Moving to El Salvador: A Practical Checklist
Before you leave
- Choose your route with the residency pathfinder: work, investment, own income, pension or family.
- Get a police or criminal record certificate from your country of origin or residence covering the last 2 years.
- Apostille or legalise birth and marriage certificates, police records and degrees, and have them translated into Spanish.
- Check your visa category and whether you can enter as a tourist.
- Make an inventory with values of the household goods you plan to ship.
Source: Customs (DGA): importing household goods; DGME: temporary residence procedures and forms F1 to F31; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: authentications and apostilles2,4,5
After you arrive
- File for residence with the DGME during your tourist stay, using the form for your category.
- Ask for provisional residence while the file is processed: it is valid for 90 calendar days, can be extended for equal periods and lets you stay, work, study, leave and re-enter.
- Once residence is granted, collect your residence card. Temporary residents must spend at least 90 calendar days a year in El Salvador.
- Exchange your driving licence once you have a residence card.
Source: Asamblea Legislativa: Special Migration and Aliens Law, Decree 286 of 2019 (PDF, in Spanish); Jurisprudencia: Decree 531 of 2026 amending the Migration Law; SERTRACEN: exchanging a foreign driving licence1,6,7
Household goods and vehicles
| Who | Tax treatment | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Other private individuals | Set by the Central American customs regulation; check with Customs (DGA) | Assessed case by case |
| Pensionados and rentistas | Exempt from import duty (DAI) only | Household goods up to $20,000 CIF within 90 days of the final residence resolution; one vehicle up to $25,000 CIF |
| Salvadoran migrants returning home | Exempt from duty and taxes under the repatriation law | Vehicle and household goods up to $70,000 CIF |
Source: Customs (DGA): importing household goods; Customs (DGA): definitive imports with a customs franchise2,3
- File the DUCA-D customs declaration with a list of goods, quantities and estimated values; new goods need the purchase invoice.
- Bring the transport document: bill of lading by sea, air waybill by air or consignment note by land.
- Weapons, hazardous items, plant or animal products and food raw materials need permits from other ministries.
- Pensionados and rentistas add the DGME resolution, the residence card and a request for the customs franchise.
- A licensed customs agent can file for you. The customs procedure itself is free and has a response time of 5 working days.
Source: Customs (DGA): importing household goods2
Frequently Asked Questions
How do most people move to El Salvador?
Most people arrive on a tourist stay and then file for temporary residence with the DGME. While the file is processed, the DGME can grant a renewable provisional residence of 90 days.
When can I import my household goods?
Household goods can be imported within 30 days before or 90 days after you arrive.
Which documents should I prepare before moving?
A police record certificate covering the last 2 years, and apostilled or legalised birth and marriage certificates and degrees, translated into Spanish.
Sources
- Asamblea Legislativa: Special Migration and Aliens Law, Decree 286 of 2019 (PDF, in Spanish)
- Customs (DGA): importing household goods (in Spanish)
- Customs (DGA): definitive imports with a customs franchise (in Spanish)
- DGME: temporary residence procedures and forms F1 to F31 (in Spanish)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: authentications and apostilles (in Spanish)
- Jurisprudencia: Decree 531 of 2026 amending the Migration Law (in Spanish)
- SERTRACEN: exchanging a foreign driving licence (in Spanish)
Figures checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestSalvador.com for general information. It is not investment, tax or legal advice; please confirm details with a qualified adviser before acting.