Visa policy of El Salvador

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Visitors to El Salvador must obtain a visa from one of the Salvadorean 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 86 jurisdictions can visit El Salvador without a visa for up to 90 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):^[1][2]

Date of visa changes
This list is incomplete; you can help by . (February 2018) 25 February 1973: Japan[3] 1 April 1985: France[4] 23 March 1988: Argentina[5] 14 February 1997: South Korea[6] Canceled: 2 May 2008: Venezuela[citation needed] 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, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Vatican City.

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:^[7]

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[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for El Salvador.

• Central America-4 Border Control Agreement
• Visa requirements for El Salvador citizens

References[]