Foreign Investment Registration in El Salvador (ONI)

What registration protects

The Investment Law guarantees registered foreign investors the right to transfer abroad, in foreign currency:¹

• net income and dividends from the investment;
• the proceeds of liquidating the investment, in whole or in part, or of selling it to third parties;
• principal and interest on loans to companies domiciled in El Salvador;
• royalties from investments in intangible assets;
• compensation for expropriation and payments under the law’s dispute resolution rules.

Source: Investment Law (INVEST, PDF)¹

The ONI credential is also asked for elsewhere: for example, the Directorate General of Migration requires an up-to-date ONI registration of foreign capital to extend an investor’s temporary residence.⁴

How to register

• Bring the money in through a bank in El Salvador and ask the bank for the certificate of foreign currency entry, showing the investor, the country of origin, the date and the amount.
• Apply to the ONI, in person or through an attorney or the legal representative of the Salvadoran company. If someone else files the application, the signature is legalised by a notary.
• Wait for the resolution: the ONI registers the investment within 30 business days and issues a transcript of the resolution, which serves as the credential.

Source: Investment Law (INVEST, PDF); Regulations of the Investment Law (eRegulations El Salvador, PDF, in Spanish)^1,2

A branch of a foreign company registers its capital with the ONI, at least USD 12,000, before it is entered at the Registry of Commerce, which also needs Ministry of Economy authorisation.^2,5,6

Documents for a foreign shareholder

• IDs of the shareholder and, where relevant, the attorney or legal representative, certified by a notary, and their NIT.
• The power of attorney or the credential of the board or sole administrator, registered at the Registry of Commerce.
• The registered deed of incorporation of the Salvadoran company.
• For a foreign company shareholder: its deed and current statutes, registered in its own country and apostilled, and its NIT.
• A certificate from the external auditor on the capital structure, if the investor was not a founder.
• The company’s business licence, NIT and NRC and its initial or latest balance sheet deposited at the Registry of Commerce.
• The original bank certificate of foreign currency entry.

Source: Regulations of the Investment Law (eRegulations El Salvador, PDF, in Spanish)²

Limits on foreign investment

• Commerce, industry and small services are reserved to Salvadorans by birth and Central Americans. The U.S. State Department notes that this covers micro businesses, defined as 10 or fewer employees and yearly sales of $204,400 or less, and that investors starting with 10 or fewer employees present plans to the ONI to increase employment.
• Rural land: no person or company may own more than 245 hectares, and foreigners from countries where Salvadorans do not have equal rights cannot buy rural land, except for industrial sites.
• Banks: governed by the sector laws. In March 2026 an amendment to the Banking Law removed the requirement that Salvadorans or Central Americans own 51% of a bank.

Source: Investment Law (INVEST, PDF); U.S. Department of State: 2026 Investment Climate Statement, El Salvador^1,3