Buyer's guide · San Salvador
Buying property in El Salvador as a foreigner: the 6 steps and the costs
A foreigner can buy a house or land in El Salvador in their own name. The purchase has six steps, and the risk is almost always in the first one: the title. This page gives the six steps in order, who does each one, and which costs are the lawyer's fee and which go to the State.
Can a foreigner own property here?
Yes, in your own name, with no bank trust. Houses, apartments and urban lots have no special rule for foreigners.
Rural land has one condition. Article 109 of the Constitution lets a foreigner own rural land when their home country gives Salvadorans the same right. Land for industrial establishments is an exception. If the registry classifies the lot as rural ("rústico"), check this point before you sign a promise contract.
The price is in U.S. dollars. The dollar is legal tender in El Salvador, so there is no exchange step at the closing.
The six steps, in order
Who does each step, and what can go wrong in it.
1. Check the title — before any deposit
Your lawyer reads the property's record at the CNR (Centro Nacional de Registros), the national registry. The check answers four questions: who is the registered owner, are there mortgages or liens, is there a lawsuit noted on the record, and does the description match the lot you saw. Ask also who will sign the sale: the owner, or a representative with a power of attorney.
Our fee: red-flag check $199. Full title study $1,950–$2,500, a written legal opinion (not title insurance).
2. Sign a promise contract
The "promesa de venta" fixes the price, the deposit and the date of the deed. Write the conditions into it: the sale goes ahead only if the title is clean and the permits are in order. Without those conditions, the deposit is at risk. The clauses to include are in what to write in the promise to purchase.
3. Sign the deed before a notario
A notario authorises the deed of sale. Here a notario is a licensed attorney, not a U.S.-style notary public. The deed is in Spanish, and the Spanish text governs. Ask for an explanation of its terms in your language before the signing day. Ask for a new registry check close to the signing day. How to check the notary before you sign.
4. Pay the price and the transfer tax
Plan the payment before the signing: a wire or a bank check, released against the signed deed. The buyer pays the transfer tax: 3% of the part of the price above $28,571.43. On a $300,000 house, that is about $8,143.
5. Register the deed at the CNR
The deed binds the buyer and the seller. Against everyone else, you are protected only when the deed is registered. Until then, the registry still shows the seller as owner. Registration fees follow the registry tariff and are separate from the lawyer's fee.
6. Move the municipal account to your name
The municipality keeps an account for each property for its service fees. Move it to your name, and ask the seller for proof that the account has no debt before the signing. Then activate the CNR's free "Aviso Registral" alert, so the registry tells you if anyone files anything against your property.
What it costs: your lawyer and the State
Two separate amounts go into every purchase. Keep them apart in every quote.
Our fee — fixed in writing
- Title red-flag check — $199.
- Turn-key closing — $1,500 for purchases up to $500,000. Above $500,000: 0.3% of the full price.
- Power of attorney — $249, if you buy without traveling.
Government costs — with receipts
- Transfer tax: 3% of the price above $28,571.43.
- CNR registration fees, per the registry tariff.
- Certifications and stamps.
We pass these on at cost, with the receipt, and add nothing.
Buying from abroad
You do not have to fly in for each step. Grant a special power of attorney to a person you trust. You can sign it before a Salvadoran consul abroad, and it has the same force as one signed in San Salvador. The power must name the property and the acts your representative may do. A power in the wrong form is the most common reason for a delay.
If you are looking for a property and not only a lawyer, our closing desk at elsalvador-realestate.com explains the closing for buyers in more detail. For the general questions about hiring a lawyer here, read Lawyer in El Salvador: how to choose one and check the licence.
If you sell later, the seller's tax is income tax on the gain: read selling property in El Salvador: the 10% rule.
Honest answers first
We do not represent the seller. If a lawyer comes from the seller, the developer or the agent, that lawyer is not on your side. Ask before you hire.
We do not promise government dates. The registry and the municipality set their own times. We commit to the work, the price, and telling you where you stand.
Nothing on this page is legal advice for your case. Each property has its own record. The first conversation costs you nothing.
Tell us about the property
Send the location, the price and, if you have it, the registry number. You get an answer from a licensed Salvadoran attorney, in English or Spanish.
Larger purchase, or you cannot visit the property?
Two published options. Fixed in writing before you commit; official costs itemized apart.
Step 1 — On-site property visit: $950
A lawyer visits the property, with you or for you, and compares what is on the ground with the registry record. Written report before you sign or pay a deposit. Credited toward your closing if you hire us for it.
Certainty Closing — 0.75% of the price, minimum $5,000
For purchases above $500,000: full title study and on-site visit, deed by our notario filed at the registry, every wire verified by voice, follow-up until the title is in your name, CNR registry alert and a final written report. Example: $1,250,000 = $9,375.