working in the applicant's own invested enterprise.
• Study: Residents may study.
• Residency: Renewable temporary residence leads to definitive residence.
• Family: Dependants apply as accompanying persons (F-9).

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

Foreign retirees who receive a pension from a government, employer or pension fund abroad may obtain temporary residence as a pensioner (form F-7), granted for up to two years and renewable. The applicant must prove a stable, regular pension income sufficient to support themselves in El Salvador. After the required renewal periods, pensioners may apply for definitive residence (form F-33). El Salvador's migration forms do not publish a single fixed minimum monthly pension figure; the income is assessed against the documentation submitted.

• Study: Residents may study.
• Residency: Renewable temporary residence leads to definitive residence as pensioner (F-33).
• Family: Dependants apply as accompanying persons (F-9).

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

Foreign nationals married to, or in a recognised cohabiting union (union no matrimonial) with, a Salvadoran citizen may apply directly for definitive residence (form F-34). Definitive residents have the right to remain in El Salvador indefinitely and to carry out any lawful activity on equal terms with Salvadorans, including employment. The applicant must prove the genuine marriage or union and a clean criminal record. This is a family-based fast track that does not require first holding a temporary residence, and it supports later naturalisation.

• Work: Definitive residents may carry out any lawful activity, including employment.
• Study: Definitive residents may study.
• Residency: This is itself definitive (permanent) residence and supports later naturalisation.
• Family: Based on the marriage to a Salvadoran; minor children may be included separately.

Clergy, missionaries and other religious professionals assigned to a recognised religious organisation in El Salvador may obtain temporary residence as a religious professional (form F-16), granted for up to two years and renewable. The applicant must show an assignment or invitation from the sponsoring church or religious body and that the organisation will support them. The residence authorises religious work for the sponsoring organisation. Successive renewals lead to eligibility for definitive residence.

• Work: Authorises religious work for the sponsoring organisation.
• Study: Residents may study.
• Residency: Renewable temporary residence leads to definitive residence.
• Family: Dependants apply as accompanying persons (F-9).

Max stay

730 days

Validity

730 days

Foreign retirees who have completed the required temporary-residence period as pensioners (or who otherwise qualify) may obtain definitive residence as a pensioner (form F-33). Definitive residence grants the right to remain in El Salvador indefinitely and to carry out any lawful activity on equal terms with Salvadorans. The applicant must continue to demonstrate stable pension income and a clean criminal record. For applicants of other origins the standard ladder is temporary residence renewed before moving to definitive residence; Hispanic-American and Spanish-origin applicants follow a shorter path.

• Work: Definitive residents may carry out any lawful activity, including employment.
• Study: Definitive residents may study.
• Residency: This is definitive (permanent) residence and supports later naturalisation.
• Family: Dependants may be included per DGME rules.