3 Easy Paths to Obtain Residency in El Salvador
The critical role of expert guidance when navigating the path to residency in a foreign country is undeniable. This is particularly true for those seeking to establish residency in El Salvador.
I’m in El Salvador with my lawyer Rodrigo and we’ll be discussing how to obtain residency in El Salvador. If you’re in the market for an expert residency lawyer in El Salvador to assist with your application process, look no further than Rodrigo! His extensive experience and deep knowledge of Salvadoran residency laws and regulations make him a valuable legal partner.
EL SALVADOR
El Salvador Residency:
PLAN “A”
The current residency programs available in El Salvador require significant physical presence and are great for those looking to move to El Salvador and live there.
Watch Video: How to get Residency in El Salvador
- Rentista visa residency or private income residency in El Salvador
- Which dependents can be added to a residency in El Salvador?
- How to get the pensionado retiree visa residency in El Salvador
- Create a company in El Salvador to get residency
- How long is residency in El Salvador valid for?
- Minimum physical presence requirements to maintain residency
- How to get permanent residency in El Salvador
Why get residency in El Salvador?
Explore the benefits of Salvadoran residency, offering breathtaking scenery, low cost of living, and favorable tax conditions, making it an ideal destination for investors, expats and remote workers alike.
- An absolutely gorgeous country with mountains, beaches, and colonial towns.
- A low cost of living; El Salvador is competitively ranked in the Numbeo Cost of Living Index.
- Geographic location – same timezone as North America. It’s fantastic for remote workers.
- No taxes on worldwide income. Residents get taxed on Salvadoran-sourced income only.
- No property tax.
- Bitcoin is legal tender.
- Affordable healthcare.
What are the Residency options in El Salvador?
El Salvador offers three main visa options for investors and expats: the rentista visa, the pensionado / pensioner visa, and residency through company formation
- El Salvador Rentista visa
- El Salvador Pensionado or Pensioner Visa
- El Salvador residency through company formation
How to get the Rentista visa in El Salvador
El Salvador is very easy to move to if you can demonstrate at least $1,500 of monthly passive income. If you can show that you earn at least this amount on a monthly basis from dividends, distributions from a trust, rental income, royalties, life insurance payments, etc, then you can qualify for the rentista visa in El Salvador.
The El Salvador rentista visa is valid for one year, renewable.
The applicant can bring his spouse, children, and parents as well.
Required Documentation for the Rentista visa in El Salvador
You’ll need the following documentation to obtain your rentista visa in El Salvador :
- Proof of income, certified and apostilled
- Letter of application for registration
- Tax payer ID (NIT) (single copy)
- Criminal background check from back home (apostilled)
- Original passport and photographs
- Birth certificate (apostilled)
- Marriages certificate if applicable (apostilled)
- Affidavit confirming financial support for family members
Renewal Requirements Temporary Residence for Rentiers
Do note that you will need to stay in El Salvador for 8 months of the year and not leave for more than 3 months in a row to be able to renew your residency.
Use a good attorney in El Salvador to prepare your residency application
My Salvadoran attorney Rodrigo is really great and can help you with the process. He speaks English fluently, is highly regarded, and has helped many foreigners in El Salvador.
How to get the Pensionado visa / Pensioner residency in El Salvador
This applies to anyone who can credibly claim they are retired and have guaranteed income from a public or private pension of at least $1,100 per month.
The El Salvador pensionado visa is valid for one year, renewable. The applicant can bring his spouse, children, and parents as well.
- Proof of pension income, certified and apostilled
- Letter of application for registration
- Tax payer ID (NIT) (single copy)
- Criminal background check from back home (apostilled)
- Original passport and photographs
- Birth certificate (apostilled)
- Marriages certificate if applicable (apostilled)
- Affidavit confirming financial support for family members
Renewal Requirements
Do note that you will need to stay in El Salvador for 8 months of the year and not leave for more than 3 months in a row to be able to renew your residency.
Pensioner and Rentista Visa Legal Services
$1000
- Document preparation
- Application screening by immigration lawyer
- Support at the immigration department to navigate the process
- Help to get the actual residency card / cedula
- $250 for each additional dependent family member
How to get residency in El Salvador through company formation
Luckily, for people who don’t have such passive income, there is a residency option for entrepreneurs. It requires you to create a local El Salvador corporation and to then employ yourself. The corporation then applies for a work permit. You’ll have to pay yourself at least the minimum wage and pay some payroll and income tax.
Renewal Requirements
Do note that you will need to stay in El Salvador for 8 months of the year and not leave for more than 3 months in a row to be able to renew your residency.
The corporation also needs to demonstrate some level of activity. It can’t be completely dead. Just bill for some consulting services and you should be fine.
How to obtain permanent residency in El Salvador
The requirements to obtain permanent residency in El Salvador are relatively strict. You must have lived in El Salvador for 3 years on a temporary residency (the three options we discussed).
This means meeting the stringent physical presence requirements of at least 8 months per year and not leaving the country for more than 3 consecutive months.
However once you have permanent residency in El Salvador, maintaining it is easy and requires checking in to the country once every two years, like in Panama.
How to obtain citizenship in El Salvador
You will have had to live in El Salvador for 5 years before being able to apply. Also, you can’t just get permanent residency after year 3 and not be in El Salvador for two years before applying for citizenship. They want you to show presence and that you actually live in the country and have integrated.
However once you have permanent residency in El Salvador, maintaining it is easy and requires checking in to the country once every two years, like in Panama.
Do I need an attorney to get residency in El Salvador?
Don’t be fooled by dishonest attorneys!
Some people will try to convince you that you need a lawyer to apply for residency in El Salvador.
You don’t.
You can do it by yourself, and save a few hundred dollars in the process. The immigration department has all the information here https://www.migracion.gob.sv/
That said, the process typically takes a few months. If you make a single mistake, then you are back to zero and have to pay the government fees all over again. A good attorney will save you a lot of time, stress, and probably even money by helping you avoid making mistakes.
Get started with a consult on residency in El Salvador
My Attorney in El Salvador
Meet Rodrigo, his law firm has been in business for over 20 years, is reasonably priced and will ensure you do not get “played” because let’s face it – that’s always a risk as a foreigner in any transaction abroad.
Other services in El Salvador:
Article on El Salvador:
Transcript of “How to get Residency in El Salvador – with my lawyer Rodrigo”
LADISLAS MAURICE: Hello, everyone. Ladislas Maurice from The Wandering Investor in El Salvador together with my lawyer here, Rodrigo. Rodrigo, how are you?
RODRIGO: I’m fine and really, really excited to be here with you.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Fantastic. We’ll be discussing how to obtain residency in El Salvador, because increasingly, people want to move here due to all of the economic reforms that are taking place. Rodrigo, apart from the usual marriage, and having a child, and all of that, and a work permit, how else can people obtain residency here in El Salvador?
Rentista visa residency or private income residency in El Salvador
RODRIGO: Well, it’s easy, that question, because you have two other form or two other ways to obtain a residency here in El Salvador. The first one is to be rentista, and the second one is to have a pension fund that is paying you money monthly.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. Let’s take the rentista. What is the minimum amount of passive income that people must demonstrate to qualify for it?
RODRIGO: Okay, for rentista is, let me see, $1,500 monthly as passive income.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. Rental income, dividends, royalties.
RODRIGO: Trust funds, or you have a company outside that is paying you dividends, so you can come here in El Salvador to enjoy our beautiful country.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool, fantastic. And so let’s say that I qualify for the rentista visa, I contact you, you help me with the whole application.
Which dependents can be added to a residency in El Salvador?
LADISLAS MAURICE: And let’s say I want my wife and my children to be part of the application. Do I have to show more income? Is it complicated?
RODRIGO: No, it’s not necessary to show more income, it’s necessary to show that they are really your wife and kids or your husband and kids.
LADISLAS MAURICE: What about my parents, could they also qualify under this visa or just spouse and children?
RODRIGO: No, your parents as well can apply for it. Just also you need to prove that they are your parents.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. So essentially, marriage certificate, birth certificate apostilled?
RODRIGO: Yes, and an affidavit stating that you will take care of them while your permanency here in El Salvador.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. And you help draft that affidavit?
RODRIGO: Of course.
How to get the pensionado retiree visa residency in El Salvador
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, fantastic. What about the pensionado visa?
RODRIGO: The pensionado visa is not different, just a little lower the monthly income. It’s $1,100, roughly. And your families, and your kids, your wife, or your parents can come or can accompany you here in El Salvador. It’s the same way you obtain your pension residency as your rentista residency.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. Fantastic. For the pensionado, does the income have to come from a public pension fund or can it also come from a private pension fund?
RODRIGO: Good question. It can come both ways. You just need to prove to the notary public that will draft you the affidavit where the money come from.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Clear.
RODRIGO: You have to bring those documents legalized onto apostille.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, so marriage certificate, proof of income, birth certificates. Any criminal background checks?
RODRIGO: Yes. For every residency, you need to bring your background checks duly legalized and apostilled. But I know that all of you out there are taking good care of you.
Create a company in El Salvador to get residency
LADISLAS MAURICE: Let’s say that I want to come here but I don’t qualify for the pensionado, I don’t qualify for the rentista. Is there any other way that I can get residency here?
RODRIGO: Yes, you can be an investor here in El Salvador. You can create an entity, a company, be the legal representative of such company, pay taxes, pay you a salary as they do some invoicing.
LADISLAS MAURICE: And that’s it?
RODRIGO: Basically, yes.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, cool. So run a small business, so easy. A lot of countries have this option. And you just need to typically invoice a little bit, do a little bit of consulting, money comes from overseas, and then you just pay your taxes and you’re fine. Clear. Great. Let’s say that I am now a resident.
How long is residency in El Salvador valid for?
LADISLAS MAURICE: How long is this residency valid for?
RODRIGO: It is valid for– there is a difference that we need to make here if you are a person coming from Central America, but I think you’re–
LADISLAS MAURICE: Not from Central America here. Okay.
RODRIGO: Yes, I was going to say that. We are aiming to all not Central American people. So it’s three years. It’s three years and you have to renew it yearly.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay.
RODRIGO: Yes, you need to renew it yearly.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, cool. I come here, you help me get residency, I get a card with my family for one year.
RODRIGO: Yes.
LADISLAS MAURICE: After one year, I come back to you. I’m like, “Rodrigo, I want to renew it.”
RODRIGO: Yes.
Minimum physical presence requirements to maintain residency in El Salvador
LADISLAS MAURICE: How long will I have had to stay? What are the minimum presence requirements in El Salvador to be able to renew my residency?
RODRIGO: Awesome, good question. The minimum time you have to stay here in El Salvador is for eight months, and not to leave El Salvador for three months consecutive in a year.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. Look, what this means is that for people hoping for paper residencies, where they can just come here, get a residency, it’s a Plan B, they check in every two years to keep it active, kind of like Panama or Paraguay, this is not it. This will not work for you. El Salvador and residency, as things stand with these programs and then the government, we’re discussing, is thinking of launching new residency programs, which may be more flexible, but as these programs come out, we’ll be giving out updates, but the traditional programs, paths to residency, essentially it’s a Plan A, it’s for people who want to move here.
I arrived here in San Salvador Airport. They gave me immediately 180-day tourist visa. The reality is, if I want to spend less than half the year in El Salvador, I really don’t need residency. It’s really for people who want to live here essentially almost permanently.
RODRIGO: Yes.
How to get permanent residency in El Salvador
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. Let’s say I’m aiming for permanent residency. After how many years of properly maintaining my temporary residency can I apply for permanent residency?
RODRIGO: Three years. Three years you have your temporary residency. And then on the third year, you can apply and submit your application for permanent residency. And after five years of you doing your life here, you can apply for citizenship here in El Salvador.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. Let’s say you help me apply for permanent residency. I get it. Do I still have to spend at least eight months a year and not leave the country for more than three months at a time to maintain my permanent residency?
RODRIGO: No, for your permanent residency it’s easier, it’s easier for you to go out of El Salvador. You can be out of El Salvador with your permanent residency for two years.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, so check in once every two years, that’s fine?
RODRIGO: Yes. You can come once in those years. Once a year, you can come here to El Salvador and you will maintain your permanent residency.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay, cool. Once every two years. Okay, cool.
RODRIGO: Yes.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Now, let’s say I do three years of full residency temporary, then once I get my permanent residency, I’m gone. I go traveling, I do other stuff. At year five, I come back, I apply for citizenship. Would this work or will they tell me, “Well, actually, yes, you maintained residency in those last two years, but you weren’t living here really enough to qualify for citizenship?”
RODRIGO: As you say on your last option, you need to be here in El Salvador for your last five years, because you will have to prove that your life is here.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. And is dual citizenship allowed in El Salvador?
RODRIGO: It depends from your nationality and your home country. Here, in El Salvador, we allow dual citizenship if your home country allows it. If not, you will have to resign one and adopt El Salvadorian residency.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool, fantastic. You’ve helped a lot of people obtain residency, your law firm here in El Salvador?
RODRIGO: Yes, we help a lot of people obtaining their residency-ship here in El Salvador, mostly working permit and people who bring their family with them to work here in El Salvador, but we can help anybody who wants to come here and live in El Salvador.
LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. Cool, fantastic. Look, if you want more information on how to obtain residency in El Salvador, there is a link below. And then this way you will be able to get in touch with Rodrigo. He’ll be able to help you from A to Z as well as with real estate law if you were to make a purchase here in El Salvador. Rodrigo, thank you very much for your time.
RODRIGO: Thank you, Ladislas.
LADISLAS MAURICE: I really appreciate it.
RODRIGO: Thank you.