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1 Entering El Salvador with a Car or Motorbike
2 Driving in El Salvador
3 Gas and Diesel price in El Salvador
4 Safety and Security Considerations
5 Camping in El Salvador
6 Navigation
7 Special Overland Travel interests
8 Vehicle Maintenance
9 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in El Salvador
10 References
11 Helpful External links

Entering El Salvador with a Car or Motorbike

Correct as of: February 2010

Required Paperwork

Passport of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
Vehicle registration (original and 1 copy).
Drivers license of registered owner (original and 1 copy).

Process at border

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

The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), including a stamp in their Passport.
The owner must show the new passport stamp, drivers license and the original vehicle registration to customs (aduana).
The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.

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

Cost of entry

Free.

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 CA4 is written in your passport as you travel from country to country. The 90-day limit begins when you enter any country that is part of the CA4 agreement. To avoid penalty and fines, Exit the CA4 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

Insurance requirements

Insurance is not required.

Cost of insurance

N/A

Where to purchase insurance

N/A

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 SPECIAL PERMIT.

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 common in El Salvador. You'll primarily be asked to show your Passport, Vehicle registration, drivers license, and the temporary import permit you were issued at the border.

Traveling with pets

Unknown.
List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.

Gas and Diesel price in El Salvador

Last updated: April 2012

Currency and unit to display:

Gasoline Grade	Price
Regular	??
Super (90)	??
Premium (95)	$4.89 USD per Gallon (US)
Ultra (97)	??
Normal Diesel	$0.77 USD per Liter^[1]
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.

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. 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

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.^[2]
Garmin: Apparently no map of El Salvador.
TomTom: No map of El Salvador. ^[3]

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

Camping Sites: El Salvador - Detailed list of campsites and propane filling with description, directions and GPS co-ordinates. Some at hotels (lists facilities and price), some roadside and free.
Central America Camping Locations - List of campsites, with basic directions and GPS co-ordinates. Mostly free sites.
Camping Log 1: Central America - List of campsites, shopping, fuel, propane and border crossings with excellent descriptions and GPS co-ordinates.
White Acorn camping log page - GPS co-ordinates and excellent description of campsites]