El Salvador Immigration Services

Newland Chase offers full support with all aspects of corporate immigration to El Salvador. Please find an overview of the typical corporate immigration processes below. Every situation is unique, so please do get in touch, either through your usual Newland Chase contact or using the details on the right hand side of the page. Our immigration experts will be glad to discuss your needs in greater detail.

Immigration Summary

The Temporary Residence with Work Permit is the standard process applicable to locally-hired nationals of countries other than Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. The temporary residence application is submitted and processed post-arrival.

The Temporary Residence - Non-Remunerated Activities (Pre-Arrival) is for applicants who will be sent on assignment to El Salvador (i.e. without local contract or payroll) for up to one year. No intra-company relationship is required. In this case, the temporary residence application is submitted and must be approved before the applicant enters as a visitor.

The Temporary Residence with Work Permit for Centro-Americans is for nationals of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, who can enter El Salvador as a visitor without a visa, obtain temporary residence without a university degree, and are exempt from, the quota of foreign nationals to Salvadorian workers.

Generally speaking, applicants for temporary residence must enter El Salvador as visitors either holding a visitor visa or visa-free for certain nationalities. Category B nationals require a consular visitor visa from the relevant consulate, but those holding a valid Schengen, Canadian or US visitor visa can enter as visa exempt. Category C nationals require pre-approval (Type C application) which increases the visa processing time, unless holding a valid Schengen, Canadian or US visitor visa, in which case a standard consular visitor visa is required.

Nationals of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua or Panama can enter El Salvador as visitors without a visa.