Investing in El Salvador from Abroad: A Guide for the Diaspora

Nationality and documents

• Dual nationality: the Constitution gives Salvadorans by birth the right to double or multiple nationality. Children of a Salvadoran father or mother born abroad are also Salvadorans by birth, and the status is lost only by express renunciation.

Source: Legislative Assembly: Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador, Articles 90 and 91 (PDF, in Spanish); GLOBALCIT: Constitution of El Salvador, nationality articles in English^1,2

• DUI abroad: the identity card (DUI) can be issued at the service centres of the National Registry of Natural Persons (RNPN) in consulates, 24 of them in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Spain and Australia. The fee abroad is $35.
• Online renewal: Salvadorans living in the United States can renew or replace a DUI online at dui.sv/exterior for $55, delivery included. A first DUI still needs a visit to a consular service centre.

Source: Diario El Mundo: the 43 places to apply for a DUI in El Salvador and abroad; El Salvador.com: renewing or replacing a DUI online from the United States, October 2026^3,4

Tax number: for Salvadoran adults the tax identification number (NIT) is now the DUI number, so a DUI issued at a consulate also works for tax, banking and property procedures. Salvadorans born abroad, or whose NIT predates the merger, may need to update their record on the Ministry of Finance website.^5,6

Acting from abroad: powers of attorney

Salvadoran heads of mission, consuls and vice-consuls can act as notaries in the countries where they are accredited, for acts and contracts that are to take effect in El Salvador. A deed signed before a consul has the same effect as one signed before a notary in El Salvador. Appointments for powers of attorney and other deeds are booked through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointment portal or the Virtual Consulate.^7,8

• A power of attorney lets a relative or lawyer in El Salvador sign a purchase, manage a property, deal with a bank or register a company for you.
• Where to sign it: the FSV, for example, accepts powers granted abroad when they are signed at a Salvadoran consulate or before a Salvadoran notary authorised by the Supreme Court. A power signed before a local notary abroad must be apostilled or legalised and translated into Spanish.
• Public bodies: the 2025 diaspora law requires state entities to accept representation by power of attorney and forms signed with a certified electronic signature.

Source: FSV: model power of attorney, with the rules for powers granted abroad (PDF, in Spanish); Decree No. 375 of 2025, Special Law on Benefits and Protection for the Diaspora and People in Human Mobility (Judicial Documentation Centre, PDF, in Spanish)^9,10

For the apostille and translation rules for foreign documents, see Can Foreigners Buy Property?.

Buying a home: FSV Vivienda Cercana

A purchase follows the same steps for Salvadorans abroad as for anyone else: a public deed before a notary, the 3% transfer tax on the price above $28,571.43 and registration at the National Registry Centre (CNR). See Buying Property Step by Step. For financing, the state housing lender Fondo Social para la Vivienda (FSV) runs Vivienda Cercana, a mortgage programme for Salvadorans abroad and for families in El Salvador who receive remittances.¹³

Source: FSV: Vivienda Cercana conditions, requirements and documents, version 11 (PDF, in Spanish)¹⁴

• Uses: a new or used home, homes recovered by the FSV, building on your own plot, repairs and extensions, buying a plot, or refinancing another lender.
• Terms: up to 25 years, and up to 15 years for retirees and for repairs and extensions. Applicants must be 18 to 68 years old, show income and a credit record, and the FSV states loans of up to $150,000 depending on income.
• From abroad you need proof of your migration status, a DUI, your last income tax return, a credit report (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion or similar) and a legal representative in El Salvador with a joint co-signer, appointed by power of attorney.

Source: Fondo Social para la Vivienda (FSV): the Vivienda Cercana programme; FSV: Vivienda Cercana conditions, requirements and documents, version 11 (PDF, in Spanish)^13,14

Banking from abroad

• Access: banks, cooperative banks and other deposit-taking entities supervised by the Financial System Superintendency must provide services to Salvadorans covered by the diaspora law who want to open accounts or use their services.
• Credit history: a foreign credit history, tax returns or other proof of financial activity abroad can be used to show ability to pay. A bank that refuses must explain why in writing.
• Documents and channels: banks must accept free translations of the documents they request and offer electronic channels to operate accounts from abroad. Anti-money-laundering checks still apply.

Source: Decree No. 375 of 2025, Special Law on Benefits and Protection for the Diaspora and People in Human Mobility (Judicial Documentation Centre, PDF, in Spanish)¹⁰

Remittances, which reached about USD 10 billion in 2025, are covered in The Salvadoran Diaspora and Remittances. For company accounts, see Opening a Business Bank Account.

Taxes

• Income earned abroad: since Decree No. 969 of March 2024, amounts received from any foreign source are not income for Salvadoran income tax, whether or not the person is resident. Income from a property, business or job in El Salvador is taxed there.
• Your country of residence: U.S. citizens and resident aliens are taxed by the United States on their worldwide income, including rent or profits from El Salvador. El Salvador has no double tax treaty with the United States; the treaty listed by PwC is with Spain.

Source: Legislative Assembly: Decree No. 969 of 12 March 2024 on foreign-source income (PDF, in Spanish); IRS: U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad; PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: El Salvador, foreign tax relief and tax treaties^15,17,16

More detail: Foreign-Source Income and Double Tax Treaties.

Returning: the 2025 diaspora law

The Special Law on Benefits and Protection for the Diaspora and People in Human Mobility (Decree No. 375, approved on 7 August 2025) applies to Salvadorans by birth or naturalisation who live abroad and declare that they will return or set up a home in El Salvador, for holidays, a temporary stay or permanently, whatever their migration status. Customs applies the tax benefits for five years from 21 August 2025.^10,11

Source: Decree No. 375 of 2025, Special Law on Benefits and Protection for the Diaspora and People in Human Mobility (Judicial Documentation Centre, PDF, in Spanish); Customs (DGA): administrative provision DGA-011-2026 on the diaspora law, 7 August 2026 (PDF, in Spanish)^10,11

• Before you ship: sign a sworn declaration of your address in El Salvador with the Directorate of Migration (DGME), update the address on your DUI, and have no migration alert or arrest warrant. A power of attorney can be used for the declaration.
• Costs that remain: each customs declaration pays the $18 non-intrusive inspection fee, and storage is charged after five free days.
• Selling a vehicle early: a vehicle sold before two years loses the exemption, and the duties, interest and first-registration tax become payable.

Source: Decree No. 375 of 2025, Special Law on Benefits and Protection for the Diaspora and People in Human Mobility (Judicial Documentation Centre, PDF, in Spanish); Customs (DGA): administrative provision DGA-011-2026 on the diaspora law, 7 August 2026 (PDF, in Spanish); Customs (DGA): benefits for the diaspora, questions and answers^10,11,12

Hiring returnees and investment support

The law creates a Ministry of Labour register, Empleos para Salvadoreños Retornados. Companies that have operated formally for at least six months and are up to date with tax and social security can register and deduct from their taxable income the equivalent of three, four or five sector minimum wages when they hire 2 to 6, 7 to 12 or more than 13 returnees in the year. See Minimum Wages by Sector.¹⁰

The investment agency INVEST, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, is tasked with promoting diaspora investment, and consulates can connect investors with the institutions concerned. The law also asks consulates to run campaigns against fraud aimed at diaspora entrepreneurs: check a developer, the property title at the CNR and any intermediary before you send money.¹⁰

Things to check

• Your migration status abroad: more than 170,000 Salvadorans in the United States hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and changes in US policy can affect income, travel and loan conditions.

Source: Congressional Research Service: El Salvador in Brief, 6 October 2026¹⁸

This guide summarises the rules for general information. Fees and programme conditions change; confirm them with the consulate, the FSV or Customs, and take legal and tax advice in both countries before a large purchase.