El Salvador digital nomad visa & residency (2026)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.