El Salvador investor visa (temporary investor residence)

The application is signed by the foreigner, a legal representative or the attorney of the requesting entity, with the signature legalised by a Salvadoran notary and reference to the legal personality under which they act. Add a notarised photocopy of the foreign capital registration issued by the National Investment Office (ONI) of the Ministry of Economy and, if the company is already constituted, a copy of its company registration (matrícula de empresa) certified by a Salvadoran notary.

The F-04 sheet is for foreigners who are president, board member, legal representative or shareholder of a commercial company legally established in El Salvador, or owners or general managers of a business with an active investment in the country, under articles 90 and 109(1) of the Special Migration and Foreigners Law. It refers to article 11 of the Investment Law, which sets the threshold at four thousand monthly minimum wages in force on the date the capital is transferred to El Salvador.

The DGME does not state that amount in dollars; check the current minimum wage and the ONI's criteria before transferring funds.

Every file starts with an application signed by the foreigner, a legal representative or an attorney (with a signature legalised by a Salvadoran notary if not filed in person); a photocopy of all used pages of the valid passport with the original for comparison; an original certificate of no police or criminal record from the country of origin or where you lived in the two years before entering El Salvador; and a valid clearance from the National Civil Police if you have been in the country more than three months or entered more than twice in the last year.

Documents issued abroad must be authenticated or apostilled and translated into Spanish under article 162 of the Special Migration and Foreigners Law, and every document must show your names exactly as in your passport. The DGME may ask for additional information.

The Foreigners' Office issues a payment order, which is not refundable. Non-Central American temporary residents pay USD 140 for up to one year and USD 260 for up to two years (Central Americans USD 70 and USD 130). The DGME answers within a maximum of 45 working days once all requirements are met.

Request the extension of temporary residence within the 30 calendar days before it expires. Temporary residents lose their status if they are absent more than three consecutive months or four months in total within one year, and every resident must report changes of nationality, family status or address within five working days. After three years of temporary residence you can apply for definitive (permanent) residence.