El Salvador power of attorney (poder notarial) at a US consulate

A power of attorney (poder notarial) is a legal document that authorizes another person — your apoderado — to act on your behalf in El Salvador. You sign the document before the El Salvador consul in the US, and the Foreign Ministry then certifies the consul’s signature (legalization, US$5.00 for a Salvadoran official’s signature) so the document can take effect in El Salvador.

Cancillería says the reasons for requesting a poder vary, which is why most of its consulates ask you to book an appointment to explain the type of power you need.

Types of power of attorney (poder)

Common types (the requirement file registered with El Salvador’s regulatory-improvement office, OMR, names the special power, the general judicial power, the general administrative power and the general judicial and administrative power):

  • Special power (poder especial) — limited to the specific acts it names
  • General judicial power (poder general judicial)
  • General administrative power (poder general administrativo)
  • General judicial and administrative power (poder general judicial y administrativo)

Which of these fits your case is a question for the consulate or a Salvadoran lawyer.

The narrower the better legally — only grant the powers the apoderado actually needs.

Required documents

Based on Cancillería’s lists, you need:

  • Identity document — a valid DUI or Salvadoran passport (Cancillería’s notarial-acts page); the OMR-registered requirement list also accepts a residence card or another identity document
  • The person you are authorizing — Cancillería asks that you preferably bring a copy of a Salvadoran photo ID of the apoderado
  • Description of powers to be granted — what specifically the apoderado may do
  • Your basic details — full name, age, occupation and address, given verbally at the appointment (no proof-of-address document is on Cancillería’s list)
  • Draft text of the poder if you have a El Salvador lawyer who prepared it
  • Fee — US$40 flat for the poder (each escritura); a separate US$5 authentication may apply for the act to take effect in El Salvador (Cancillería says poderes can be paid in advance by debit or credit card on portalcitas.rree.gob.sv; confirm the current amount)

Step-by-step process

  1. Decide what powers you need to grant. If complex (litigation, inheritance, property), consult a El Salvador lawyer who can prepare a draft.
  2. Schedule appointment at your local El Salvador consulate
  3. Gather documents per checklist above
  4. Attend appointment in person — you sign in front of the consul
  5. Pay fee — US$40 flat for the poder; a separate US$5 authentication may apply
  6. Receive the notarized document — ask the consulate when it will be ready
  7. Send the original to El Salvador via courier or hand-carry on your next trip

Revoking a poder

Ask the consulate or a El Salvador lawyer how to revoke a poder (revocación), and tell the apoderado directly. We have not verified an official consular page describing the revocation procedure, so we do not describe one here.

Witnesses and additional requirements

As of 2026-10-03, Cancillería lists witnesses only for wills (3 for an open will, 5 for a closed will); for a power of attorney its list asks only for an identity document. Its notarial-acts page also says the requirements depend on the type of power, and that at the majority of its consulates an appointment is needed to explain the type of power you require.

Apostille — not used for consular documents

Documents executed by a Salvadoran consul are outside the Apostille Convention, so they are not apostilled; instead, the Foreign Ministry then certifies the consul’s signature (legalization, US$5.00 for a Salvadoran official’s signature) so the document can take effect in El Salvador. Apostille is needed when transferring documents between countries that are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, not for documents already authenticated by a El Salvador consul.

The apostille process applies when you need to send a US-issued document (US birth certificate, US marriage certificate, US court document) to El Salvador.

Authoritative sources

Last verified: 2026-10-08. General procedural information for educational purposes. Power-of-attorney requirements vary by country, by transaction type, and change periodically. Verify directly with the El Salvador consulate and, for complex matters, consult a El Salvador lawyer. Not legal advice.