How to renew or get your Salvadoran DUI in the United States

Renew or replace your DUI online from the US

Yes, you can: since July 2026, US residents who already have a DUI can renew or replace it online at dui.sv/exterior for $55, home delivery included.

How it works: sign in with login.sv, choose renewal or replacement, complete the face check, pay, review and update your data, take your photo, and wait for the DUI at home. If you're helping a parent, the face check and photo must be theirs.

There's no official delivery time for online orders; the DUI Express page says 15 days at most. After 3 failed delivery attempts, the DUI goes to the nearest consulate and the fee isn't refunded.

You can't get a first-time DUI online, or change your name, marital status, “also known as” name, or profession.

Which consulates issue DUIs, and which do it same day

Only 18 of the 29 Salvadoran consulates in the US issue DUIs in person: the ones with an RNPN service center.

“Check” means we found no recent official announcement of on-site printing there; some may already have it. Where there's no printing, you pick up the DUI in person or pay $20 for DUI Express. Before booking, confirm on your consulate's page that it issues DUIs.

Change your DUI address to vote from abroad

To vote online in El Salvador's February 28, 2027 election, your DUI must show an address outside El Salvador. The deadline to change it is November 29, 2026, 90 days before the election.

Many DUIs issued abroad still list a Salvadoran address. According to the RNPN, in May 2026 there were 183,391 DUIs issued abroad with an address in El Salvador. Check yours, and your parents'.

You have two options:

• Online, when you renew or replace at dui.sv/exterior, where you can update your address ($55).
• At a consulate, with an appointment, as a DUI data change.

Changing your address requires a sworn statement, and giving false information can lead to criminal charges.

Good to know: an expired DUI is still accepted for voting from abroad (Art. 3 of the Special Law on Voting Abroad). What you can't skip is the foreign address.

Lost or stolen DUI: how to replace it

A replacement costs the same as any DUI procedure: $35 at a consulate or $55 online with home delivery.

At the consulate you need:

• A photo ID with your full name, or your Salvadoran passport.
• To sign a sworn statement of loss there.
• If the DUI is only damaged, to hand it in. The consulate keeps it.

Online, at dui.sv/exterior, choose replacement (“reposición”) and follow the same steps as a renewal. One news outlet reports that an online replacement may only let you change your photo, phone, and email. If you also need to update your address, confirm before you pay.

Watch the expiration date: a news report from August 2026 says a replacement keeps the original expiration date, while a renewal gives you a new DUI valid for 8 years. If your DUI was close to expiring, ask the Virtual Consulate before choosing.

DUI or passport: which do you need first?

If you're an adult, get the DUI first: the Foreign Ministry requires an original, valid DUI to get or renew a Salvadoran passport.

If your DUI has expired and you need a passport, renew the DUI before your passport appointment, either at a consulate or online and wait for delivery. See the full requirements for the Salvadoran passport.

Common mistakes and scams

• Bringing a birth certificate issued more than 12 months ago.
• Going to a consulate that doesn't issue DUIs: only 18 of the 29 in the US do.
• Assuming the 2026 free renewal applies abroad: from the US you pay $35, or $55 online.
• Trying to get a first-time DUI, or change marital status or profession, through the online platform.
• Sending someone else to pick up your DUI: only the holder can collect it.
• Leaving the address change for the last minute if you want to vote online in 2027: the deadline is November 29, 2026.