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Companion Resources

References

Every fact, fee, and law in Moving to El Salvador comes from a source listed here, grouped by chapter. Each group shows when we last checked it. Government pages move, so if a link breaks, tell us and we'll fix it here.

Front Matter (checked October 8, 2026)

  • Hague Apostille Convention (Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents): 130 Contracting Parties, including El Salvador (in force May 31, 1996), the United States (October 15, 1981), Canada (January 11, 2024), and Mexico (August 14, 1995). Status table, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), last updated June 30, 2026. https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41 (checked October 2026)

Chapter 1: Making the Decision to Move (checked October 3, 2026)

Chapter 2: Security Then and Now (checked October 16, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 3: Can You Afford It? Cost of Living & Income (checked October 16, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 4: The Scouting Trip & Choosing a Region (checked September 30, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 5: Citizenship, Residency & the DUI (checked October 6, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 6: Front-Loading Paperwork & Apostilles (checked October 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 7: The Repatriación Benefit (checked September 30, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

  • Address change within a year of the grant, after using a benefit: notify DGME "de manera inmediata" or lose all benefits, Ley Especial de Beneficios y Protección para la Diáspora y Personas en Movilidad Humana, D.L. No. 375, Art. 8, Diario Oficial No. 148, Tomo 448, August 11, 2025, https://www.diariooficial.gob.sv/seleccion/31574 (checked November 10, 2026)

Chapter 8: Finding Your Lawyer & Notario (checked October 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 9: Banking, Currency & Bitcoin (checked October 6, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 10: US Taxes Abroad (checked October 6, 2026)

Chapter 11: Estate Planning Across Two Countries (checked October 2026)

Chapter 12: Timing Your Exit (checked October 16, 2026)

Chapter 13: Decluttering, Shipping & Container Delivery (checked October 2, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 10, 2026)

  • Leased vehicles or vehicles with a recorded lien: a separate signed, dated letter from the lienholder or lessor on its letterhead expressly allowing export, with the VIN and the owner's or lienholder's name and phone numbers; documents and vehicle presented at least 72 hours before export by vessel: 19 CFR 192.2(b)(1)(ii) and (c), Cornell Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/19/192.2 (checked October 22, 2026)

Chapter 14: Pets & Flying With Animals (checked October 17, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 15: Mail, Packages & Mailboxes (checked October 15, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 16: Arriving & Temporary Housing (checked October 4, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

  • Reporting more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments when entering or leaving the US (FinCEN Form 105, electronic filing recommended; families and groups counted on the combined total; unreported currency may be seized and forfeited): "Money and Other Monetary Instruments," US Customs and Border Protection, last modified November 24, 2025, https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/money (checked October 22, 2026)

Chapter 17: Getting Connected: Phone, WhatsApp, Internet & Streaming (checked October 5, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 18: Getting Around: Car Rentals, Transit & Road Culture (checked October 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

  • Light fines: partial failure of front or rear lights $50 (leve); missing brake light $100 (grave), Ley de Transporte Terrestre fine table as reformed December 20, 2024, Asamblea Legislativa, https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/node/13440 (checked November 10, 2026)

Chapter 19: The CA-4 Visa Clock (checked October 6, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 20: US Embassy Registration & Passport Services (checked October 16, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 21: Long-Term Rentals (checked October 4, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

  • Caszul (formerly terrenoSV), https://caszul.com. Identity verified badge for agents who choose to verify their identity (caszul.com/how-we-verify, checked October 12, 2026), rental listings filter, WhatsApp contact from listings, and land-measurement calculator (checked October 5, 2026). Land calculator at https://caszul.com/calculator: reads a pasted listing description, including Spanish numbers written in words, and converts to square feet, acres, and square meters (checked October 25, 2026). Also cited in Chapters 4 and 29 and the About the Author.

Chapter 22: Utilities, Home Security & Natural Disasters (checked October 17, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 23: Furnishing a Home (checked October 17, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 10, 2026)

Chapter 24: Domestic Help & Labor Law (checked October 10, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

  • Código de Trabajo (consolidated text, CNJ compendium 2025), Arts. 29 ordinal 5 (due consideration; no mistreatment by word or act, as reformed 2018), 30 ordinal 12 (no distinctions by social origin), 76 (verbal contract; signed note every 30 days on request), 77 (domestic work defined), 78 (room and board part of pay), 80 (12 hours of rest, 10 at night in a row; weekly paid day off), 81 (double pay on holidays), 82 (30-day trial period), 113 and 309 to 311 (maternity leave, 75% pay after six months, protection from firing), 177 to 182 (paid vacation, 15 days plus 30%, 200 days worked), 190 (paid holidays), 196 to 202 (aguinaldo: 15, 19, 21 days; window from October 2025 reform; D.L. 669 of September 23, 2026 moves the start to October 1), 307 (sick pay 75% for 20, 40, or 60 days); D.L. 339 (2016, May 10 holiday) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería (consolidated through D.L. 531, March 2026), Arts. 122 (work permits), 228(1) and 235 (fine for hiring without permission) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Trabajo Doméstico Remunerado en El Salvador," Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión Social, Unidad de Inteligencia del Mercado Laboral (UIMEL), November 2024, pp. 18 and 23, https://web.archive.org/web/20250422090305/https://simel.mtps.gob.sv/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Trabajo-Domestico-Remunerado-en-El-Salvador.pdf (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Decreto Ejecutivo No. 11 (2025), minimum wages in force June 1, 2025 (no rate for domestic work; commerce and services $408.80 a month) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Reglamento para la Aplicación del Régimen Especial de Salud y Maternidad para los Trabajadores Domésticos, Decreto Ejecutivo No. 74 (2010), Arts. 2 (by agreement), 3 (coverage), 6 (7.5% employer, 3% worker, base at least the minimum wage); ISSS contribution rates page (December 3, 2024); Código de Trabajo Art. 29 ordinal 10 (D.L. 450, 2022, enrollment duty) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Average pay $209.91 a month (2023 data), Ministerio de Trabajo UIMEL study, November 2024 (above) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Aguinaldo payment window: Código de Trabajo Arts. 197, 200, 202 as amended by D.L. 433 (October 15, 2025; D.O. No. 194, Tomo 449) and D.L. 669 (September 23, 2026; D.O. No. 177, Tomo 452, September 24, 2026): one payment between October 1 and December 20; December 12 is the reference date for prorating; annually renewed contracts keep the original start date; amounts unchanged (Art. 198), CSJ consolidated text, https://www.jurisprudencia.gob.sv/DocumentosBoveda/D/2/1970-1979/1972/07/886E0.PDF ; D.L. 433 text, https://www.jurisprudencia.gob.sv/DocumentosBoveda/R/2/1970-1979/1972/07/10E262.HTML ; Asamblea Legislativa, https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/node/13723 ; elsalvador.com, September 30, 2026, https://www.elsalvador.com/dinero-y-negocios/entorno-economico/aguinaldo-jornadas-trabajo-cambios/1296084/2026/ (checked October 16, 2026)
  • Código de Trabajo, Arts. 50 and 83 (legal causes for dismissal), 55 (dismissal presumed unjustified), 58 (severance: 30 days per year, prorated, at least 15 days), 60 (end-of-work certificate) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Ley Reguladora de la Prestación Económica por Renuncia Voluntaria, D.L. 592 (December 18, 2013; Diario Oficial No. 12, Tomo 402, January 21, 2014; in force January 1, 2015), Arts. 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 (two years of service; 15 days' written notice; 15 days' pay per year; paid within 15 days; earned aguinaldo and vacation) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Cálculo de indemnización en línea," Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión Social, https://www.mtps.gob.sv/servicios/calculo-de-indemnizacion-en-linea/ (checked October 10, 2026)
  • ISSS Régimen Doméstico described as "el régimen especial y voluntario de Seguridad Social administrado por el Instituto," "Instrucciones para el llenado del formulario 'Aviso de inscripción de trabajador de sector doméstico'," Instituto Salvadoreño del Seguro Social, published December 3, 2024, https://www.isss.gob.sv/servicios/instrucciones-para-el-llenado-del-formulario-aviso-de-inscripcion-de-trabajador-de-sector-domestico/ (checked October 15, 2026)

Chapter 25: Driver's License, Registration & Car Insurance (checked September 30 and October 2, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 26: Healthcare & Medical Care (checked October 17, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 10, 2026)

Chapter 27: Children's Education & Schooling (checked October 7, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 28: Everyday Convenience Services (checked October 2, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 29: Buying Property, Building & Home Insurance (checked October 6, 2026)

Chapter 30: Learning Spanish (checked October 17, 2026)

Chapter 31: Culture & Adjustment (checked October 15, 2026)

Chapter 32: Safety & Community (checked October 10, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 33: Aging in Place: Elder & Special Needs Care (checked October 10, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 10, 2026)

  • Ley Especial para la Protección de los Derechos de la Persona Adulta Mayor, Decreto Legislativo No. 817 (Diario Oficial No. 74, April 22, 2021; in force January 1, 2022, Art. 122; latest reform D.L. 465, Diario Oficial No. 221, November 21, 2025, which dissolved CONAIPAM and moved its duties to INABVE), Arts. 2 (60 and older), 6(a) and 6(y) (no discrimination by origin; insurance on equal terms), 9 (harm or death reported to the Fiscalía), 14(b) (emergency care), 25 and 27 (accessible buildings), 26(b) and (c) (reserved seats; half fare), 28 (priority lines; disability parking), 30(d) (free state legal help), 37 (INDES), 40 (state parks and cultural spaces), 54 and 90 (reporting), consolidated text, Corte Suprema de Justicia, Centro de Documentación Judicial, https://www.jurisprudencia.gob.sv/DocumentosBoveda/D/2/2020-2029/2021/04/E6861.PDF (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Avoid late enrollment penalties" (Part B 10% for each full 12-month period; 2026 Part B standard premium $202.90), Medicare.gov, https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Special Enrollment Periods" (no Part A or B Special Enrollment Period for having lived abroad; General Enrollment Period January 1 to March 31), Medicare.gov, https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/joining-a-plan/special-enrollment-periods (checked October 10, 2026)
  • 42 CFR 435.403, State residence (Medicaid), eCFR, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-435.403 (checked October 10, 2026)
  • 20 CFR 416.1327, Suspension due to absence from the United States (SSI), Social Security Administration, https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/416/416-1327.htm ; POMS SI 02301.225 (June 2026) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Helpful tools" (State Health Insurance Assistance Program: free counseling, not connected to any insurance company), Medicare.gov, https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/using-medicare/helpful-tools ; State Health Insurance Assistance Program, https://www.shiphelp.org/ (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Ley Especial de Migración y de Extranjería (D.L. 286, 2019, consolidated through D.L. 531, March 2026), Arts. 77 and 84 (residents don't enter as tourists), 81 last paragraph (provisional residency, 90 days, renewable, may leave and re-enter), 154 (permanent residents may be away up to two years); DGME service sheet "Autorización de ingreso de personas: Residentes" (December 11, 2024) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Ley de Equipajes de Viajeros Procedentes del Exterior, D.L. No. 680 (1993; reforms listed through D.L. 460, Diario Oficial No. 213, November 12, 2019), Arts. 1 and 3 (medicines for personal use are free of import duties and taxes), Ministerio de Economía copy, https://infotrade.economia.gob.sv/wp-content/uploads/11_Ley_de_Equipajes_de_Viajeros_Procedentes_del_Exterior.pdf ; consolidated text, Corte Suprema de Justicia, https://www.jurisprudencia.gob.sv/DocumentosBoveda/D/2/1990-1999/1994/01/888D8.PDF (checked October 15, 2026)
  • "Personal Importation" (illegal in most circumstances; enforcement discretion, generally up to a three-month supply), US Food and Drug Administration (content current as of August 18, 2025), https://www.fda.gov/industry/import-basics/personal-importation (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Prohibited and Restricted Items" (prescription and over-the-counter medicines), US Customs and Border Protection (modified March 14, 2025), https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go/prohibited-and-restricted-items ; 19 CFR 148.11 (all articles must be declared); 21 CFR 1301.26 (controlled substances: original container, declared, US residents up to 50 dosage units bought abroad) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • 42 CFR 423.30 and 423.44(d)(5) (Part D residence; disenrollment after more than 12 consecutive months away), 42 CFR 422.74(d)(4) (Medicare Advantage, more than 6 months), eCFR; CMS, "Medicare Advantage and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance," CY 2026, § 20.3 (living abroad is not permanent residence; a mailing address doesn't change residency) and § 30.6.20 (two months to join after moving back), https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cy-2026-cd-enrollment-and-disenrollment-guidance.pdf ; CMS, Prescription Drug Benefit Manual, Chapter 4, CY 2026 (no late penalty for months living abroad), https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cy-2026-final-chapter-4-guidance.pdf (checked October 10, 2026)
  • INABVE takes over the duties of CONAIPAM and CONAIPD (approved November 18, 2025; in force November 29, 2025): CONAIPAM dissolved and its duties moved to INABVE (Art. 2; INABVE takes pending cases, Art. 8), Decreto Legislativo No. 465, November 18, 2025, signed November 19, 2025, https://www.jurisprudencia.gob.sv/DocumentosBoveda/D/2/2020-2029/2025/11/10F80E.PDF ; CONAIPD dissolved, Decreto Legislativo No. 464, same date, Asamblea Legislativa decree list, https://www.asamblea.gob.sv/leyes-y-decretos/decretos-por-anios/2025/0 ; El Diario de Hoy, November 18, 2025, https://www.eldiariodehoy.com/nacional/en-vivo-instituto-de-veteranos-asumira-rectoria-en-temas-de-adultos-mayores-y-personas-con-discapacidad/47686/2025/ ; Diario El Mundo, January 2, 2026, https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/conaipd-y-conaipam-deberan-estar-disueltos-a-mas-tardar-el-29-de-mayo-de-2026 (checked October 15, 2026)
  • Ley Especial de Inclusión de las Personas con Discapacidad, Decreto Legislativo No. 672 (Diario Oficial No. 178, September 3, 2020; in force January 1, 2021; original text, no consolidated text found; CONAIPD dissolved November 2025), Arts. 3 (applies to everyone in Salvadoran territory), 37 to 39 (universal design; existing buildings adapt progressively), 87 (free entry to national monuments and museums), https://lineadetiempo.clacai.org/descargas/2020_decreto672_slv.pdf (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Ley de Transporte Terrestre, Tránsito y Seguridad Vial (consolidated through D.L. 185, December 20, 2024), Arts. 51 (disability parking spaces need a VMT plate or decal), 76(d) (license withheld), 117 No. 31 ($100 fine) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Air Carrier Access Act, 14 CFR Part 382 (applies to foreign airlines on flights to and from the US); CDC Yellow Book 2026, "Travelers with Disabilities" (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Código de Trabajo, Arts. 76 to 83 (domestic work; only Art. 79 carries a reform mark), Corte Suprema de Justicia consolidated text (30 reforms listed, latest D.L. 669, September 23, 2026), https://www.jurisprudencia.gob.sv/DocumentosBoveda/D/2/1970-1979/1972/07/886E0.PDF (checked October 16, 2026)
  • Consulta de profesionales (public search of registered health professionals, including the nursing board), Consejo Superior de Salud Pública, https://cssp.gob.sv/profesionales/faces/consulta/buscar.xhtml ; CSSP Requerimiento Técnico Administrativo, Centro de Atención Integral al Adulto Mayor (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Older-adult law (D.L. 817), Art. 52 (care centers must register; registration is the authorization to operate; supervision now INABVE); disability law (D.L. 672), Arts. 61 (free assistive devices from public rehabilitation services) and 101 (tax exemption on assistive devices, once a year per device, under the Ministerio de Hacienda procedure) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Disability law (D.L. 672), Arts. 76 (relatives with disabilities registered with ISSS and other public social security plans; coverage continues after the member dies) and 93 (free Carnet Único de Discapacidad; no one excluded for lacking it) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "Death of a U.S. Citizen" (Consular Report of Death Abroad; no State Department funds for returning remains), U.S. Embassy San Salvador (updated January 2024), https://sv.usembassy.gov/services/death/ ; "Preparation & Shipment of Remains" (burial within 48 hours, 30 days if embalmed; mandatory autopsy cases; embalming to ship; ashes on commercial flights) (modified February 2024), https://sv.usembassy.gov/services/death/preparation-shipment-of-remains/ (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Ley General de Cementerios, Arts. 31 to 32 (cremation; not within 24 hours without the mayor's consent), as summarized in the U.S. Embassy profile above (checked October 10, 2026)
  • "What to do when someone dies" (report without a death certificate; International Call Center; $255 lump-sum payment), Social Security Administration, https://www.ssa.gov/personal-record/when-someone-dies ; Publication 05-10137 (no payment for the month of death) (checked October 10, 2026)
  • Reporting a crime to the Fiscalía (19 offices open 24 hours, seven days a week, as printed in Appendix C; reports also at PNC posts; 911 for immediate help; anonymous reports accepted), "Servicios que presta la FGR para la atención de la niñez, adolescencia y mujeres," Fiscalía General de la República, https://www.fiscalia.gob.sv/servicios-que-presta-la-fgr-para-la-atencion-de-la-ninez-adolescencia-y-mujeres/ (checked October 15, 2026)
  • INABVE, Comité de Vigilancia de la Persona con Discapacidad, email reply to the authors, October 22, 2026: INABVE issues the constancia for a disability plate, free of charge (steps and requirements by phone or by email to the committee); the Carnet Único de Discapacidad is not yet issued (protocols and procedures still being prepared); abuse, mistreatment, or abandonment of older adults can be reported to INABVE (email and call center), which explains how to file the report (received October 22, 2026)
  • Changing a private plate to a disability plate at the VMT (Formulario 07, option "D - Discapacitado"; requires the disability constancia): elsalvador.com, April 15, 2026, https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/cambio-placas-vehiculos-particulares-a-discapacitado-el-salvador/1269910/2026/ (checked October 22, 2026; VMT and SERTRACEN pages block automated readers)
  • INABVE, WhatsApp reply to the authors, October 22, 2026: requirements for the Constancia de Asignación para Placas Especiales (in person at INABVE Sede Bernal, San Salvador; request form; 150% copies of the DUI and the tarjeta de circulación; original medical diagnosis or report) (received October 22, 2026)
  • Controlled medicines carried by travelers (valid prescription; doctor's certificate; written SRS authorization recommended before arrival, but any listed document accepted on arrival; doses prescribed for the days of the stay; pseudoephedrine in all forms and oral ephedrine medicines prohibited), El Salvador country form from the Superintendencia de Regulación Sanitaria, March 6, 2025, International Narcotics Control Board, "Travellers: Country regulations," https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html ; form: https://www.incb.org/documents/Travellers/files/ELS_2025_SPA.pdf (checked October 15, 2026)
  • US private duty nursing national median $90 an hour (2025 survey, data gathered July to November 2025), "CareScout Releases 2025 Cost of Care Survey Results," Genworth Financial / CareScout, March 2, 2026, https://investor.genworth.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1054 (checked October 15, 2026)
  • Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States, Country List 2 (El Salvador listed: citizens may keep receiving payments abroad, except dependents and survivors, who have additional requirements), US Social Security Administration, https://www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist2.htm (checked October 24, 2026)
  • When can I buy a Medigap policy? (one-time 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period; afterward insurers don't have to sell a policy without guaranteed issue rights), Medicare.gov, https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/medigap/ready-to-buy/when (checked October 24, 2026)

Chapter 34: Staying Connected to the US & Military Retiree Benefits (checked September 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Chapter 35: If It Doesn't Work Out (checked October 10, 2026; dated facts rechecked November 9, 2026)

Appendix H: El Salvador's 14 Departments at a Glance (checked October 25, 2026)

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Moving to El Salvador

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.

35 Chapters · Out November 27

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