Overland El Salvador Travel

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Pan American Highway > El Salvador Currency to display:

Visiting El Salvador

Give a brief overview of what it's like to visit. How easy is the border, how safe is the country, are there great things to see and do, etc.

Entering El Salvador with a Car or Motorbike

Correct as of: August 2019

Required Paperwork

(To check if you need a travel Visa for El Salvador, application instructions and fees see: El Salvador Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)

  • Passport of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
  • Vehicle registration (original and 1 copy).
  • Drivers license of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
  • A signed duplicate of the Guatemalan TIP, if going south. The official on the Guatemalan side must provide it. Possibly the same in the opposite direction.
  • An "exit receipt", a stamped piece of paper provided when stamped out by Immigration on the other side.

Process at border

The process is very simple as you'll always be entering from another CA-4 country.

  • The owner must provide copies of drivers license, vehicle registration, passport, and the previous TIP to Customs ("aduana"). They will probably ask for the originals, and conversely, if you're lucky they'll make a copy of the previous TIP for you.
  • The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.
  • Everyone gains entry at immigration (migración). Many nations will not get an entry stamp.
  • Finally, you show passports and the "exit receipts" from the other country to the officer at the exit of the border area.
  • Detailed instructions including GPS POI's, office locations and pictures can be seen here: Guatemala to El Salvador – Valle Nuevo / Chinamas border crossing
  • Our experience of crossing from Honduras to El Salvador at El Poy on 17th May 2016 with a motorcycle. Includes GPS coordinates and photos. http://www.tiger800rtw.com/?p=1298

NOTE: You may encounter pushy locals offering to help you with paperwork to get across the border. See Border Crossing Helpers for advice.

Cost of entry

Free, unless you need to make some photocopies of documents, which cost very little. The below are scams, which, however, you may have to pay regardless.

  • Cost of mandatory FONAT card: $10.00 USD for 30 days. Longer is available.
  • La Hachadura border: $5.00 USD for community road improvements (possible scam, but police would not let us go without paying. Receipt provided)
  • We crossed at El Poy in Aug 2014 and it was for free!
  • Same for us. Honduras to El Salvador at El Poy on 17th May 2016 with a motorcycle. No fees. No idea what a FONAT card is and no one tried to sell me one. No helpers at this border. Details of our crossing here http://www.tiger800rtw.com/?p=1298

Permitted length of stay

90 days. El Salvador is part of the CA-4 Border control agreement. This agreement grants travel between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua for a TOTAL of 90-days. The number of days remaining on your CA-4 may be written in your passport as you travel from country to country, depending on your nationality. You can always tell how many days you have left by checking the entry stamp in your passport of the first country constituting a part of the CA-4 agreement. To avoid penalty and fines, exit the CA-4 countries and enter into Costa Rica or Mexico/Belize before the 90-days limit expires.

Extension of stay

Unknown.
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

(unknown)
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.

Exiting with a vehicle

  • The registered owner presents the temporary import paper to customs.
  • The registered owner is stamped out of El Salvador at immigration.

Driving in El Salvador

Recommended books for Overlanding in El Salvador

Lonely Planet Central America On A Shoestring (travel ...
Lonely Planet Central America On A Shoestring (travel ...
by Lonely Planet, Steve Fallon, Bridget Gleeson, Paul...
From $15.18 on Amazon
Work Less To Live Your Dreams: A Practical Guide To Sa...
Work Less To Live Your Dreams: A Practical Guide To Sa...
by Dan Grec
From $click on Amazon
Don't Go There. It's Not Safe. You'll Die. And Other M...
Don't Go There. It's Not Safe. You'll Die. And Other M...
by LifeRemotely.com
From $click on Amazon
Americas Overland - The Driving Handbook
Americas Overland - The Driving Handbook
by Donald Greene
From $29.95 on Amazon
99 Days To Panama: An Exploration Of Central America B...
99 Days To Panama: An Exploration Of Central America B...
by John Halkyard, Harriet Halkyard
From $20.96 on Amazon
Overlanders' Handbook: Worldwide Route And Planning Gu...
Overlanders' Handbook: Worldwide Route And Planning Gu...
by Chris Scott
From $22.49 on Amazon
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook: A Route & Planning Gu...
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook: A Route & Planning Gu...
by Chris Scott
From $click on Amazon
El Salvador Handbook (footprint - Handbooks)
El Salvador Handbook (footprint - Handbooks)
by Richard Arghiris
From $6.89 on Amazon
TRAVELIVING - a romantic & practical guide

TRAVELIVING - a romantic & practical guide
by The Pin Project

at 10$ on thepinproject.eu

Travel insurance for El Salvador

World Nomads offer the most flexible Travel Insurance at the best prices for multi-country / multi-year trips. You can buy, extend and claim online, even after you've left home.

Vehicle insurance requirements

Insurance is not required. However as of May 2013, you must purchase a FONAT card, "Fondo Nacional de Accidentes de Transito". A government fund created to support the victims of accidents and fund safer roads.

Cost of insurance

$10.00 USD for 30 days. Longer is available.

Where to purchase insurance

Office near Customs ('Aduana').

Driving license

Technically an International Driving Permit is required.
In reality, showing a license from anywhere in the world seems to be good enough.

Driving side of road

Right.
Right hand drive vehicles are NOT permitted without a SPECIAL LETTER.

This letter takes 3-7 days to get from Jose at the Land Rover club, contact him through this Facbook page El Salvador Land Rover Club on Facebook. With this letter, entry at the border will be no problem. In 2015, 2 Indian men had an RHD Toyota Fortuner and they had to get it towed from the Honduran border to the Guatemalan border.

Mandatory items in vehicle

None.

Roads

General Road quality

Roads in El Salvador vary greatly. The Pan American is paved and good quality for the length of the country, as are most other highways. Lesser roads are gravel and can be very bumpy and rutted.

Road signs

Road signs are uncommon, and can not be relied upon.

Toll roads

None.

Bribery in El Salvador

Police bribery is relatively common in El Salvador, so you should expect it to happen. See the bribery tips page for advice.

Checkpoints

Police checkpoints are not very common in El Salvador. You'll primarily be asked to show your Passport, Vehicle registration, drivers license, FONAT card, and the temporary import permit you were issued at the border.

Traveling with pets

According to travelers in 2012, you need: [1]

Travelers in 2013 wrote this when traveling from Guatemala to El Salvador. They had to pay $9.00 USD for a dog permit and show the vaccines, that's it.[2]

  • A Health Certificate for the animal in Spanish (updated at least every four months)
  • A vaccination record (the European Pet Passport works well)

You might not be asked for either one, but you should have them ready.

Gas and Diesel price in El Salvador

Last updated: April 2017

Currency and unit to display:

Gasoline Grade Price
Regular $2.75 USD per Gallon (US)
Super (90)  ??
Premium (95) $2.95 USD per Gallon (US)
Ultra (97)  ??
Normal Diesel $2.51 USD per Gallon (US)
Diesel (low sulfur)  ??

Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency

Gasoline is common, shortages are not a problem.

Gas and Diesel Quality

Unknown.

Safety and Security Considerations

Driving at night

Driving at night is absolutely not recommended in El Salvador, due to safety considerations.

If necessary, consider parking at a truck stop, or with big trucks parked along the highway, an impromptu wagon circle.

Vehicle parking

Find a secure parking lot to park for any length of time. Price unknown.

Special driving considerations

None.

Security advisories and information

Camping in El Salvador

Camping is popular in El Salvador anywhere along the ocean but not very popular inland. Roadside camping is generally not recommended.

Camping guide books

Unknown.

Drinking water

Tap water in El Salvador is not safe to drink.

Navigation

Paper maps

Reise Know-How are amoung the best paper maps. Purchase paper maps before arriving in El Salvador

Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador = Nikaragua, Gonduras...
Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador = Nikaragua, Gonduras...
by Reise Know-How Verlag
From $9.49 on Amazon
Nicaragua, Honduras, And El Salvador (national Geograp...
Nicaragua, Honduras, And El Salvador (national Geograp...
by National Geographic Maps - Adventure
From $7.49 on Amazon
Nicaragua, Honduras, And El Salvador (national Geograp...
Nicaragua, Honduras, And El Salvador (national Geograp...
by National Geographic Maps - Adventure
From $7.49 on Amazon
Lonely Planet Central America (shoestring Travel Guide)
Lonely Planet Central America (shoestring Travel Guide)
by Carolyn McCarthy, Greg Benchwick, Joshua Samuel Br...
From $16.99 on Amazon

Purchase maps before arriving, good ones are very difficult to find in El Salvador.

GPS Maps of El Salvador

  • Open Street Map: Appears to have good coverage.[3]
  • Cenrut: Free Open Source GPS map of Central America. [4]
  • Garmin: Apparently no map of El Salvador.
  • TomTom: No map of El Salvador. [5]

GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in El Salvador

Special Overland Travel interests

None.

Vehicle Maintenance

Dealers

4x4s / Trucks

Motorbikes

Local Garages

Add known good mechanics here.

Buy or sell a car or motorbike in El Salvador

Buy
Unknown.
Describe how a foreigner can buy a vehicle. List any difficulties or limitations on where the vehicle can be driven.

Sell
Unknown.
Describe how a foreigner can sell a foreign-plated vehicle, or list not possible.'

References

  1. Central American Borders and dogs
  2. Traveling with dogs from Canada to Argentina. Experiences and Infos.
  3. OpenStreetMap El Salvador
  4. Cenrut Mapping Project
  5. TomTom Map availability

Helpful External links