El Salvador travel advisory today

This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of El Salvador’s current rules for the most common types of travel.

The authorities in El Salvador set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Salvadoran Embassy in the UK.

Passport validity requirements

To enter El Salvador, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the day you arrive.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Dual citizenship.

Visa requirements

You can travel to El Salvador for tourism or business for up to 180 days without a visa.

You can extend your stay by contacting the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration.

To stay longer (to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons), you must meet the Salvadoran government’s entry requirements. Check which type of visa or work permit you need with the Salvadoran Embassy in the UK.

If you overstay your visa, you may have to pay a fine before leaving the country.

Applying for a visa

If you need a visa, contact the Salvadoran Embassy in the UK.

Travelling between El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua

You can travel between El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua for up to 90 days without a visa. The CA-4 Agreement also includes Honduras, however British Nationals must have a visa to visit Honduras. If you’re entering Honduras, read the entry requirements. Read the travel advice for:

• Guatemala
• Nicaragua

The 90-day period starts when you enter any of these countries and does not restart when you cross borders. You’ll have to go through immigration checks at borders.

If you’re expelled from one of these countries, you’re also excluded from the other 3. If you overstay, you may get a fine.

Vaccine requirements

To enter El Salvador, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk.

For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s El Salvador guide.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of El Salvador. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Taking money into El Salvador

Declare cash or travellers cheques if the value is 10,000 US dollars or more.

Transit fee for Indian and African nationals

Indian nationals or nationals from any African country travelling through El Salvador must pay a 1,130 US dollar fee. See transit fee for Indian and African nationals.

British dual nationals will not have to pay the fee if they travel on their British passport.

Some countries have imposed measures in response to the Ebola disease outbreak. These can include restrictions on entry and health screening measures for travellers having recently visited an affected country. If you are suspected of having symptoms, you may be subject to isolation, quarantine and/or travel restrictions. Contact the authorities of the country you are travelling to for more details.

The authorities of a country or territory decide who can enter or exit through its borders. The Government of Canada cannot intervene on your behalf if you do not meet your destination’s entry or exit requirements.

We have obtained the information on this page from local authorities. It can, however, change at any time.

Verify this information with the Foreign Representatives in Canada.

Passport

Entry requirements vary depending on the type of passport you're travelling with.

Before you travel, check with your transportation company about passport requirements. Its rules on passport validity may be more stringent than the country's entry rules.

Regular Canadian passport

Your passport must be valid at the time of entry to El Salvador. It must also be in good condition and have at least one blank page.

Passport for official travel

Different entry rules may apply.

Official travel

Passport with “X” gender identifier

While the Government of Canada issues passports with an “X” gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries. You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the “X” gender identifier. Before you leave, verify this information with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

You should also be aware that current systems used by some countries and travel companies may not recognize the “X” gender identifier. You may still be asked to provide your sex/gender information as either male or female when travelling.

Other travel documents

Different entry rules may apply when travelling with a temporary passport or an emergency travel document. Before you leave, verify this information with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Useful links

• Travel and your sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics
• Foreign Representatives in Canada
• Canadian passports and other travel documents

Visas

Tourist visa: not required for stays up to 180 days
Business visa: not required for stays up to 180 days
Student visa: not required for stays up to 180 days

To extend your stay in El Salvador beyond 180 days, you must depart and re-enter El Salvador by air, land or sea.

Central America-4 Border Control Agreement (CA-4)

Under the terms of the Central America-4 Border Control Agreement (CA-4), Canadian tourists may travel freely within any of the following CA-4 countries:

• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua

You can travel between these countries for up to 90 days without having to undergo entry and exit formalities at border immigration checkpoints. However, 90 days are not automatically granted. The immigration officer at your first entry point into the CA-4 region will determine the exact length of your authorized stay.

You must still check in at immigration counters when you enter or exit these checkpoints.

Make sure you receive an entry or exit stamp in your passport each time you cross a checkpoint to avoid fines and problems with immigration authorities.

Salvadoran immigration authorities may grant you a stay of up to 180 days. However, other CA-4 countries may only recognize the first 90 days. Keep this in mind when travelling within the CA-4 region to avoid problems with immigration authorities.

If you wish to extend your stay beyond 90 days within the CA-4 region, you must request an extension and pay the required fee at the designated immigration office in one of the other CA-4 countries before the 90-day limit expires. Immigration authorities will determine the exact length of the extension.

Once your total authorized stay expires, you must either:

• change your migratory status
• leave the CA-4 region
• return to El Salvador, where you may be granted a stay of up to 180 days

If you fail to do so, you will be fined and given 5 days to leave.

Once you leave the CA-4 region, you may attempt to return and restart the process without delay. However, the immigration officer could deny your re-entry.

If you get a new Canadian passport in El Salvador, you must obtain a new entry stamp from immigration authorities before exiting the country and travelling within the CA-4 region.

Each CA-4 country interprets and enforces the agreement differently. Ensure you carefully read the Travel Advice and Advisories for each destination you plan on visiting before travelling.

Immigration and Foreign Affairs – Government of El Salvador (Spanish only)

Work or study

If you intend to work or study in El Salvador for longer than 180 days, you must apply for residence from inside the country. The documentation required to obtain Salvadoran residence is extensive.

Make sure you have all the required documents before you leave Canada.

Other entry requirements

Customs officials may ask you to show them:

• a return or onward ticket
• proof of sufficient funds to cover the cost of your stay.

Children and travel

A Canadian citizen under 18 years of age (a minor) who departs El Salvador without both their parents or with only one of them after staying in the country for 12 consecutive months must present a parental travel authorization.

The parental travel authorization must be:

• an original document (not a photocopy or scan); and
• notarized by either a Salvadoran notary in El Salvador or a Salvadoran consul abroad, using one of the formats established by El Salvador’s General Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs

Canadian minors who also hold Salvadoran citizenship or residency status must have parental travel authorization every time they exit El Salvador without both their parents or with only one of them. This applies no matter how long they stayed and regardless of the passport they are travelling with or any other nationality they may hold.

Useful links

• Authorization forms for children and adolescents to leave the country – General Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs
• Children and travel

Yellow fever

Learn about potential entry requirements related to yellow fever (vaccines section).