- Overview: El Salvador
- Global HR Compliance
- Global PEO and payroll
- Work permit for hiring expats via PEO
- Expand without a company set up
- Contractor vs. employee: which is better?
Immigration support for hiring expats in El Salvador via a PEO
If your business objectives are related to hiring expatriate personnel in El Salvador, there are some things you need to consider, from the peculiarities of immigration procedure in El Salvador to documents required to get a work permit, and local payroll for foreign citizens.
If your company is hiring or planning to hire expats in El Salvador, an in-country PEO employment post immigration might be a viable alternative to incorporation. A global PEO company will guide you through every step of immigration procedure in El Salvador and render a ‘no entity hiring’ after visa or permit receipt.
For many years Acumen International has been hiring and payrolling our clients’ expatriates for both short- and long-term projects. If you need to legally hire and pay the expatriates in El Salvador, we can help you. Regardless of your business objectives and timelines, Acumen International can arrange immigration and work permit support for hiring your expats in full legal compliance with local labor legislation after the permit has been issued.
Acumen’s ‘work permit and hiring expats through a Global PEO’ solution is designed for:
- employer companies like yourself that want to relocate their selected expats to El Salvador
- individuals that have an employer that is ready to finance their immigration and foreign employment in the El Salvador
- the service is mainly used by companies hiring highly skilled personnel to fill some top positions in El Salvador
Note: Having a single provider that would sponsor a work permit or visa on your behalf and then employs expats in El Salvador, minimizes risks of visa rejection. In addition, it takes the hassle associated with immigration procedure off your head.
Unlike other global Professional Employer Organizations, Acumen International can provide extra benefits in addition to work permit support in El Salvador. This includes medical insurance, housing, office rent, mobile phone and car provision to meet-and-greet, dependents relocation, etc.
Attention: we are not an immigration service! We do not provide a work permit and immigration support as a standalone solution to individuals willing to find jobs overseas.
Estimated time for work permit issuance
Typically, the procedure of work permit issuance in El Salvador takes from 2 to 7 months until entry to El Salvador, and a further 1 to 2 months before the whole process is completed.
Major steps to get a work permit in El Salvador
- Entry to El Salvador
- Temporary Residence with Work Permit Application
- Residence Card Application and Fingerprints
Documents for work permit in El Salvador, main applicant
| Name | Notes | Copies |
| Passport valid for at least 6 months | One original | |
| Police Clearance Certificate(s) with Legalization | Police clearance certificate(s) are required from the country of origin or the country/countries where the applicant has been residing in the last two years. If no expiry date is listed on the certificate, they will be accepted for up to three months from the date of issuance. | One copy; one legalized and translated original |
| Police Clearance Certificate from El Salvador | In Spanish, “solvencia de antecedentes penales de la PNC”. Only applicable to those who have previously stayed in the country more than twice within a year or staying in El Salvador for more than three months. | One original; one copy |
| Medical Certificate | Issued within the three months prior to application. Indicating that the employee and any accompanying dependents do not suffer from any infectious or contagious disease. Must be issued by a doctor in El Salvador. | One original; one copy |
| Evidence of University Degree or Experience | Either a university degree or evidence of four years of relevant experience for the specific profession. Legalized for use in El Salvador and with translation into Spanish conducted by an official translator. The translation must be certified by a notary in El Salvador. | One clear, notarized, legalized and translated copy; one copy |
| Copy of the pages of Passport with visas/entries stamped | One clear copy | |
| Certificate of Residence | if the police clearance certificates submitted in support of the application are from the country of residence of the applicant (rather than his/her country of nationality), a certificate from that country of residence showing that the applicant has been residing there for the last two years is also required. | One original |
| Last Utility Bill | Copy of the last invoice/receipt of any electricity, gas, water or cable TV services. | One clear copy |
| Registration Form | One original | |
| Provisional Residence Card (Carné de Residencia) | One original |
If you need to have your expat personnel legally work for you in El Salvador without having to set up your own business entity for that, trust us to assist you with work permit and immigration support, and then employ your expats locally on your behalf.
Contact our team to let us take up your foreign employees’ immigration matters and relieve you of the responsibility of getting work permit by working with our local partners to organize and obtain all the necessary permits, as well as provide you with a detailed update on the progress of the process.
Contact us for more details about how you can get a work permit for your expatriate staff and employ them through Acumen International in El Salvador.
