In most of the countries you will find diplomatic missions, which usually refers to an embassy and/or a consulate. Diplomatic bodies represent other country’s interests in El Salvador, with the aim of strengthening international relations between the states and providing services for their citizens in El Salvador.

Embassies and consulates are considered legal territories of their home countries. They are not "foreign territory" but they are protected and considered the property of the country using them, meaning that El Salvador does not have jurisdiction over the embassy or consulate of another country.

What is the difference between Embassy and Consulate?

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations international treaty defines the diplomatic mission’s purpose and framework. The various diplomatic missions offer several services and carry out different missions. For example:

• Embassy: This is the primary diplomatic representation of a country’s government and is headed by an ambassador. An embassy is the main location for a diplomatic presence of one country in another. A country has at most one embassy in another country and is always established in the capital city of the host country. In the absence of a consulate in a country, the embassy also has a consular section to carry out all the relevant consular services (see below).
• Consulate General: This is a diplomatic mission, headed by a consul that provides a full range of services such as: issuing passports/visas, keeping birth and marriage records, assisting expats, providing legal information, translations etc. It can be located in any major city of the host country, although often in the capital city (in certain cases, in the same building as the embassy). In major countries and large territories, you often have more than one consulate.
• Honorary Consulate: It supplements the Consulate to provide a limited range of consular services and is headed by an honorary consul. They help nationals abroad. For example, in the event of a hospital stay, missing person, death, natural disaster or another emergency. They can also issue emergency travel documents and consular declarations for which the applicant is required to appear in person.

NB: You will usually apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country you want to visit. However, if there is no such representation in El Salvador, you can apply for a visa at the embassy.

Where to find Consulates and Embassies in El Salvador

Not all countries have an Embassy and/or a Consulate as it depends on the political situation, the relationship with the host country, the size of the country, and the number of foreign citizens living there.

In some cases, countries can share representations and you can be assisted by the services of another embassy or consular service to get the information you need.

We recommend you register/contact your country’s embassy at your destination. It is a free service provided by any diplomatic mission and it will allow them to record information about your upcoming trip abroad. It can be used to assist you in case of an emergency.

Registration will also allow you to get routine information from your nearest embassy or consulate, as citizens residing abroad.

The capital of El Salvador, San Salvador hosts 33 embassies.

There are also 33 consulates and another representation located in El Salvador.

All consulates and honorary consulates are located in San Salvador, except for those countries who own an embassy in the capital of El Salvador and might have another diplomatic mission outside the capital.

You will find below a list of selected countries (the list is not exhaustive) that have a diplomatic mission in El Salvador. The list includes embassies, consulates, honorary consulates, and sometimes other official representations for you to be able to get information and services.

Embassies and Main Consulates in San Salvador

Canada

Canadian Embassy in El Salvador

Address: Centro Financiero Gigante. 63 Avenida Sur y Alameda Roosevelt, Local 6, Nivel II.
San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2133 1100
E-Mail: ssal@international.gc.ca
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/CanadainElSalvador and https://x.com/CanEmbSV
Opening hours:  8am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm from Monday to Thursday. Friday from 8am to 1.30 pm

The Canadian Embassy in El Salvador provides services for Canadians visiting, studying, working or doing business in El Salvador.

China

Chinese Embassy in El Salvador

Address: Avenida Olímpica entre 71 y 73 avenida sur, residencia 3742 en la colonia Escalón, San Salvador, El Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2550-2350. Dial extension number 829 for Spanish
E-Mail:  san-salvador@csm.mfa.gov.cn
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/EmbajadaChinaSV and https://x.com/embajadachinasv
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9:00-12:00 & 14:30-18:00

The consular section provides a range of consular services such as document authentication and legalisation processing, as well as notary certification and marriage registration, visa affairs, and consular protection to all Chinese living abroad.

France

French Embassy in El Salvador

Address: Plaza Presidente Nivel.7, Avenida de la Revolución, San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2550 4444
E-Mail: info.san-salvador-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Social Media: https://x.com/FR_El_Salvador/ and https://www.instagram.com/franceausalvador/ and https://www.facebook.com/franceausalvador/
Opening hours: 8am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday. Friday from 8am to 1pm

The French Embassy in El Salvador provides Consular Services such as record declarations (birth, recognition, death), requests for passports or identity cards, publications of banns (marriage) as well as for the transcription of acts of civil status issued by authorities in El Salvador.

Germany

German Embassy in El Salvador

Address: 77a Av. Norte, esquina 7a Calle Poniente 3972. Colonia Escalón. 693 San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2247 0000
E-Mail:  info@san-salvador.diplo.de
Social Media: https://x.com/Alemaniaparati and https://www.instagram.com/alemaniaenelsalvador
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from  8:30 am to 11:30 am

The consular section of the Embassy provides assistance and support, both legal and practical to all German citizens residing or passing through El Salvador with procedures such as: Passports, German ID cards, Visas, signature authentications, certifications and consular documents (eg. life certificate).

Japan

Embassy of Japan in El Salvador

Address: 89 Av. Norte and Calle El Mirador, Colonia Escalón. Level 6 Tower 1, World Trade Center, San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2528 1111
E-Mail: recepcion@sv.mofa.go.jp
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/EmbJapan.ElSalvador/ and https://facebook.com/EmbJapan.ElSalvador/
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00

The Japanese embassy provides a range of consular services such as visa and passport processing as well as document legalisation (birth certificate, marriage and death certificate, etc…) and police clearance certificate.

Russia

Embassy of Russia in El Salvador

The Russian Embassy Russia in Nicaragua represents El Salvadoron diplomatic matters.

Spain

Spanish Embassy in El Salvador

Address: 164 bis La Reforma Street. San Benito Colony. 496, San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2257 5704
E-Mail: emb.sansalvador.info@maec.es
Social Media: https://x.com/EmbEsElSalvador and https://www.facebook.com/EmbEspSv
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

The Embassy of Spain in El Salvador, based in San Salvador, offers consular services to handle the processing of passports and visas, Civil Registry queries (births, marriages, deaths, acquisition of nationality, family books), inquiries about the electoral process, registration, and cancellations in the consular registry, CERA and to carry out notarial procedures (powers of attorney, minutes of statements, wills, etc.), among others.

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

Embassy of the United Kingdom in El Salvador

Address: Torre Futura, 14th floor, Colonia Escalón, San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2380 7300
E-Mail: britishembassy.elsalvador@fco.gov.uk
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/ukinelsalvador/ and https://twitter.com/UKinElSalvador and https://www.instagram.com/ukinelsalvador/
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM and Friday from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM

The British Embassy in El Salvador provides services to British nationals living and visiting El Salvador, including commercial, consular, visa and information services. As well as notarial services, including certificates, letters, and notes available.

You can also apply for an emergency travel document if you’re abroad and your passport has been lost or stolen, damaged or expired, and you can’t get a new or replacement passport in time to travel.

USA (United States of America)

Embassy of the United States of America in El Salvador

Address: Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad
Tel: (+503) 2501 2999
E-Mail: ACSSanSal@state.gov
Social Media: https://twitter.com/USEmbassySV and https://www.facebook.com/embajadaamericanaelsalvador and https://www.youtube.com/user/USEmbassyElSalvador
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

The US representation in El Salvador provides a range of consular services such as regular passport applications and renewals, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA) and notarial services, assistance on death of a U.S. citizen and emergency financial assistance, etc.

Honorary Consulates in El Salvador

Contact directly the Embassy/Consulate website for more information.

For countries with no consulates or embassies in El Salvador, the Honorary Consulates are supervised by diplomatic representations located in other countries, often Ciudad de México, México for El Salvador.

General Consulates and embassies in San Salvador

• Argentina (esalv@mrecic.gov.ar)
• Australia (consuladohonorarioelsalvador@gmail.com)
• Belgium (consubelsal@gmail.com)
• Brazil (brasemb.ssalvador@itamaraty.gov.br)
• Canada (ssal@international.gc.ca)
• El Salvador (ssal@international.gc.ca)
• Mexico (ssal@international.gc.ca)
• Norway
• Panama (ssal@international.gc.ca)
• Switzerland (ssal@international.gc.ca)