Visa policy of El Salvador

Holders of passports of the following 87 jurisdictions can visit El Salvador without a visa for up to 180 days (all visitors except the nationals of Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama must hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay and documents required for next destination):[1][2]

ID - May also enter with an ID card if come from a country that is part of the CA-4 Agreement.

Visa exemption also applies to residents of countries that are visa exempt as well as holders of a valid visa issued by Canada, the United States or a Schengen member state. This does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cameroon, China, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and Yemen who also can't obtain a visa on a simplified procedure but their application needs to be approved in El Salvador.

Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports of Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Montenegro, Morocco, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Suriname, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam do not require a visa.

Transit without a visa is allowed for travellers who normally require a visa but are transiting within 48 hours and hold onward tickets.

All visitors must obtain a tourist card upon arrival (US$12). Exempt are the visitors holding a valid visa issued by El Salvador and the citizens of the European Union / EEA (except Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania), Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay and Vatican City.

The Central America-4 Border Control Agreement is a treaty between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. A visa issued by one of the four countries is honored by all four of the countries. The time period for the visa, however, applies to the total time spent in any of the four countries without leaving the CA-4 area.[7]

Most visitors arriving to El Salvador for the purpose of tourism (excluding those on a one-day visit) were nationals of the following countries:[8]

Country	2015	2014	2013
Guatemala	530,531	511,829	465,055
United States	447,628	431,792	422,811
Honduras	202,339	177,777	171,763
Mexico	32,654	27,567	27,489
Costa Rica	28,737	27,981	25,150
Nicaragua	28,262	33,931	32,937
Canada	24,796	29,188	31,911
Spain	8,565	7,850	7,788
Germany	3,532	4,123	5,440
Total	1,401,598	1,345,165	1,282,792

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for El Salvador.

• Central America-4 Border Control Agreement
• Visa requirements for El Salvador citizens