Consulates & Government Offices

Salvadoran consulates, government offices, and US Embassy contacts that go with Chapters 5, 6, 8, 11, 16, 19, 20, and 34. Checked October 2026.

In the book: Chapter 5

The chapter covers your legal path to living in El Salvador:

• Who is Salvadoran by birth, and how it passes down through generations
• Getting a DUI before you move, and registering your children and marriage
• The residency paths for spouses, Central Americans, pensioners, and people with income from abroad
• The order to gather your documents so nothing expires, and what happens if your tourist time runs out first

Salvadoran consulates in the US (as of October 2026)

From the Foreign Ministry's official directory, checked October 7, 2026. All consulates share one phone line, +1 888 301-1130, and most are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Columbus: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM). Confirm before you go in the Foreign Ministry's directory (in Spanish: choose Norteamérica, Estados Unidos, then the city).

• Tucson, Arizona: 5447 E. 5th St., Suite 249, Tucson, AZ 85711; [email protected]
• Springdale, Arkansas: 3875 W. Sunset Avenue, Springdale, AR 72762; [email protected]
• Fresno, California: 49 W. Alluvial Ave., Fresno, CA 93650; [email protected]
• Los Angeles, California: 3250 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Los Angeles, CA 90010; [email protected]
• San Bernardino, California: 3505 Highland Ave., Suite C, Highland, CA 92346; [email protected]
• San Francisco, California: 500 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102; [email protected]
• Aurora, Colorado: 1450 S. Havana St., Suite 100, Aurora, CO 80012; [email protected]
• Doral, Florida: 8550 NW 33rd Street, Suite 100, Doral, FL 33122; [email protected]
• Duluth, Georgia: 3550 Corporate Way, Suite A, Duluth, GA 30096; [email protected]
• Chicago, Illinois: 8605 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 310, Chicago, IL 60631; [email protected]
• Silver Spring, Maryland: 926 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910; [email protected]
• Boston, Massachusetts: 46 Bennington Street, East Boston, MA 02128; [email protected]
• St. Paul, Minnesota: 60 Plato Boulevard E., Suite 150, St. Paul, MN 55107; [email protected]
• Omaha, Nebraska: 11422 Miracle Hills Drive, Suite 205, Omaha, NE 68154; [email protected]
• Las Vegas, Nevada: 765 N. Nellis Blvd., Suite C-5, Las Vegas, NV 89110; [email protected]
• Elizabeth, New Jersey: 40 Parker Road, Suite 100, Elizabeth, NJ 07208; [email protected]
• New York City, New York: 14 W. 37th St., New York, NY 10018; [email protected]
• Plainview, New York: 111 Express Street, Plainview, NY 11803; [email protected]
• Charlotte, North Carolina: 1520 West Boulevard, Suite C, Charlotte, NC 28208; [email protected]
• Columbus, Ohio: 200 E. Campus View Blvd., Suite 240, Columbus, OH 43235
• Nashville, Tennessee: 311 Plus Park Blvd., Suite 110, Nashville, TN 37217; [email protected]
• Dallas, Texas: 7610 Stemmons Fwy., Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75247; [email protected]
• El Paso, Texas: 400 W. San Antonio St., Suite B, El Paso, TX 79901; [email protected]
• Houston, Texas: 8300 Bissonnet St., Suite 400, Houston, TX 77074; [email protected]
• McAllen, Texas: 701 S. Broadway St., McAllen, TX 78501; [email protected]
• San Antonio, Texas: 12521 Nacogdoches Rd., San Antonio, TX 78217; [email protected]
• Salt Lake City, Utah: 124 South 400 East, Suite 410, Salt Lake City, UT 84111; [email protected]
• Woodbridge, Virginia: 14517 Potomac Mills Road, Woodbridge, VA 22192; [email protected]
• Seattle, Washington: 615 Second Ave., Suite 50 (Broderick Building), Seattle, WA 98104; [email protected]

Embassy of El Salvador: 1400 Sixteenth Street NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20036; +1 888 301-1130; [email protected]; Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Identity and residency (as of October 2026)

• Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores: Salvadoran consulates, DUIs abroad, and registering births and marriages.
• RNPN: the DUI and DUI service centers (duicentros) in El Salvador.
• DUI online (dui.sv): renew or replace your DUI online.
• DGME: temporary residency forms and permanent residency forms, including F9 (to accompany family) and F34 (spouse or partner of a Salvadoran).
• DGME main office: 9a Calle Poniente y 15 Avenida Norte, Centro de Gobierno, San Salvador. Call center +503 2535-6212, WhatsApp +503 7070-0663. The foreigners' office (Extranjería) handles residency at the Salvador del Mundo branch.
• DGME: offices and hours (in Spanish).

Background checks

• FBI Identity History Summary ($18 as of October 2026) and the FD-1164 fingerprint card (PDF).
• US Department of State: criminal records for US citizens abroad.
• Simple SV: online requests, including the Salvadoran police record (solvencia de la PNC).

Tax ID

• Ministerio de Hacienda: NIT for individuals, online (NIT Digital) or in person.

In the book: Chapter 6

The chapter covers the paperwork to handle before you leave:

• What an apostille is, and who issues it for each kind of document
• Which documents to apostille before you move, and the one kind you must never notarize
• Getting a US marriage onto the Salvadoran record and onto your DUI, in the right order
• Why registering births and marriages at a consulate saves an apostille and a translation
• What getting an FBI check from El Salvador really takes

Apostilles (as of October 2026)

• Every US state's apostille office (Hague Conference list). Birth and marriage certificates, state police checks, and notarized copies are apostilled by the state that issued them.
• US Department of State: authenticate your document: apostilles for federal documents such as the FBI check; $20 per document with Form DS-4194, and current processing times.
• Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores: Registro del Estado Familiar (in Spanish): registering US births and marriages at a consulate, with documents and fees.
• Alcaldía de San Salvador Centro: Registro del Estado Familiar (in Spanish): registering a US birth or marriage once you're in El Salvador.

In the book: Chapter 8

The chapter covers finding the lawyer and notario you'll lean on:

• Why a Salvadoran notario is nothing like a US notary public
• Lawyer or notario: who does what, and every step of the move that needs one
• How to find a good one, and the questions to ask before any work starts
• Powers of attorney from the US: the two routes and how they differ
• Reading a Spanish contract yourself, and the red flags that mean slow down

Lawyers and notarios (as of October 2026)

• Supreme Court, Sección de Investigación Profesional (in Spanish): authorizes lawyers and handles complaints about lawyers and notarios. Email: [email protected].
• Federal Trade Commission: scams that target immigrants, including "notario" fraud in the US.
• Salvadoran consulates can sign powers of attorney; see the consulate list above.

In the book: Chapter 11

The chapter covers estate planning across two countries:

• What to update in your US plan before you move
• Making a Salvadoran will, including at a consulate in the US
• How two wills can cancel each other, and how to avoid it
• Who inherits without a will, and how heirs accept an inheritance
• What US heirs must report when they inherit from abroad

Estate planning (as of October 2026)

• IRS: estate and gift tax: the federal estate tax applies only above $15,000,000 per person in 2026.
• IRS: gifts and inheritances from a foreign person: when US heirs must file Form 3520.
• Salvadoran consulates can sign wills and powers of attorney; see the consulate list above.

In the book: Chapter 16

The chapter covers your first two weeks in El Salvador:

• What to expect at the airport on arrival day, for repatriados, newcomers, and pets
• Why a short-term home base comes first, even if you've found a rental
• Seeing a rental in person before you pay anything
• The red flags of a rental scam, and the family's own close call

In the book: Chapter 19

The chapter covers the time limit on a tourist stay:

• How many days you get, and how to tell on arrival day
• Extending a 90-day stay, and when there's nothing left to extend
• What trips to Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua do to your clock
• Exit permits for Salvadoran children
• Your three choices when your time runs out

Entry and tourist stays (as of October 2026)

• DGME: tourist stay extension (form F44).
• US Embassy in San Salvador: entry requirements.
• DGME's contacts are under Identity and residency above, and the consulates are listed above.

In the book: Chapter 20

The chapter covers the US Embassy and your passports:

• What the Embassy's citizen services office does for you, and what it doesn't
• Getting through security on Embassy day without being turned away
• Renewing by mail or in person, and who qualifies for each
• Children's passports, a lost or stolen passport, and the three-week emergency rule
• Reporting a baby born in El Salvador, and why dual citizens need both passports

US Embassy and passports (as of October 2026)

• US Embassy San Salvador: Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad. Switchboard and 24-hour line for US citizens +503 2501-2999 (from the US, +1 301-985-8840, ext. 2999). Contact page.
• American Citizen Services: [email protected]; call center +503 2230-4894 (from the US, +1 703-988-3615). Book an appointment (free).
• Embassy passport page: fees, requirements, and emergency passports.
• Renewal by mail: Courier Internacional, 91 Avenida Norte #327, Colonia Escalón, San Salvador. Embassy instructions (PDF).
• US passport fees: adult renewal $130; adult first or replacement $165; under 16 $135; passport card $30. Pay online (pay.gov). Passport forms.
• Online renewal from abroad: proposed August 2026, not yet available in El Salvador.
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad ($100) and its checklist; [email protected].
• Embassy notarial services ($50 per seal).
• Salvadoran passports: $25, at DGME's passport offices (in Spanish), or renew online (adults in El Salvador).

In the book: Chapter 34

The chapter covers keeping your US life running from El Salvador, including:

• Why a US address still matters, and the legal weight it carries
• Keeping your US bank accounts and cards
• Checking that your Social Security payments continue while you live abroad
• The two ways to receive Social Security in El Salvador, and the bank change that caught people off guard in 2026
• Who to contact about your benefits (it's not the embassy in San Salvador)

Social Security (as of October 2026)

• Payments Abroad Screening Tool: find out whether your payments continue while you live abroad.
• Form SSA-1199-OP97 (El Salvador): international direct deposit to a Salvadoran bank (PDF).
• Federal Benefits Unit, US Embassy in San José, Costa Rica (serves El Salvador): [email protected], phone +506 2519-2228, Monday to Thursday, 8:00 AM to noon.
• US Embassy in San Salvador: Social Security information, including the Banco Agrícola change of July 1, 2026.