El Salvador digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)
Digital nomad visa in El Salvador: dedicated visa.
El Salvador launched a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa in April 2025, granting remote workers an initial 1-year residence permit renewable up to 4 years, contingent on a minimum monthly foreign-sourced income of approximately USD 1,460. El Salvador's territorial tax system means foreign-earned income is not subject to local income tax, and Decreto 531 (2024) cut the mandatory annual physical-presence requirement from nine months down to 90 days.
Legal framework
Ley Especial de Migración y Extranjería (LEME), administered by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME); substantively reformed by Decreto Legislativo No. 531 (published Diario Oficial No. 57, Tomo 450, 23 March 2024, in force 31 March 2024)
Key points: digital nomad & residency in El Salvador
Dedicated Digital Nomad Visa (2025)
Launched April 2025, the visa targets employees, freelancers, and entrepreneurs earning income exclusively from foreign sources. It grants 1-year residence, renewable up to a cumulative 4 years, with multiple-entry privileges.
Income & documentation requirements
Applicants must demonstrate at least USD 1,460/month (roughly 4× the national minimum wage) in foreign-sourced income, hold valid international health insurance, and present a clean criminal record from countries of residence over the prior two years.
Physical-presence requirement (Decreto 531/2024)
Decreto Legislativo 531, signed March 2024, replaced the prior 9-month minimum stay for temporary residents with a 90-day annual minimum (consecutive or accumulated), making the regime substantially more flexible for internationally mobile workers.
Tax treatment of foreign income
El Salvador applies a strict territorial tax principle: income earned from sources outside the country is not subject to Salvadoran income tax, regardless of the holder's residency status, making it tax-neutral for typical digital nomads.
Alternative pathways: Rentista & Pensionado
Passive-income earners may qualify under the Rentista category (~USD 1,200-1,500/month from foreign dividends, rents, or royalties) and retirees under the Pensionado category (~USD 1,100/month pension), both administered by DGME as 1-year renewable temporary residencies.
Freedom Visa (Citizenship-by-Investment)
A separate 'Freedom Visa' / CBI programme offers accelerated citizenship processing (4-6 weeks) for a USD 1 million investment in Bitcoin or USDT, capped at 1,000 applicants per year; no minimum physical presence is required for this route.
Timeline of decisions
- LawDecree 531 Cuts Mandatory Residency Presence to 90 Days Per Year
Legislative Decree No. 531, passed by the Assembly on 17 March, signed by President Bukele on 20 March, and published in the Diario Oficial on 23 March 2026, amended Article 49 of the Special Law on Migration and Foreigners to require temporary residents to spend only 90 calendar days per year in El Salvador (consecutive or cumulative), down from approximately nine months. The change makes long-stay residency viable for globally mobile investors, retirees, and digital nomads who cannot or do not wish to live in-country full-time.
García Bodán Law Firm (citing Decree 531, Diario Oficial 23 Mar 2026)
- LawDigital Nomad Visa Formally Activated
El Salvador launched a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa granting a 12-month renewable residence permit (extendable up to four years) to remote workers earning at least ~$1,460/month (later revised to ~$1,635/month) exclusively from clients or employers outside El Salvador. Applications are accepted online through the eVisaElSalvador portal or in person at consulates; foreign-source income is exempt from Salvadoran income tax.
Freaking Nomads (launch coverage, April 2025)
- LawFreedom Passport (Citizenship by Investment) Legislation Enacted
Legislative Decree No. 918 and related constitutional amendments authorized the 'Adopting El Salvador' program: a non-refundable $1 million contribution in Bitcoin or USDT yields direct Salvadoran citizenship and a passport in approximately six weeks, with no residency requirement, no language test, and no in-person interview. The program is capped at 1,000 applicants per year and positions El Salvador as the world's only CBI program accepting crypto payments.
Citizenship by Investment News
- GuidanceBukele Announces 3 BTC Minimum Investment for Permanent Residency
Alongside the Bitcoin Law campaign, President Bukele announced a plan to grant permanent residency to any foreigner investing a minimum of 3 BTC in qualifying Salvadoran assets (real estate or business capitalization). The plan attracted significant international media coverage but was never codified as a standalone decree; interested investors continued using the existing investor and rentista categories under the 2019 Special Law.
Uglobal Immigration
- LawSpecial Law on Migration and Foreigners (Decree 286-2019) Enters into Force
Legislative Decree No. 286-2019 consolidated four prior immigration laws into a single framework, creating 16 residency categories — including Rentista (minimum $1,000/month passive income), Investor, Retiree, and Employee residencies — and imposed a roughly nine-month annual in-country presence requirement for temporary residents. This law became the foundational framework that all subsequent digital nomad, crypto-investor, and remote-worker residency pathways were built upon or amended.
Fakhoury Global Immigration (law alert on Decree 286-2019)
Sources
- investinelsalvador.gob.sv/residency-requirements/
- investinelsalvador.gob.sv/live/
- migracion.gob.sv/?id=87&option=com_content&view=article
- sv.usembassy.gov/salvadoran-residency-requirements/
- rree.gob.sv/visas-para-extranjeros/
- imidaily.com/latin-america/el-salvador-slashes-residency-presence-requirement-from
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Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026