Local Laws

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While you are traveling in El Salvador, you are subject to its laws, and your activities are governed by Salvadoran law and the type of visa you are issued.  Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different from our own.  Persons violating Salvadoran laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.  Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in El Salvador are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.  If you break local laws in El Salvador, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution.

Be aware there are also some activities that might be legal in the country you visit, but are still illegal in the United States, and you can be prosecuted under U.S. law.

Prison and detention center conditions in El Salvador are harsh and dangerous.  Overcrowding constitutes a serious threat to prisoners’ health and lives.  In many facilities, provisions for sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting are inadequate or nonexistent.

While some countries automatically notify the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in that country, others may not.  To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

Guns: El Salvador has strict laws requiring a locally obtained license to possess or carry a firearm in the country.  The Embassy strongly advises persons without a Salvadoran firearms license not to bring guns into the country or use a firearm while in El Salvador.  The Embassy cannot intervene in the judicial process when a U.S. citizen is charged with a firearms or any other type of violation.  Convictions for possessing an unlicensed firearm can carry a prison sentence of three to five years.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: We are not aware of any special currency or customs circumstances for this country.

Disaster Preparedness: Preparation for natural disasters is essential in El Salvador, which has significant seismic activity, six active volcanoes, a coastline vulnerable to hurricanes, and a rainy season that can produce severe flooding and mudslides.

Over the years, heavy rain has caused severe flooding and triggered landslides that critically damaged roads, bridges, and houses, killing scores of people, leaving thousands more homeless, and destroying crops and towns.

Close to 2,000 tremors affect El Salvador every year.  Seismic tremors measuring over 5.0 on the Richter scale occur on a regular basis.  These tremors usually cause little damage, but major earthquakes have killed thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

In December 2013, the Chaparrastique volcano in eastern El Salvador erupted spewing ash and smoke into the sky.  More than 2,000 people, who were within three kilometers of the crater of the volcano, were evacuated to emergency shelters.

General information about natural disaster preparedness is available from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  Additional information in Spanish about earthquakes (sismos) and other natural disasters in El Salvador can be found on the Government of El Salvador’s web page.

WOMEN TRAVELER INFORMATION: If you are a woman traveling abroad, please review our travel tips for Women Travelers.

LGBT RIGHTS: There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGBT events in El Salvador.  There is, however, widespread discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, access to health care, and identity documents.  Public officials, including the police, have reportedly engaged in violence and discrimination against LGBT persons.  For more detailed information about LGBT rights in El Salvador, you may review the State Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013.  For further information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travel, please read our LGBT Travel Information page.

ACCESSIBILITY: While in El Salvador, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the United States. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical and mental disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, or the provision of other state services.  According to the National Council for Comprehensive Attention to Persons with Disability (CONAIPD), the government does not allocate sufficient resources to enforce these prohibitions effectively, particularly in education, employment, and transportation, and does not effectively enforce legal requirements for access to buildings, information, and communications for persons with disabilities.  There are almost no access ramps or provisions for the mobility of persons with sight and hearing disabilities.