Visas & Customs Requirements

General Requirements:

To enter the country, U.S. citizens must present a current U.S. passport and either a Salvadoran visa or a one-entry tourist card. The tourist card may be obtained from immigration officials for a ten-dollar fee upon arrival in country. U.S. travelers who plan to remain in El Salvador for more than thirty days can apply in advance for a multiple-entry visa, issued free of charge, from the Embassy of El Salvador in Washington, DC or from a Salvadoran consulate in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Long Island, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, or San Francisco.

When applying for a visa, travelers may be asked to present evidence of U.S. employment and adequate finances for their visit at the time of visa application or upon arrival in El Salvador. For passengers departing by air, El Salvador has an exit tax of $32.00 which is usually included in the price of the airline ticket.

Airlines operating out of El Salvador International Airport require all U.S. citizen passengers boarding flights for the United States (including U.S.-Salvadoran dual nationals) to have a current U.S. passport. U.S. citizens applying for passports at the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador are reminded that proof of citizenship and identity are required before a passport can be issued. Photographic proof of identity is especially important for young children because of the high incidence of fraud involving children. Since non-emergency passports are printed in the United States, and not at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, citizens submitting applications in El Salvador should be prepared to wait approximately one week for receipt of their new passports.

General Consulates of El Salvador:

General Consulate in WASHINGTON, D.C.
Address 1724 - 20th St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
Telephone (202) 331-4036
Fax (202) 337-4036

General Consulate in DALLAS, TEXAS
1555 W. Mockingbird Lane, No. 216
Dallas, TX 75235
Telephone (214) 637-1018
Fax (214) 637-1106

Consulate in BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Address 20 Meridian Street, 4th Floor
East Boston, MA 02128
Telephone (617) 567-8484
Fax (617) 567-8686

General Consulate in CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Address 104 S. Michigan Ave., No. 816
Chicago, IL 60603
Telephone (312) 332-1393, 578-5390
Fax (312) 332-4446

General Consulate in HOUSTON, TEXAS
Address 6420 Hillcroft, Suite 100
Houston, TX 77081
Telephone (713) 270-6239
Fax (713) 270-9683

General Consulate in LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
Address 1090 Suffolk Ave.
Brentwood, NY 11717
Telephone (631) 273-1355, 273-2256
Fax (631) 273-2559

General Consulate in MIAMI, FLORIDA
Address 300 Biscayne Blvd. Way, Suite 1020
Miami, FL 33131
Telephone (305) 371-8850
Fax (305) 371-7820

General Consulate in NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Address 46 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Telephone (212) 889-3608
Fax (212) 679-2835

General Consulate in SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
Address 870 Market Street, Suite 508
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone (415) 781-7924
Fax (415) 781-1136