Voting from the US — El Salvador elections from abroad

Salvadorans living in the United States can vote from abroad in El Salvador’s presidential and legislative elections. El Salvador’s Special Law for Voting Abroad (Decreto 541 of 2022) applies to the election of the President and Vice President and of deputies to the Legislative Assembly, and makes the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), not the consulates, responsible for voting abroad.

Because Decreto 541 requires no separate registration, the date that matters is the cutoff for updating the address on your DUI (see below). Confirm the rules for each election with the TSE.

What elections you can vote in

Decreto 541 covers the election of the President and Vice President and of deputies to the Legislative Assembly. The Asamblea Legislativa reported on May 14, 2026 that reforms it approved create a new overseas district (circunscripción 15) with six deputies. Votes cast abroad for president and vice president count in the national district. For deputies, voters whose DUI shows an address abroad, and voters who use their passport, vote in the overseas district; the vote of someone whose DUI shows an address in El Salvador is assigned to that address. The Asamblea reported on February 24, 2026 that the next general elections are on February 28, 2027.

Voter registration

El Salvador has no separate voter registration for voting abroad. Decreto 541 (2022) says the voter roll is built from RNPN and migration data and that Salvadorans abroad will under no circumstances be required to complete an alternate registration to vote. What matters is the address on your DUI. The Asamblea Legislativa reported on February 24, 2026 that a transitional provision lets Salvadorans abroad update the address on their DUI up to 90 days before the February 28, 2027 elections (previously the cutoff was a year before); confirm the exact cutoff date with the TSE.

To vote you identify with your DUI or your Salvadoran passport; the Asamblea reported on May 14, 2026 that neither needs to be valid and either can have been issued inside or outside El Salvador.

How you vote

Decreto 541 provides two channels, and the address on your DUI decides which one is yours:

  • Internet voting — if the address on your DUI is abroad, you vote online; the voting window lasts 30 calendar days, starting a month before election day and ending on election day (El Salvador time)
  • In-person electronic voting — if the address on your DUI is in El Salvador, or you vote with your passport, you vote at a voting center the TSE designates abroad (it can be a consulate or another venue) on election day only, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time
  • No postal voting — the law provides only internet voting and in-person electronic voting

Identification at the polling station

Bring your DUI or Salvadoran passport — per the Asamblea’s May 14, 2026 report, neither has to be valid. Confirm with the TSE which documents it accepts at the voting center.

Where to find the specific rules

Authoritative sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Electoral rules and deadlines change for every election. Verify directly with El Salvador’s electoral authority and your local consulate before each election. Not legal advice.