From the book: Chapter 29: Buying Property, Building & Home Insurance
Buying Property & Building
Official offices, fees, and links that go with Chapter 29. Checked October 2026.
In the book: Chapter 29
The chapter takes you from the first listing to a finished house:
- Who can buy, and the limit on rural land for some foreigners
- What your own lawyer should check before you pay anything, and how we found ours
- How property scams work in El Salvador, and how to protect yourself
- What closing costs, how to pay the seller, and why there's no yearly property tax
- The order for building, and what our survey, design, and first permit quote cost
The property registry: CNR (as of October 2026)
- Centro Nacional de Registros (CNR) (in Spanish): the national land registry.
- CNR online services for the property registry (in Spanish): order a summary certificate online.
- Summary certificate (certificación extractada): $8.86. Shows the owner, their share, any mortgage or court order, and paperwork in process.
- Aviso Registral: free email alerts when anything is filed on your property. Launched May 2026, for Salvadoran and foreign owners.
Transfer tax (as of October 2026)
- Rate: 3% of the price above $28,571.43, paid by the buyer within 60 days of signing.
- Yearly property tax: none. Cities charge for services such as street lighting and trash pickup.
- Ministerio de Hacienda: transfer tax return, form F09 (in Spanish, PDF)
Building permits (as of October 2026)
DOT (Dirección de Ordenamiento Territorial y Construcción): the national permits office, for projects of 250 square meters or more outside the San Salvador metro area and the Centro Histórico. Call center 2267-7252, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
- DOT frequently asked questions (in Spanish)
- DOT services and online permit system (in Spanish)
- San Salvador: Edificio Terranostra (Complejo CNR), 43 Avenida Norte and 1a Calle Poniente, San Salvador Centro. Tel. 2267-7250. Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
- Santa Ana: 5a Avenida Sur between 27 and 33 Calle Oriente, Urbanización San Miguelito. Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
- San Miguel: Colonia Belén, 10 Avenida Sur and 13 Calle Oriente, Centro de Gobierno Departamental. Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
OPAMSS (Oficina de Planificación del Área Metropolitana de San Salvador): permits in the San Salvador metro area. Torre Quattro, 11th floor, World Trade Center, 87 Avenida Norte and Calle El Mirador, San Salvador Centro. Tel. 2234-0600; [email protected].
- OPAMSS permit requirements (in Spanish)
- OPAMSS fees (in Spanish)
- OPAMSS online permit window (in Spanish)
Your city hall (alcaldía): projects under 250 square meters outside the San Salvador metro area. Asamblea Legislativa: the October 2025 permit reforms (in Spanish).
Housing loans: FSV (as of October 2026)
The Fondo Social para la Vivienda (FSV) is the government housing fund.
- Vivienda Cercana (in Spanish): loans for Salvadorans abroad and for people in El Salvador who receive remittances or income from abroad. Terms up to 25 years. Covers buying a home or a lot, and building on your own land.
- Lot purchase loans and building loans (in Spanish)
- FSV branches (in Spanish)
- Call center: 190 in El Salvador; 1-844-357-0715, toll-free from the US; (503) 2133-7600 from other countries.
- FSV desks at Salvadoran consulates in the US: Los Angeles (3250 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550), Plainview, New York (111 Express St.), and Silver Spring, Maryland (926 Philadelphia Ave.). Open during consulate hours.
- Main office: Calle Rubén Darío #901, San Salvador. Tel. 2231-2000; [email protected].
- Asamblea Legislativa: expanded guarantee for FSV loans to young people, women, and Salvadorans abroad (September 2026) (in Spanish)
Land measurements (as of October 2026)
- 1 square vara (vara cuadrada, v²): 0.6989 square meters, about 7.5 square feet.
- 1 manzana: 10,000 square varas, or 6,988.96 square meters, about 1.7 acres.
- Caszul land calculator: converts manzanas, square varas, tareas, and hectares. Caszul is the listing site our family built.
- Caszul property and land listings
Reporting a property scam (as of October 2026)
- Fiscalía General de la República (in Spanish): the Attorney General's office, open 24 hours.
- National Civil Police (PNC): 911.
The law (as of October 2026)
- Constitution of El Salvador (in Spanish, PDF): Art. 105 (245-hectare limit on rural land) and Art. 109 (rural land and foreigners).
Last checked: October 2026
The book behind these resources
Moving to El Salvador
One family's real move, turned into a clear, step-by-step roadmap.
Paperwork and residency. Banking and taxes. Shipping a household, finding a home, schools, health care, and getting around. Written for those returning home and those arriving for the first time.