# 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.

## Visa exemption

Holders of passports of the following 89 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):
| Albania  Andorra  Antigua and Barbuda  Argentina  Australia  Bahamas  Bahrain  Barbados  Belize  Bolivia (90 days)  Brazil  Brunei  Canada  Chile  Colombia  Costa Rica  Dominican Republic | Ecuador  Fiji  Guatemala$^{ID}$  Honduras$^{ID}$  Iceland  India  Israel  Japan  Kuwait  Liechtenstein  Madagascar  Malaysia  Marshall Islands  Mexico  Monaco  New Zealand | Nicaragua$^{ID}$  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 :
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

Visitors entering the country by air and sea must obtain a tourist card upon arrival ($12). Adult children of Salvadoran citizens are exempt. Minors are exempt. Exempt are the visitors holding a valid visa issued by El Salvador and the citizens of the European Union / EEA (except Bulgaria and Croatia), 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 |