Paternity recognition in El Salvador can usually be started from the United States when the father voluntarily agrees to establish legal paternity. If the child already has a Salvadoran birth record without a father listed, the usual consular route is a public deed of voluntary recognition. If the U.S. birth has not yet been registered…
A child under 18 who leaves El Salvador with only one parent, alone, or with another person may need an authorization to leave the country. When the parent who must give permission lives in the United States, the authorization can be issued before a Salvadoran consular officer. The Salvadoran Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists a…
To correct a Salvadoran family record from the United States, first obtain a current certified copy of the record, identify where it was registered, and determine whether the problem is a material error or requires a more formal decision. Clear clerical errors may be corrected by the responsible Family Status Registry. If you cannot travel…
A divorce granted by a U.S. court can end the marriage under the law of the state that issued it while the Salvadoran family-status record still shows the marriage. When that U.S. divorce needs legal effect in El Salvador, the usual path is recognition of the foreign decision by the Corte Suprema de Justicia through…
When a Salvadoran citizen dies in the United States, the U.S. death certificate does not automatically create a death registration in El Salvador. The death may be registered through a Salvadoran consulate in the United States or, if it was not registered through a consulate, through the procedure available in El Salvador for vital events…
A civil marriage celebrated in the United States does not automatically appear in El Salvador’s Family Status Registry. If one or both spouses need the marriage to be reflected in Salvadoran records, the event that occurred abroad must be registered. The process may be handled from the United States through a Salvadoran diplomatic or consular…
A Salvadoran citizen by birth can become a U.S. citizen without automatically losing Salvadoran nationality. El Salvador’s Constitution gives Salvadorans by birth the right to hold dual or multiple nationality. The United States also permits dual nationality and does not require a citizen to choose only one.[1] In practical terms, each nationality keeps its own…
If your child was born in the United States and either the father or mother is Salvadoran, the Constitution of El Salvador recognizes the child as Salvadoran by birth. The child does not need to acquire Salvadoran nationality through naturalization. There is also an important terminology distinction: the Constitution defines “citizens” as Salvadorans who are…