Important Notes
For NON-CANADIAN passport holders, document checklist can be requested directly through our visa specialists.
NOTE: Visa-free stay period may depend on your citizenship.
NOTE: Visa requirements may vary for holders of diplomatic passports.
Entry requirements for CANADIAN passport holders:
- Canadians must present a passport to visit El Salvador, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of expected departure from that country. Prior to travelling, ask your transportation company about its requirements related to passport validity, which may be more stringent than the country's entry rules.
- Tourist visa: Not required
- Business visa: Not required
- Student visa: Not required
- To enter El Salvador, you must purchase a tourist card, which costs US$10 and is valid for 30 to 90 days. The precise period is determined by local officials. The tourist card is not a visa but it is a mandatory requirement when you enter through El Salvador International Airport or one of the four land border points. Keep the receipt you receive when you buy the tourist card with your passport. You will not be required to re-pay if you exit and re-enter El Salvador (for a brief side trip to Honduras, for example), as long as you show your receipt and your tourist card remains valid.
- A mandatory exit tax of US$32 is included in the price of the airplane ticket.
- If you plan to go abroad, you should purchase the best travel insurance you can afford before you leave Canada. Your travel insurance should include health, life and disability coverage that will help you avoid large expenses, such as the cost of hospitalization or medical treatment outside Canada. If you are flying, being insured for flight cancellation, trip interruption, lost luggage and document replacement will save you from major disruptions and additional costs. If you are travelling by car, make sure you have driver and vehicle coverage in case you have an accident abroad.
- Under the terms of the Central America-4 Border Control Agreement (CA-4), Canadian tourists may travel within any of the CA-4 countries – Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala – for up to 90 days, without having to undergo full entry and exit formalities at border immigration checkpoints. You must still check in at immigration counters when you enter or exit these checkpoints. The 90-day period begins at the first point of entry to any of the CA-4 countries. You will be fined if you exceed the 90-day limit. You may request an extension of up to 90 days once a year. You must request this extension and pay the required fee at El Salvador’s Immigration headquarters in San Salvador before your first 90-day limit expires. Immigration authorities will determine the length of the extension.
- Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay and documents required for next destination.
- Visitors not holding return/onward tickets could be refused entry.
