El Salvador · Entry and visas

El Salvador visa rules for US citizens

Source-checked19 sources, 9 officialHow we check

Last checked 13 Nov 2026Written for US citizensSome rules are still being checked

In brief

No visa needed: US citizens can stay up to 90 days and extend once by 90 days for $25. Paid work isn't allowed while visiting.

Visa-free (US)Up to 90 days, extendable by 90

Residency income fromAbout $1,226 a month of pension

CitizenshipAfter 5 years of residence

Tax on foreign incomeNo: foreign income untaxed since 2024

Visiting El Salvador on a US passport

Visa needed?	No, a valid US passport is enough; the tourist card was abolished in 2025
Days allowed	Up to 90 days
Can you extend?	Yes, once, by up to 90 days for $25; ask at least 5 days before your stay ends
What you can't do	Paid, academic or business work (fine about $409–1,635). Remote work for a US employer isn't addressed Needs review
Overstay penalty	Your stay becomes irregular; a late extension request costs $82–409. Deportation with a 1–3 year ban is possible
Passport validity	Valid and in good condition

Good to know

Coming from a neighbor: arriving from Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua, you get the days left from your first entry in the region.
Want to stay longer? You can switch to residency inside El Salvador; a 90-day provisional residence may cover you meanwhile.
Departure fee: $10 at the main airports.

Count your days in El Salvador →

Checked against the lawStay, extension, fee and work rules, read in the migration law.

Not yet verifiedThe visa exemption list and the shared regional stay.

Still being checkedRules on funds and onward tickets, and the US government's page.

Sources (8)

Legal basis and exact figures

Law: Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería (DL 286/2019, consolidated to DL 531/2026) arts 79, 81, 84 (90 days), 85 (one extension of up to 90 days, at least 5 days before expiry; a second only for disasters, epidemics or humanitarian reasons), 225(1) and 232 (1-4 minimum wages, USD 408.80-1,635.20), 224(2) and 231 (USD 81.76-408.80), 239-240 (abbreviated deportation, USD 40.88-1,635.20, 1-3-year ban), 325 (USD 25 extension; USD 10 airport departure fee).
Visa and CA-4: US ordinary passports are category (A) 'EXENTO DE VISA' on the CA-4 list of 23-01-2019; the 'tiempo vigente en la región' rule is from the DGME FAQ (CA-4 convention text not read). Tourist card abolished by DL 286/2025 (about 13-05-2025).
Not confirmed: which overstay penalty DGME applies to a simple overstay; whether the USD 10 fee is in the airline ticket; Reglamento funds and onward-ticket rules.

Every rule, with its legal basis

The rules

Rule	What it says
Do you need a visa?	No visa: the CA-4 visa classification list (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua; dated 23-01-2019, on the DGME site) puts United States ordinary passports in category (A) 'EXENTO DE VISA', including Guam. Category A is the law's visa-exempt class (Ley art 29); art 38(1) exempts nationals of countries with an agreed visa waiver.
Working as a visitor	A tourist enters for recreational, scientific, family or religious purposes, 'ni con fines laborales, académicos o comerciales' (art 84). A tourist who does paid, academic or commercial activities commits a serious infraction (art 225(1)), fined 1-4 monthly minimum wages, i.e. USD 408.80-1,635.20 (art 232; DE 11/2025). Remote work for a US employer while visiting is not expressly addressed (Needs review).
How long you can stay	Up to 90 calendar days (art 84). Travellers already inside the CA-4 area (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua) enter with 'tiempo vigente en la región', the time left from the first CA-4 entry (DGME FAQ). The CA-4 convention text itself was not read, so the shared 90-day regional count is shown as DGME practice.
Extending your stay	One extension of up to 90 calendar days if requested at least 5 days before the initial period ends and the purpose of the stay is reasonably shown (art 85); a second extension of up to 90 days only for disasters, epidemics, humanitarian reasons, public calamity or the best interests of a child. Filed by e-mail with form F44 ('de 1 hasta 90 días'), paid online, then stamped at an appointment.
Passport	Valid passport in good condition (DGME FAQ). The six-month validity rule in art 28 applies to passports in which a visa is issued; a minimum validity for visa-exempt tourists was not found. Airline rules not checked.
Health requirements	No vaccination or health-insurance requirement for US tourists found in the law sections read; yellow-fever rules for travellers from risk countries were not checked.
Switching to residency	Non-residents may change category if they meet that category's requirements (art 79), and residence can be requested directly at DGME (art 254). DGME residence forms (F-07, F-08, F-11) are written for applicants who entered as tourists. DGME may grant 90-day renewable provisional residence while the case runs, allowing stay, work, study and re-entry (art 81).
Fees	USD 25 ('Prórroga de permanencia para turistas', art 325).
Overstaying	Staying beyond the authorised time makes the stay irregular (art 48(1)). Not requesting the extension in time is a minor infraction (art 224(2)), fined 20%-100% of one monthly minimum wage, i.e. USD 81.76-408.80 (art 231). At the border, a person in a deportation case may get an abbreviated deportation: immediate exit, a fine from 10% of one monthly minimum wage up to four minimum wages (USD 40.88-1,635.20), and a 1-3-year entry ban (arts 239-240). Which of these DGME applies to a simple overstay was not confirmed.
At the border	The entry tourist card (Tarjeta migratoria de ingreso) and its fee were abolished by DL 286/2025 (fee removed from art 325; art 328 repealed), in force from about 13-05-2025. An airport departure fee of USD 10 applies at Monseñor Romero and Ilopango airports (art 325); whether it is included in the airline ticket was not verified. Proof-of-funds and onward-ticket rules (Reglamento) and minors' rules were not read; The US State Department page is still to be checked.

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