El Salvador · Spouse visas
El Salvador Spouse of a citizen
First stay: 2 yrs
Temporary Residence for a Foreigner Married to, or Cohabiting with, a Salvadoran
First checked against official sources on , some details partly verifiedChange log
Key facts
Spouse of a citizen is a spouse visas route for El Salvador. Checked 2026-10-10 against the official source.
- First stay
- 2 yrs
Time and long term
RenewalRenewable, 5 years max
Temporary residence can be extended, and the extension must be requested within 30 days before it expires. Total time on temporary residence cannot exceed 5 years except in specially approved cases. A spouse keeps the temporary residence after divorce or the Salvadoran spouse's death; a cohabiting partner keeps it until it expires.
Permanent residenceAfter 1 year of residence
A foreigner married to or living with a Salvadoran can apply for permanent (definitive) residence after 1 year of uninterrupted temporary residence.
CitizenshipAfter 2 years of residence
A foreigner married to a Salvadoran can apply for naturalisation after 2 years of residence in the country, counting temporary and permanent residence, before or after the marriage.
Where to applyWhere to apply
You can apply from abroad; if you do, you must register with the immigration authority within 5 working days of first entering El Salvador.
Presence rulesAbsence limits
Temporary residence is lost if you are away from El Salvador for more than six consecutive months, or six months in total in one year, unless the absence is justified.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Time on this route is capped at 5 years in total
What you'll need
Who can apply1
- Married to, or in a non-marital union (unión no matrimonial) with, a Salvadoran citizen.
What you must show1
- A sworn declaration states who will provide financial support in El Salvador and how their income is obtained.
Documents4
- Certified marriage certificate; a marriage celebrated abroad must be legally registered in El Salvador.
- Copy of the Salvadoran spouse's DUI showing marital status and the spouse's name.
- Sworn declaration of free union before a Salvadoran notary stating how long the relationship has existed.
- Sworn statement before a notary by the person who will provide financial maintenance.
Steps1
- General requirements for temporary residence under the law and regulation also apply.
When you become tax resident
How El Salvador decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 5 years in total
- Tax residence
- More than 200 days in a calendar yearNatural persons residing temporarily or permanently in the country for more than 200 consecutive days in a calendar year are domiciled for tax purposes.
- Foreign-source income
Foreign-source excluded
Since the 2024 reform of art. 3 of the Ley del Impuesto sobre la Renta, values received in any form that were obtained abroad, including capital movements, remuneration and returns, nominally obtained or received by individuals, companies or entities domiciled or not in El Salvador from any kind of foreign source do not constitute income.
- Special regime
Foreign-source income excluded from taxable income · Tax relief
Decree 969 (12 March 2024) excludes from "renta" all sums, capital movements, remuneration or emoluments obtained abroad from any foreign source, by domiciled or non-domiciled natural or legal persons.
All tax rules for El Salvador Tax records checked
Full official text
For a foreign spouse or unmarried partner (conviviente) of a Salvadoran citizen. It gives temporary residence under the Special Law on Migration and Foreigners. 1 2 3
Requirements
- Married to, or in a non-marital union (unión no matrimonial) with, a Salvadoran citizen. 1
- A sworn declaration states who will provide financial support in El Salvador and how their income is obtained. 1
- Certified marriage certificate; a marriage celebrated abroad must be legally registered in El Salvador. 1
- Copy of the Salvadoran spouse's DUI showing marital status and the spouse's name. 1
- Sworn declaration of free union before a Salvadoran notary stating how long the relationship has existed. 1
- Sworn statement before a notary by the person who will provide financial maintenance. 1
- General requirements for temporary residence under the law and regulation also apply. 1
Stay
- Residence with multiple entries and exits for up to 2 years, extendable. The spouse keeps temporary residence after divorce or the Salvadoran spouse's death; a cohabiting partner keeps it until it expires.
- First stay: up to 24 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Official sources
- Reglamento de la Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería, Decreto Ejecutivo No. 35 (2019), arts. 169 y 196 · Presidencia de la República de El Salvador (Centro de Documentación Legislativa) · checked 2026-10-11
- Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería (Decreto Legislativo 286/2019, D.O. 75, tomo 423, 25 April 2019), arts. 108-109, 120, 125, 144-145 · Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador (copy published by the Dirección General de Aduanas) · checked 2026-10-12
- Residencias temporales (forms F3 to F31) · Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, El Salvador · checked 2026-10-10
Spouse of a citizen and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse of a citizen | – | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| Spouse of a citizen Mexico | – | 2 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Partner of a citizen Colombia | – | – | Yes |
| Spouse of a citizen Costa Rica | – | 1 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Spouse of a resident Brazil | – | – | Yes |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Spouse of a citizen?
Residence with multiple entries and exits for up to 2 years, extendable.
Does the Spouse of a citizen lead to permanent residence in El Salvador?
Time on the Spouse of a citizen counts toward permanent residence in El Salvador, which the rules allow after 1 year of residence. Time on the Spouse of a citizen counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 2 years of residence.
Is there a tax break for Spouse of a citizen holders in El Salvador?
Foreign-source income excluded from taxable income (Decree 969): Decree 969 (12 March 2024) excludes from "renta" all sums, capital movements, remuneration or emoluments obtained abroad from any foreign source, by domiciled or non-domiciled natural or legal persons. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Foreign-source income excluded from taxable income (Decree 969)
Tax relief
Details
- On: Foreign-source income and capital movements
Decree 969 (12 March 2024) excludes from "renta" all sums, capital movements, remuneration or emoluments obtained abroad from any foreign source, by domiciled or non-domiciled natural or legal persons.
Taxed on
Foreign-source income and capital movements
Who it applies to
- Natural persons, legal entities and entities without legal personality, domiciled or not in El Salvador.
Exclusions
- Salvadoran-source income remains taxable under the standard scale.
Tax residence
Applies whether or not the recipient is domiciled in El Salvador.
Visas
Applies to any resident status, including temporary rentistas and pensioners.
Checked against official sources on Change log
More in El Salvador
Spouse and partner visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-10 against 3 official sources. Status: partly verified; the page marks the facts an official source does not fully confirm.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Reglamento de la Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería, Decreto Ejecutivo No. 35 (2019), arts. 169 y 196 · Presidencia de la República de El Salvador (Centro de Documentación Legislativa) · checked 2026-10-11
- Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería (Decreto Legislativo 286/2019, D.O. 75, tomo 423, 25 April 2019), arts. 108-109, 120, 125, 144-145 · Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador (copy published by the Dirección General de Aduanas) · checked 2026-10-12
- Residencias temporales (forms F3 to F31) · Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, El Salvador · checked 2026-10-10
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.