Visa policy of El Salvador
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 El Salvador portal |
Visitors to El Salvador must obtain a Special Entry Permit unless they are citizens from one of the visa-exempt countries.
All visitors must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival.
Visa policy map
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Visa exemption
[edit]Ordinary passports
[edit]Citizens of the following countries and territories may enter El Salvador without a visa for stays up to the duration listed below. All visitors (except for citizens of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) must hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay and documents required for next destination.[1][2]
|
180 days 90 days |
ID - May enter with an ID card if come from a country that is part of the CA-4 Agreement.
| Date of visa changes | ||
|---|---|---|
Cancelled:
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Substitute visa
[edit]Citizens of other countries who would normally require visas may enter El Salvador without a visa for up to 180 days if holding a valid visa issued by any Schengen Area member state, Canada or the United States.[2]
However, this policy does not apply to citizens of the following countries and territories:[2]
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Non-ordinary passports
[edit]In addition to countries whose citizens are visa-exempt, holders of diplomatic or official / service passports of Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Montenegro, Morocco, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Suriname, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam may enter El Salvador without a visa.
Future changes
[edit]El Salvador has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet been ratified:
| Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
|---|---|---|
 Kuwait[9] |
Diplomatic, official, special | 26 September 2026 |
Special Entry Permit (PEI)
[edit]Citizens of other countries may obtain a Special Entry Permit without having to apply to a consulate for a visa.[10]
Airport Improvement Tariff
[edit]Citizens of Angola, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe are required to pay an airport improvement tax of USD1,130.00 (USD1,000.00 + 13% VAT) for transit through San Oscar Arnulfo Romero and Galdámez Airport.[11]
Central America-4 Border Control Agreement
[edit]The Central America-4 Border Control Agreement is a treaty between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. A visa issued by one of the four countries is honored by all four of the countries. The time period for the visa, however, applies to the total time spent in any of the four countries without leaving the CA-4 area.[12]
Transit
[edit]Transit without a visa is allowed for travelers who normally require a visa but are transiting within 96 hours and hold onward tickets.
Visitor statistics
[edit]Most visitors arriving in El Salvador for the purpose of tourism (excluding those on a one-day visit) were from the following countries of nationality:[13]
| Country | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Guatemala | 530,531 | 511,829 | 465,055 |
 United States | 447,628 | 431,792 | 422,811 |
 Honduras | 202,339 | 177,777 | 171,763 |
 Mexico | 32,654 | 27,567 | 27,489 |
 Costa Rica | 28,737 | 27,981 | 25,150 |
 Nicaragua | 28,262 | 33,931 | 32,937 |
 Canada | 24,796 | 29,188 | 31,911 |
 Spain | 8,565 | 7,850 | 7,788 |
 Germany | 3,532 | 4,123 | 5,440 |
| Total | 1,401,598 | 1,345,165 | 1,282,792 |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ Visas para extranjeros
- 1 2 3 "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ↑ "一部旅券査証及び査証料の相互免除に関する日本国政府とエル・サルヴァドル共和国政府との間の取極（口上書）" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. 28 February 1973. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ↑ "Statement of Treaties and International Agreements" (PDF). United Nations. September 1986.
- ↑ "Statement of Treaties and International Agreements" (PDF). United Nations. December 1988.
- ↑ "Statement of Treaties and International Agreements" (PDF). United Nations. July 2000.
- ↑ "El Salvador anuncia exoneración de visa para el ingreso de ciudadanos peruanos a su territorio (El Salvador announces visa exemption for the entry of Peruvian citizens to its territory)". Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ↑ "El Salvador aprueba exoneración de visas de turismo con Bolivia por hasta 90 días cada año". 22 April 2024.
- ↑ "Kuwait, El Salvador sign mutual visa waiver agreement for official passports".
- ↑ "El Salvador Special Entry Permit".
- ↑ "Airport Improvement Tariff at El Salvador International Airport". Help Center avianca. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ↑ Shepard, Wade (2 September 2010). "CA-4 Visa for Central America Explained". Vagabond Journey. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ↑ "Boletín estadístico 2015 p. 54". Archived from the original on 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2017-03-24.