How to give a power of attorney at a Salvadoran consulate in the US

General, special or judicial: which power do you need?

All three types cost the same at the consulate, $40 per deed, whether you are an individual or a company. What changes is what your agent (apoderado) can do.

Three rules to keep in mind:

• If it is not written, your agent cannot do it. A general power does not include special powers unless they are spelled out. If your agent needs to sell, mortgage or cancel a mortgage, say so expressly. The FSV housing fund, for example, publishes a template for a general administrative power with special clauses.
• A judicial power must name a lawyer and be a public deed. Special powers such as accepting service of process, settling or withdrawing a case must be written word for word.
• Ask the receiving institution first whether it has its own template or required clauses.

Can you use a US notary instead of the consulate?

Sometimes, but it is the riskiest option. A power signed before a Salvadoran consul is a public deed with the same effect in El Salvador as one signed before a notary there (Notary Law, Art. 69). These are the three routes from the US:

No official source guarantees that banks, the property registry (CNR) or courts accept the US notary route. The FSV accepts only powers from a consulate or a Salvadoran notary, and lawsuits require a public deed. If the document is in English, it must also be translated in El Salvador through a proceeding before a notary. If you hire a Salvadoran notary in the US, check that the Supreme Court has authorized them.

How your agent uses the power in El Salvador

Your agent cannot use the power right away. First, El Salvador's Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) must authenticate the consul's signature. It costs $5, and the Supreme Court requires this “accreditation” for consular powers.

1. Send the original testimonio. That is the official certified copy the consul gives you. Use a tracked service.
2. Take it to the Foreign Ministry, at the Centro de Gobierno or a regional office. Your agent or anyone else can do it: no ID is required, but only originals are authenticated.
3. Present the authenticated power to the bank, FSV, CNR, pension fund or court.

What about an apostille? It does not apply here. The Hague Apostille Convention does not cover documents issued by consular officers, and the Foreign Ministry says so on its site. So a consular power gets authenticated, not apostilled. Apostilles are for other documents, such as US records headed to El Salvador; see the apostille guide.

No official timeframe is published for the authentication. If there is a deadline, such as a closing date on a sale, ship the power early.

Power of attorney to sell or manage property in El Salvador

To sell, mortgage or manage a property through an agent, the power must describe the property exactly. Bring to the appointment:

• The registered purchase deed in the owner's name, or an extract or certification from the CNR (El Salvador's property registry) with the full description and the registration or matrícula number.
• Each owner's percentage, if there are several owners.
• The receiving institution's template, if it has one.

If the name on the owner's DUI differs from the name on the deed, the power should use “conocido por” (also known as), according to an FSV note.

If the sale goes through the FSV (Fondo Social para la Vivienda, the state housing fund), the power must be granted at a Salvadoran consulate in your country of residence, or before a Salvadoran notary authorized by the Supreme Court, using the FSV template for a special power to sell. To review it, the FSV asks for the original and a copy, the DUI or passport and NIT (tax ID) of both parties, and the registered purchase deed.

Since 2024, an agreement between the Foreign Ministry and the CNR lets consulates check registry and cadastral records online when they draft deeds involving property. Still, bring complete details so the power is not flagged.

How much a power of attorney costs at the consulate

A power of attorney costs $40 at a Salvadoran consulate, whether it is general, special or judicial. Related fees:

The appointment is free. The fee to revoke a power at the consulate is not published, so ask when you book. For the US notary route, add the notary's fee, the state apostille and the translation in El Salvador, which has no official price. See every consular fee in the fee table.

Common mistakes and scams

• Showing up without an appointment, or with an expired DUI or passport.
• Trying to get an apostille for a consular power: it needs the Foreign Ministry authentication instead.
• Skipping the $5 authentication in El Salvador: without it, the power has no effect there.
• Leaving out the property's matrícula number, or using a name that does not match the deed, which gets the power flagged by the FSV or the CNR.
• Giving a judicial power to someone who is not a lawyer, or assuming a general power includes special powers that are not written in it.
• Signing before a US notary public without first confirming that the institution in El Salvador will accept it.