El Salvador consular ID? The DUI is what Salvadoran consulates issue in the US

Short answer: El Salvador does not issue a consular ID. There is no Salvadoran matrícula consular and there never has been — El Salvador never launched a consular identification card the way Mexico (MCAS) or Guatemala (TICG) did.

What Salvadoran consulates in the US issue instead is the DUI — Documento Único de Identidad — El Salvador’s national identity document, processed abroad through the RNPN (Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales). If you came here looking for “the Salvadoran consular ID,” the DUI is the document you actually get.

DUI at a US consulate — the key facts

ItemDetail (as of June 12, 2026)
DocumentDUI (Documento Único de Identidad) — El Salvador’s national ID
Issued throughRNPN, at Salvadoran consulates in the US
FeeUS$35
Appointmentsportalcitas.rree.gob.sv or call center 1-888-301-1130
DeliverySame-day at several consulates (see below); others take longer

How to get your DUI in the US

  1. Book an appointment at https://portalcitas.rree.gob.sv or by phone at 1-888-301-1130.
  2. Attend in person at the Salvadoran consulate — the DUI process runs through the RNPN.
  3. Pay the US$35 fee.
  4. Receive your DUI. Several consulates offer same-day delivery — locations announced include Los Angeles, Woodbridge (VA), Silver Spring (MD), Long Island (NY), and Dallas (TX). At other consulates delivery takes longer; confirm timing when you book.

Official program page: https://rree.gob.sv/servicios/dui-en-el-exterior.

What the DUI is — and isn’t

The DUI is:

  • El Salvador’s national identity document — the same ID Salvadorans carry in El Salvador, now issuable abroad
  • A legitimate Salvadoran government-issued photo ID

The DUI is not:

  • A consular ID — El Salvador does not have one
  • A US immigration document — it does not prove legal status and does not confer or affect your immigration status in any way
  • A REAL ID — it cannot be used to board domestic US flights or enter REAL ID-restricted federal buildings
  • A driver license — driving requires a separate state DMV process

Will US banks accept the DUI?

Be careful here. Unlike Mexico’s matrícula consular — whose US bank acceptance is documented in government reporting — there is no official statement that US banks accept the Salvadoran DUI.

The governing rule is USA PATRIOT Act Section 326 / 31 CFR 1020.220: every US bank runs its own Customer Identification Program and decides which foreign-government photo IDs it accepts. In practice that means:

  • Some banks may accept the DUI at their own discretion — ask the specific branch first.
  • The Salvadoran passport is the safer identity document for opening a US bank account.

Either way, pairing your ID with an ITIN is the usual route where a taxpayer number is required — see opening a bank account with an ITIN.

Other ID needs

  • Driver license / state ID without SSN: state programs set their own document lists; whether they accept a DUI or require a passport varies by state — see the state-by-state DMV ID guide.
  • Passport: if your Salvadoran passport is expired, that is its own consular procedure — see El Salvador passport renewal.

Authoritative sources

Last verified: 2026-06-12. General procedural information for educational purposes. Consular fees, document requirements, and bank or state acceptance policies change. Verify directly with the Salvadoran consulate and with the specific US institution before relying on any document. Not legal advice.