How to get your El Salvador travel record (movimientos migratorios) from the US
The certificación de movimientos migratorios is El Salvador's official record of every entry into and exit from the country. You can request it at a Salvadoran consulate in the US or through someone in El Salvador.
El Salvador's immigration travel record (certificación de movimientos migratorios) lists your entries into and exits from the country, as recorded by the immigration agency, the DGME. From the US, request it at a Salvadoran consulate with the consulate's form and your original, valid passport. It costs $10 ($11 for non-Salvadorans). An agent with power of attorney can also get it at a DGME office.
- Cost
- $10 ($11 for non-Salvadorans) Same fee at the consulate and at the DGME in El Salvador.
- ID at the consulate
- Original, valid passport At DGME offices, Salvadorans show a valid DUI instead.
- Processing time
- 5 days at main DGME offices 10 business days in Santa Ana, San Miguel and Usulután. Consulates publish no timeframe.
- Validity
- No published expiration The receiving agency decides how recent it must be, so request a fresh one.
- Appointment
- Appointment Portal or phone No official information on whether it is mandatory.
Explainer video
Requirements
Tick what you already have. It is saved on this phone.
Step by step
-
Pick a route
At a consulate you need a valid passport. If you don't have one or can't go, an agent can request it at a DGME office in El Salvador.
-
Book your visit
Book on the Appointment Portal or through the Virtual Consulate (1-888-301-1130). Not sure which consulate serves you? Check which consulate covers your state.
-
Fill out the form
Mark the type of travel (air, land or sea), the period you need and the agency where you will file the certificate.
-
Show your passport and pay
Hand in the form, show your original, valid passport and pay $10 ($11 for non-Salvadorans). Ask about the timeframe and how you will receive it, since neither is published.
-
If you use an agent
Give them a power of attorney at the consulate that mentions the DGME. Your agent brings their DUI, the power and the agent form to a DGME office and pays $10.
-
Review and translate
Check that your trips appear. If you will file it with USCIS, attach a full English translation certified by the translator.
What the travel record shows and who asks for it
It is a certificate from El Salvador's immigration agency, the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), listing your entries into and exits from El Salvador as they appear in its computer system. It only shows what was recorded: if a trip never made it into the system, it will not appear.
Who can request it:
- You, whether you are Salvadoran or not.
- An agent appointed through a public instrument, such as a power of attorney.
- For a minor: a parent, the guardian or a delegate authorized for the DGME, or the teen from age 14.
- For someone who has died: relatives up to the fourth degree by blood or the second degree by marriage.
Who asks for it. Whichever agency needs to verify your travel history, and you name that agency on the form. People often mention it for US immigration cases such as TPS, asylum or naturalization, but no official Salvadoran or USCIS source lists it as a requirement for those. Request it when the agency or your accredited immigration attorney asks for it, and confirm the period it must cover.
Three ways to request it from the US
The most direct route is a Salvadoran consulate, as long as your passport is valid. Your options:
| Route | What you need | Cost | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvadoran consulate | Consulate form and original, valid passport | $10 ($11 for non-Salvadorans) | Timeframe and method not published |
| Agent at a DGME office | Power of attorney mentioning the DGME, agent's DUI and agent form | $10 + the cost of the power | 5 days at main offices; 10 business days at regional ones |
| Email request to the DGME | Form and attachments sent to solicitudes.movimientos@migracion.gob.sv | $10, through a payment link | In person, only at the Central Offices in San Salvador |
With the email route, if the DGME approves your request it sends a payment link, and you have 48 hours to pay. The catch is pickup: the DGME says delivery is in person, and it is not confirmed that an agent can pick it up for you.
For the agent route, the power must expressly cover DGME procedures or public institutions. A power signed before a foreign notary needs an apostille and a Spanish translation.
Cost and processing time
The certificate costs $10 for Salvadorans and $11 for everyone else, at a consulate or at the DGME. The fee is set by Art. 325 of El Salvador's Special Migration and Immigration Law.
| Where | Processing time |
|---|---|
| DGME: Centro de Gobierno, Masferrer, Cascadas, Pasatiempo and Plaza Mundo | 5 days, counted from the day after you apply |
| DGME: Santa Ana, San Miguel and Usulután | 10 business days |
| Consulate | Not published; ask when you apply |
The law's regulation (Art. 336) says the certificate is delivered “from the fourth business day,” except in cases that need extra checks.
If you use an agent, add the cost of the power of attorney: $40 at the consulate, plus the $5 Foreign Ministry authentication that consular documents need to take effect in El Salvador. Compare other consular fees in the fee table.
If a trip is missing or the record has an error
If the certificate leaves out a trip or carries a note (observación), you can request a free correction called a presunción de movimiento migratorio. You need:
- The certificate that contains the note.
- A sworn statement.
- Evidence of the trip, such as tickets or stamps.
- The DGME form.
The correction can take up to 9 months (Regulation, Arts. 338 and 343), so start early if you have a deadline.
Before you file, check whether the missing trip falls in a period with no records. According to the official DGME form:
| Record type | In the system since |
|---|---|
| Air, Comalapa airport | Gradually since 1993 |
| Air, Ilopango airport | 2008 |
| Land | 1998, with a gap from July 2006 to October 2009 (CA-4 free-movement agreements) |
If you crossed a land border between July 2006 and October 2009, those trips may not appear.
Using it in the US: translation and apostille
To file the certificate with USCIS, you need a complete English translation certified by the translator (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). That is not a Salvadoran government fee; the translator sets the price.
Apostille. If the receiving agency asks for an apostille, El Salvador's Foreign Ministry issues it in El Salvador. It has not been verified whether a DGME certificate can be apostilled directly or what it costs, so confirm before sending someone to the Foreign Ministry. See how the process works in the apostille guide.
Check it before you file. Compare the dates with your tickets, stamps and passports. If something is off, request the correction before you use the certificate. For an immigration case, ask an accredited immigration attorney which period it should cover and how to handle a trip that does not appear.
Common mistakes and scams
- Going to the consulate with an expired passport: the consular page asks for a valid one.
- Leaving the period or the type of travel (air, land or sea) blank on the form.
- Giving your agent a power of attorney that does not expressly mention the DGME, or a foreign notary's power without an apostille and translation.
- Requesting it by email from the DGME without realizing pickup is in person, only in San Salvador.
- Expecting a digital or QR-code version: there is no official evidence that one exists.
- Filing it with USCIS without a certified English translation.
Where to do this procedure
You can do this procedure at any of these consulates. Find yours by ZIP code on the home page.
- Aurora, CO
- Boston, MA
- Charlotte, NC
- Chicago, IL
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Doral, FL
- Duluth, GA
- El Paso, TX
- Elizabeth, NJ
- Fresno, CA
- Highland (San Bernardino), CA
- Houston, TX
- Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA
- McAllen, TX
- Nashville, TN
- New York, NY
- Omaha, NE
- Plainview, NY
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Silver Spring, MD
- Springdale, AR
- St. Paul, MN
- Tucson, AZ
- Woodbridge, VA
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my El Salvador travel record online?
Not entirely. The DGME accepts requests by email and sends a payment link, but the certificate must be picked up in person, only at its Central Offices in San Salvador. There is also no official evidence of a digital or QR-code version you could download.
Can I use my DUI instead of my passport at the consulate?
That is not confirmed. The Foreign Ministry's consular page mentions only an original, valid passport. At DGME offices in El Salvador, Salvadorans show a valid DUI instead. If your passport expired, you can renew it at the consulate or have an agent request the certificate for you.
Can I get my child's travel record?
Yes. A parent, the guardian or a delegate authorized for the DGME can request it. At the DGME you show the child's Salvadoran birth certificate, less than a year old if it is the child's first request there, and the requester's DUI. Teens 14 and older can request their own.
Can my agent pick up a certificate I requested by email?
That is not confirmed. The DGME says pickup for email requests is in person, only at its Central Offices. If you cannot travel, the clearest option is for your agent to handle the whole request at a DGME office, with a power of attorney that names the agency.
How can I prove which Salvadoran passports I have had?
With the DGME's passport certification, a certified copy of a valid or expired passport that costs $12, or the passport record letter (constancia de pasaporte), which costs $8. You request them by email at gerenciadepasaportes@migracion.gob.sv and pick them up in person at a DGME office or through an agent.
How long is the travel record valid?
The DGME does not publish an expiration date. The agency receiving it decides how recent it must be, so request it close to the date you will file it. Keep in mind it only shows what was in the system on the day it was issued.
Sources
- El Salvador Foreign Ministry: migratory movements (consular service)
- DGME: migratory movements certificate
- DGME: request and payment of the migratory movements certificate
- DGME: agent and legal representative form
- Regulation of the Special Migration and Immigration Law (Arts. 334-347)
Confirm this detail with the consulate before you go.