Apostille for Salvadoran documents from the US: free, online portal
El Salvador is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) is the only authority designated to apostille Salvadoran documents. According to its Auténticas y Apostillas page, “en el caso de El Salvador la Apostilla es GRATUITA” — the apostille is free (checked October 3, 2026). From the United States you use the apostilla.rree.gob.sv portal, which lets you request an electronic apostille “desde cualquier parte del mundo” — from anywhere in the world. The key constraint: documents made at a Salvadoran consulate cannot be apostilled; for those, the ministry uses legalization.
Key facts
| Item | Detail (checked October 3, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Authority | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “el único responsable” — the sole issuer of apostilles for Salvadoran documents |
| Apostille fee | Free (“GRATUITA”, ministry’s main page) |
| From abroad | Electronic apostille at apostilla.rree.gob.sv |
| Legal basis | Ley de Aplicación de la Apostilla Electrónica (Presidency, 2022) |
| Not apostillable | Documents of diplomatic or consular officials; documents for commercial or customs operations |
| Authentication (alternate route) | US$5.00 Salvadoran official’s signature · US$20.00 foreign official’s signature |
| E-apostille processing time | Not published on the official pages checked |
One nuance on the fee: the sentence “la Apostilla es GRATUITA” appears on the ministry’s main Auténticas y Apostillas page; the Regional Offices version (updated December 1, 2023) describes the same process but does not repeat that sentence.
Apostille or authentication?
The foreign ministry explains that it depends on the country where the document will be presented: if it is a Hague Convention member, the document is apostilled; if not, it is authenticated. It adds that El Salvador is a member, “por lo que los documentos pueden apostillarse” — so documents can be apostilled — although that “queda a decisión del interesado”, is up to the person requesting it. For the United States specifically, the ministry’s own police-clearance page says that for the United States “los documentos se Apostillan”.
Once apostilled, according to the ministry, the Salvadoran document takes effect immediately in Convention countries and does not need to be presented at the destination country’s consulate.
What can be apostilled
The foreign ministry treats these as apostillable public documents:
- Documents issued by a government authority or official.
- Administrative documents: family-registry certificates, educational documents, and documents issued by the PNC.
- Notarial documents, such as certified copies of public deeds (testimonios de escrituras públicas) and notarial acts.
The e-apostille portal list the Presidency published on February 24, 2022 includes, “among others”: birth, marriage, and death records; single-status certificates; full and partial grade transcripts; high school diplomas; university degree and technical degree certificates; master’s degree certifications; PNC police clearance; criminal record certificates; passport certifications; renunciation of nationality; migration-movement records; residence cards; and nationality-recovery rulings.
What cannot be apostilled: consular documents
The foreign ministry quotes Article 1 of the Convention: the apostille does not apply to:
- Documents issued by diplomatic or consular officials.
- Administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs operations (certificates of origin, import and export licenses).
In practice, a document made before a Salvadoran consul in the US — a power of attorney, a will, or a consular certificate — falls under that exclusion. For such documents, the ministry describes legalization: “la certificación que expide el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, avalando la firma del funcionario consular salvadoreño en el extranjero para que pueda surtir efectos en El Salvador” — the ministry’s certification of the Salvadoran consular official’s signature so the document can take effect in El Salvador. Authenticating a Salvadoran official’s signature costs US$5.00.
How to request the electronic apostille
- Confirm the destination. Apostille if the country where you will present it is a Convention member; authentication if it is not.
- Confirm the document is apostillable (see the lists above).
- Go to apostilla.rree.gob.sv, the portal of the foreign ministry and the Presidency’s Innovation Secretariat for requesting electronic apostilles from abroad.
- Follow the process in the portal. The official pages checked do not publish the processing time or the account requirements. The portal’s landing page shows only a sign-in button labeled for public servants (servidor público); it does not describe the citizen request flow.
If you do not have the document yet, get it first: the birth certificate and the criminal record certificate are requested on simple.sv; the police clearance is filed at a consulate.
Authentication: fees and the signature chain
For countries that are not Convention members, the foreign ministry describes authentication (auténtica):
- Fees: US$5.00 for the signature of a Salvadoran official; US$20.00 for the signature of a foreign official, which the page describes as “funcionarios extranjeros de las representaciones diplomáticas acreditados en El Salvador” — foreign officials of diplomatic missions accredited in El Salvador. The Consular Service Organic Law (Art. 151) sets the same amounts for authenticating the signatures of Salvadoran (US$5.00) and foreign (US$20.00) authorities, charged by the ministry, embassies, and consulates.
- Originals only: “Únicamente se autentican documentos originales.”
- No ID needed: according to the main page, anyone can request an authentication without presenting an identity document.
- Signature only: the ministry “NO legaliza el contenido del documento, ÚNICAMENTE legaliza la firma del funcionario” — it legalizes the signature, not the content.
Before reaching the ministry, each document type follows its own signature chain. Examples from the ministry:
| Document | Authentication chain |
|---|---|
| Birth, marriage, death, divorce records and single-status certificates | Head of the family registry → Mayor (optional) → Ministry of Foreign Affairs → representation of the destination country |
| Educational documents (preschool to high school) and university documents | Ministry of Education → Ministry of Foreign Affairs → representation of the destination country |
| PNC documents | National Civil Police → Ministry of Foreign Affairs → representation of the destination country |
| Notary documents (deeds, notarial acts, translations) | Supreme Court of Justice → Ministry of Foreign Affairs → representation of the destination country |
| Court rulings | Supreme Court of Justice (Oficial Mayor) → Ministry of Foreign Affairs → representation of the destination country |
The other direction: US documents for use in El Salvador
The foreign ministry says that if a document was issued in a Hague Convention member country, you obtain the apostille issued by the authorities that country designates, and once apostilled “no requiere el trámite ni en el consulado salvadoreño ni en el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores” — no step at the Salvadoran consulate or the ministry is needed. For how a US record, court order, or notarized document is apostilled, see how to apostille a US document and, for vital records, vital records by state.
The Consular Service Organic Law (Arts. 148 and 150) also empowers Salvadoran consuls to authenticate the signatures of authorities in the country where they serve when the document will take effect in El Salvador; the ministry’s page, however, directs documents from Convention countries to the apostille.
Your US immigration status
The apostille certifies the signature on a public document; the foreign ministry’s pages do not ask for US immigration documents to apostille or authenticate.
Appointments and the Consulado Virtual
For documents that are made at a consulate, the consular network books through the appointment portal (portalcitas.rree.gob.sv), which lists public deeds and notarial acts among its services. Questions: Consulado Virtual 1-888-301-1130 from the US and Canada, or WhatsApp (503) 7070-1071. Directory: Salvadoran consulates.
Related information
- El Salvador consular procedures in the US
- Salvadoran birth certificate from the US
- Salvadoran criminal record certificate from the US
- PNC police clearance from the US
- Will at a Salvadoran consulate
- Power of attorney at the consulate
- How to apostille a US document
Official sources
- Foreign ministry — Auténticas y Apostillas: https://rree.gob.sv/autenticas-y-apostillas/
- Foreign ministry — Document legalization, Regional Offices (updated December 1, 2023): https://rree.gob.sv/servicios-oficinas-regionales/autenticas-y-apostillas-or/
- Electronic Apostille Portal: https://apostilla.rree.gob.sv/
- Presidency — launch of the electronic apostille (February 24, 2022): https://www.presidencia.gob.sv/gobierno-habilita-autenticacion-electronica-de-documentos-oficiales-para-salvadorenos-en-el-exterior/
- Foreign ministry — launch of the Electronic Apostille Platform (February 24, 2022): https://rree.gob.sv/gobierno-de-el-salvador-lanza-la-plataforma-de-apostilla-electronica/
- Ley Orgánica del Servicio Consular de la República de El Salvador, Arts. 148, 150, and 151 (published by the foreign ministry)
Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Apostille and authentication fees and procedures change, and the institution receiving a document may have its own requirements. Verify directly with El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Not legal advice.