El Salvador country guide
General investment · Last checked 2026-08-08
Residencia Temporal Inversionista (F4)
Active registered foreign investment of at least four thousand current monthly minimum wages
El Salvador’s F4 route is temporary residence for a qualifying company leader, representative, shareholder, owner, or general manager supported by an active registered foreign investment of at least four thousand current monthly minimum wages.
- Country
- El Salvador
- Applicant basis
- Active registered foreign investment of at least four thousand current monthly minimum wages
- Responsible authority
- Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería
- Official route status
- Current official route
- Information available
- Detailed guide
- Last checked
- 2026-08-08
Supported requirements
What the current source supports
- Document the qualifying corporate role and active investment at the statutory four-thousand-current-monthly-minimum-wage level.
- Provide the signed and notarized application, current passport and used pages, and the foreign and conditional Salvadoran police-record evidence.
- Provide the notarized current ONI foreign-capital registration and the current company registration when a commercial company has been constituted.
- File through DGME and complete any additional evidence it requests; the authority expressly retains discretion.
- For renewal, maintain current ONI registration, prior-year company income-tax payment evidence, and current business registration.
Applicant scope
Who this route generally serves
- Generally designed for
- Applicants connected to a Salvadoran company or enterprise whose qualifying foreign capital is registered with the National Investment Office.
- Legal basis named by the authority
- Special Migration and Foreigners Law Articles 90 and 109(1), Investment Law Article 11, Decree 531 of 2026, and DGME F4/F19.
Route lifecycle
What to confirm from application onward
- Financial basis
- Active registered foreign investment of at least 4,000 current monthly minimum wages at the time of transfer to El Salvador.
- Government service fees
- F4 lists USD 70/130 for Central Americans and USD 140/260 for non-Central Americans for up to one/two years; F19 renewal lists USD 55/100 and USD 125/240 respectively.
- Administrative service targets
- F4 and F19 state up to 45 working days for a complete filing, not a guarantee.
- Initial status
- Temporary residence for up to one or two years according to the approved filing and paid band.
- Renewal
- Renewal requires maintained registered capital, company tax-payment evidence, and current business registration.
- Dependents
- No automatic dependent grant is inferred from F4.
- Work rights
- The route is tied to the documented investor and company role; unrestricted employment portability is not established.
- Presence considerations
- The 2026 reform requires temporary residents to remain in El Salvador at least 90 calendar days per year.
- Permanent residence
- An older investment-law provision references definitive residence subject to other requirements, but no current route-specific conversion checklist was established.
- Citizenship relationship
- Naturalization is separate.
Official evidence
Sources for this route
Instructivo F-04 — residencia temporal para personas inversionistasDirección General de Migración y Extranjería · ES · Last checked 2026-08-08Instructivo F-19 — prórroga para persona inversionistaDirección General de Migración y Extranjería · ES · Last checked 2026-08-08Residencias temporalesDirección General de Migración y Extranjería · ES · Last checked 2026-08-08Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería — Decreto 286Asamblea Legislativa · ES · Last checked 2026-08-08Reformas a la Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería — Decreto 531Asamblea Legislativa · ES · Last checked 2026-08-08Preguntas frecuentes de extranjeríaDirección General de Migración y Extranjería · ES · Last checked 2026-08-08
General planning information only—not legal, tax, or investment advice. A listed route does not determine eligibility. Verify current rules with the responsible authority before acting.