Temporary Residency for Investors

El Salvador's Temporary Residency for Investors (Residencia Temporal para Personas Inversionistas, DGME form F4) is a renewable residence permit for foreign nationals whose investment in El Salvador is registered with the National Investment Office (ONI) and exceeds 4,000 monthly minimum wages. It is based on the Investment Law (Ley de Inversiones), which gives qualifying foreign investors and their family the right to live and work in the country, and on the migration law, which lists investors first among those eligible for temporary residence. Applications go to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME). Holders can later move to permanent residency and naturalize.

• Registered foreign investment above 4,000 monthly minimum wages in force at the date the capital is transferred
• At the commerce, industry and services minimum wage of USD 408.80 per month (since 1 June 2025), this is approximately USD 1.64 million. The law does not say which sector's wage applies, and the USD figure changes with each minimum-wage revision
• The applicant must be president, board member, legal representative or shareholder of a company legally established in El Salvador, or owner or general manager of a business with an active investment
• The investment must be registered with ONI (Ministry of Economy) — pending registrations are not accepted
• Investment may be in tangible or intangible assets, services or financial resources in freely convertible currency
• Clean criminal record

• Application signed by the applicant, legal representative or attorney, with the signature legalised by a Salvadoran notary
• Photocopy of all used pages of a valid passport (original for comparison)
• Original criminal record certificate from the country of origin or residence of the last two years
• El Salvador police (PNC) clearance, if in the country for more than 3 months or with more than 2 entries in the last year
• Notarised copy of the ONI foreign-capital registration
• Notarised copy of the company's commercial registration (Matrícula de Empresa)

Foreign documents must be apostilled or authenticated and translated into Spanish, and names must match the passport.

Residence is granted for up to two years with multiple entries, and is renewable. Renew within 30 calendar days before expiry using form F19, with your passport, the updated ONI registration, proof of the company's income-tax payment for the last year, and a current Matrícula de Empresa. If the permit expires without a renewal application, there are 15 extra calendar days to complete it, with a penalty.

Since the March 2026 migration reform (Decreto No. 531), all temporary residents must spend at least 90 days a year in El Salvador, consecutive or cumulative, unless force majeure is justified to the DGME. This replaced the earlier, stricter rule that temporary residence was lost after more than six months' absence. The Assembly presented the change as a way to suit investors who travel frequently. Residence can be cancelled for failing to meet the 90-day minimum, failing tax obligations, unauthorised work, serious crimes, or revocation of the investment registration.

The investor residence extends to the investor's accompanying family. Spouses, partners, parents and children under 18 apply separately as accompanying family (form F9), without work authorization. They need a passport copy, criminal record certificate, PNC clearance where applicable, and a notarised affidavit of financial support from the person supporting them. Spouses also provide a marriage certificate or declaration of de facto union; minors provide an apostilled birth certificate.

Since a March 2024 reform of the Income Tax Law, income obtained abroad and foreign capital movements are excluded from Salvadoran income tax. The company behind the investment must show its income tax was paid for the last year at each renewal.

1. Make the investment and register it with ONI (Ministry of Economy) to obtain the registration certificate
2. Download form F4 from the DGME temporary-residency page and prepare the documents
3. Submit the application in person or through a legal representative at the DGME Gerencia de Extranjería in San Salvador, where payment orders are issued
4. The DGME reviews the file — maximum response time is 45 business days
5. On approval, receive a temporary residence card

Applicants who entered as tourists can apply after investing. Non-refundable fees for non-Central-Americans are USD 140 (up to 1 year) or USD 260 (up to 2 years); renewals cost USD 125 (1 year) or USD 240 (2 years). Central Americans pay lower fees.

El Salvador has lower-threshold residence routes: shareholders who pay in at least USD 10,000 to a Salvadoran company (form F11), and individual merchants with business assets of at least USD 2,500 (form F12). The Definitive Residency for Investors grants permanent residence directly to participants in Government programmes, and the Freedom Visa leads to citizenship for USD 1 million in Bitcoin or USDt.

Temporary residents can apply for definitive residency after 3 years (1 year for Spanish and Hispanic-American nationals). Naturalization is possible after 5 years of combined temporary and definitive residence.