Visa policy of El Salvador

Visitors to El Salvador must obtain a visa from one of the Salvadoran diplomatic missions, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

Entry and exit stamps.

Visa policy map

  El Salvador

  Visa-free access to El Salvador

  May not enter on Canada/Schengen/US visa

Visa exemption

Holders of passports of the following 88 jurisdictions can visit El Salvador without a visa for up to 180 days (all visitors except the nationals 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):

All European Union citizens Albania Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belize Brazil Brunei Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Fiji GuatemalaID HondurasID Iceland India Israel Japan Kuwait Liechtenstein Madagascar Malaysia Marshall Islands Mexico Monaco New Zealand NicaraguaID North Macedonia Norway Panama Paraguay Peru Qatar Russia Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa South Korea Switzerland Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Tuvalu Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Vanuatu Vatican City

ID - May also enter with an ID card if come from a country that is part of the CA-4 Agreement.

Date of visa changes

25 February 1973: Japan 1 April 1985: France 23 March 1988: Argentina 14 February 1997: South Korea 13 December 2023: Peru Canceled: 2 May 2008: Venezuela 12 December 2018: Taiwan Visa exemption also applies to residents of countries that are visa exempt as well as holders of a valid visa issued by Canada, the United States or a Schengen member state. This does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cameroon, China, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and Yemen who also can't obtain a visa on a simplified procedure but their application needs to be approved in El Salvador. Holders of diplomatic, official or 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 do not require a visa. Transit without a visa is allowed for travellers who normally require a visa but are transiting within 48 hours and hold onward tickets. Tourist card All visitors must obtain a tourist card upon arrival (US$12). Exempt are the visitors holding a valid visa issued by El Salvador and the citizens of the European Union / EEA (except Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania), Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay and Vatican City. Central America-4 Border Control Agreement 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. Visitor statistics Most visitors arriving to El Salvador for the purpose of tourism (excluding those on a one-day visit) were nationals of the following countries: 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 Central America-4 Border Control Agreement Visa requirements for El Salvador citizens References