El Salvador criminal record certificate from the US: US$3 online

The Salvadoran criminal record certificate (constancia de antecedentes penales) is issued by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security through its General Directorate of Prisons (Dirección General de Centros Penales), and from the United States it is requested online at simple.sv for US$3.00 (fee listed on simple.sv, checked October 3, 2026). The key requirement is a valid DUI. simple.sv states 12 business hours from when you finish paying, and the certificate is not emailed: you download it from the “Mis documentos” section. Consulates also take paper requests, on a different timeline.

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What it certifies

According to simple.sv, it is the certificate showing that individuals of Salvadoran origin have no criminal record “por sentencia condenatoria ejecutoriada” — from a final conviction — for an offense. It is a Salvadoran record. Your US history is a separate request to the FBI: see FBI background check.

Key facts

ItemDetail (simple.sv, checked October 3, 2026)
Issued byMinistry of Justice and Public Security — General Directorate of Prisons
ChannelOnline, at simple.sv
FeeUS$3.00
RequirementValid Documento Único de Identidad (DUI)
Time12 business hours from when payment is completed (up to 20 business days, depending on the case)
Maximum legal period20 business days
DeliveryDownload at simple.sv/mis-documentos; not sent by email
Validity“vigente a la fecha que se emite” — valid as of the issue date; available on the server for 30 calendar days
Third party?Yes, an authorized third party, with documents proving the representation
Contact+503 2520 4404 (phone number shown on simple.sv)

Step by step

The foreign ministry published the walkthrough on April 18, 2023; the live simple.sv page adds the delivery details:

  1. Open the request Constancia de antecedentes penales (Nacionales | Personas naturales) on simple.sv and click “Iniciar trámite”.
  2. Sign in with your Identidad Digital account and use the option to complete the request online and verify your information.
  3. Certificate type: choose constancia personal de ciudadano. Under request type, state the purpose; the ministry gives a job application as its example.
  4. Country: select the country you are applying from, accept the terms and conditions, and pay US$3.00 online.
  5. Keep the payment receipt. The request will not appear under in-progress requests. simple.sv says this does not mean it was not received and that you should not start another request.
  6. Download the certificate from “Mis documentos” (simple.sv/mis-documentos) once the request has been processed without observations. When complete, the status changes to “Finalizado”.

Email or download: the two official versions

The foreign ministry’s April 2023 notice said that once the request was verified, the user “recibirá un correo electrónico con la constancia de antecedentes penales con apostilla electrónica” — would receive an email with the certificate bearing its electronic apostille. The live simple.sv request page, which does not mention the apostille, gives a different delivery instruction for the certificate: “El documento de tu constancia no será enviado por correo electrónico” — it is downloaded from “Mis documentos” instead. The sources we read do not show whether both refer to the same document (the notice speaks of the apostilled certificate); this guide follows the live simple.sv page. Note that, according to that page, the document stays on the server for 30 calendar days from issuance.

The consulate route

The foreign ministry’s “Solvencias de la PNC” page also covers the criminal record request at a consulate:

  • Fee: US$3.00 “para el trámite de Antecedente Penal”.
  • Documents: a photocopy of the DUI or of a valid passport (photo page). The page says the request is made in person, with a form filled out at the consulate and fingerprints taken.
  • Timing: the request is sent to the National Civil Police and to the prison registry (Registro y Control Penitenciario), so the time it takes for the documents to reach the consulate varies.

Note the difference in requirements: the online route asks for a valid DUI; the consular page mentions a copy of the DUI or of a valid passport. The consular page shows no date in its visible text; its HTML metadata gives a publication date of December 17, 2020.

Apostille

The foreign ministry’s 2023 notice presented simple.sv as the way to get the certificate “con su respectiva apostilla electrónica” — with its electronic apostille. The live request page does not mention the apostille. The electronic apostille portal’s document list (Presidency of El Salvador, February 24, 2022) includes criminal record certificates, and the foreign ministry says that in El Salvador the apostille is free. See apostille of Salvadoran documents.

It is not the police clearance

Criminal record certificatePolice clearance (solvencia)
Issued byMinistry of Justice and Public Security (prisons directorate)National Civil Police (PNC)
From the USOnline at simple.svAt a consulate
Listed feeUS$3.00Free, according to the foreign ministry

Details in PNC police clearance from the US.

Your US immigration status

simple.sv lists a valid DUI; the consular page lists a photocopy of the DUI or of a valid passport. Neither lists US immigration documents.

Appointments and the Consulado Virtual

For the consulate route, the foreign ministry books services through its appointment portal (portalcitas.rree.gob.sv). For questions, the ministry runs the Consulado Virtual on WhatsApp at (503) 7070-1071 from anywhere in the world, and at 1-888-301-1130 from the US and Canada. Find your office in the directory of Salvadoran consulates.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Fees, processing times, and requirements of Salvadoran institutions change. Verify directly with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security on simple.sv or with your Salvadoran consulate. Not legal advice.