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SV-CIP
Citizenship by investment
A government program, Adopting El Salvador: a USD 1,000,000 donation in bitcoin or USDt, naturalisation under Decree 918, passport within three months. One amount covers the applicant, a spouse and children under 18.
01 / About the program
El Salvador opened naturalisation to participants of government investment programs through Decree 918 of 20 December 2023. The program itself is called Adopting El Salvador Freedom Visa and has been running since December 2023: a USD 1,000,000 donation in bitcoin or USDt, approval usually within six weeks, passport issued within three months. Participation is capped at 1,000 people.
Decree 918 added item 5 to article 156 of the Law on Migration and Foreigners: citizenship by naturalisation may be requested by foreigners who meet the requirements of government programs designed to attract investors and donors. The same decree instructs the Directorate General of Migration and Foreigners (DGME) to run a separate, secure and expedited procedure for them.
The USD 1,000,000 donation covers the main applicant, one spouse and all children under 18. The amount does not change with the number of people in the application — on the citizenship by investment market that is rare: normally every additional family member costs extra.
The program accepts the donation in BTC and USDt. This follows directly from the 2021 Bitcoin Law, which Decree 918 cites in its recitals. The application starts with a non-refundable USD 999 fee in BTC or USDt, which is then credited towards the donation.
Since 30 April 2025 article 152 of the law grants participants of government programs permanent residence (residencia definitiva) straight away, without temporary residence first. That is not a formality: the permanent residence card is a mandatory document in the naturalisation file under article 159.
02 / What you get
According to the official program portal, screening usually takes up to six weeks and the passport is issued within three months of filing. For a program where citizenship is granted outright rather than after years of residence, that is a short timeline.
El Salvador is listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 — no visa is required for short stays in the Schengen area. From the fourth quarter of 2026 an ETIAS travel authorisation is added: it is not a visa, but it has to be obtained before travelling.
A spouse and all children under 18 are included in the same USD 1,000,000 donation. The program provides for no per-person surcharge.
Article 5 of the Bitcoin Law remains in force after the January 2025 reform: exchanges in bitcoin are not subject to capital gains tax. This does not change your tax residence — that is determined separately, by where you actually live.
Under the 2019 law the oath is a declaration of adherence to the laws and authorities of the republic; you do not renounce your current passport. However, the file requires a certificate from your country’s embassy or consulate confirming that it permits dual citizenship.
The ordinary Salvadoran passport is issued for six years, the state issuance fee is USD 25. It is issued by the Directorate General of Migration and Foreigners (DGME).
Preliminary assessment
Tell us who is applying with you. The donation does not depend on the composition, but the document pack and the timelines do — in the review you get a plan for your family, an assessment of your chances and the sequence of steps.
Who is applying for citizenship?
about 1 minuteno calls, no commitmentsconfidential
03 / Why people apply
El Salvador is not taken for relocation — almost nobody plans to live there. It is taken by people whose capital already sits in digital assets: as of today it is the only government citizenship program where the contribution is made directly in bitcoin or USDt rather than by bank transfer after selling the asset.
A conventional citizenship program requires a bank transfer, which means selling the asset, finding an account that will receive it and proving source of funds to the bank. Here the donation is accepted in BTC and USDt directly into the government program.
Unlike the Pacific programs, the Salvadoran passport gives visa-free short stays in the Schengen area. For anyone who needs Europe and business travel, that is a decisive difference.
A spouse and all minor children are included in the same amount. The more children in the application, the wider the gap with Caribbean programs, where every person adds to the quote.
A second passport widens the list of banks and jurisdictions willing to consider you. It does not remove checks and does not hide your first citizenship — all citizenships are disclosed to the bank. But the choice becomes broader.
El Salvador is part of Central American integration, with movement rights inside the region and straightforward access to Latin American markets. For a business looking that way, it is a working instrument.
Insurance for the moment when a single document stops working. The decision is made once, but it requires attention to article 94 of the Constitution — we devote a separate set of questions below to the conditions for keeping the status.
04 / Applicants
The program includes the main applicant, one spouse and children under 18 in the application — all of them within the same donation. Children over 18 and parents are not covered: for them we look at a separate route. Open a row to see the eligibility conditions.
05 / Cost
The program has a single rate: a USD 1,000,000 donation per application. Change the family composition below — the donation stays the same, only the state passport fee of USD 25 per person moves. That is how the official formula works.
Freedom Visa · non-refundable
from$1,000,000
Contribution · 1 person in the application
All-in with fees from $1,000,025
The donation covers the main applicant, one spouse and all children under 18; the program provides for no per-person surcharge. The donation is non-refundable. The USD 999 screening fee is paid in BTC or USDt, is non-refundable and is credited towards the donation, so it is not added to the total as a separate line.
A preliminary calculation based on the conditions published on the official program portal and DGME fees. It is not a decision of a government authority: the outcome depends on your citizenship, source of funds and the result of document checks. Legalisation and translation of documents, as well as the BRIDGES fee, are quoted separately and agreed before the start.
06 / Comparison
El Salvador is more expensive than the Caribbean programs and Vanuatu, so it is chosen not on price but for two reasons: a contribution in digital assets and one amount for the whole family. The main parameters are side by side below. The full comparison of all programs sits on a separate page.
| El Salvador | St Kitts and Nevis | Grenada | Dominica | Vanuatu | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contribution from | $1,000,000 | $250,000 | $235,000 | $200,000 | $130,000 |
| Time to passport | up to 3 months | from 4 months | from 8 months | from 6 months | 30-60 days |
| Schengen visa-free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Amount grows with family size | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contribution in digital assets | Yes, BTC and USDt | No | No | No | No |
Amounts are the minimum thresholds for a single applicant, excluding fees. Timelines come from the programs’ practice as at the page update date.
Full program comparison →09 / How it works
We go through the situation: citizenship, family composition, source of funds and the history of the crypto assets. Separately we check whether your country of citizenship permits dual citizenship — without that certificate the naturalisation file is not accepted.
The application is filed online and the non-refundable USD 999 fee is paid in BTC or USDt. It starts the screening and is then credited towards the donation.
We prepare the pack required by article 159: birth certificate, police clearance certificates, copies of all used passport pages, marriage certificate, certificate that dual citizenship is permitted. Documents issued abroad are apostilled or consularly legalised and translated into Spanish — article 162 requires this.
After approval the USD 1,000,000 donation is made in BTC or USDt. Under the reform of article 152 participants of government programs receive permanent residence straight away, without temporary residence first — the residence card is needed for the next step.
The naturalisation file is considered under article 156 item 5. After the decision the oath is scheduled: by law it is a declaration of adherence to the laws and authorities of the republic, renunciation of the previous citizenship is not required. The decision is then published in Diario Oficial.
DGME changes the migration status to citizen by naturalisation and issues a biometric passport valid for six years. The state issuance fee is USD 25.
10 / Travel
Destinations fall into four entry regimes. We do not publish a total number of visa-free countries: the lists change, and a figure without a verification date is misleading. We prepare a current list on the date of your request.
The Schengen area and most of Europe — short stays without a visa. Also Central and South America and part of Asia. El Salvador is listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806.
For a number of countries entry opens after an online authorisation. From the fourth quarter of 2026 ETIAS is added for Schengen trips — it is not a visa, but it has to be obtained in advance.
The authorisation is issued at the airport or at the border. Requirements for passport validity and supporting documents are set by the receiving country.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and a number of other countries — the visa is obtained before travelling. We check the countries you travel to most often separately, before the application.
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II — El Salvador is on the list of countries whose nationals do not need a visa for short stays in the Schengen area (consolidated version of 03.02.2025). ETIAS launch — fourth quarter of 2026. Entry rules are set by the receiving states and may change at any time.
The program has been running since December 2023 and is capped at 1,000 participants.
Book a review11 / Our role
We have been working since 2004 and more than 8,000 families have come through us. El Salvador is a young program, and there are many promises around it that appear neither in the law nor on the government portal. Our work starts with separating one from the other.
Every figure and every timeline on this page is checked against Decree 918, the Law on Migration and Foreigners, the Constitution and the official program portal. When a condition changes we change the page rather than tailoring the answer to the client.
The USD 999 fee is non-refundable, so the preliminary check comes before it, not after. If we see a material risk of refusal we say so directly and propose an alternative.
This is the main risk of the program. The donation is made in BTC and USDt, and screening follows anti money laundering standards and FATF recommendations. We assemble the asset history in advance, in the form the reviewing authority will accept.
Article 94 of the Constitution sets out the grounds on which citizenship by naturalisation is lost, and the March 2026 reform widened them. We go through this with the client before filing and stay on afterwards rather than parting ways when the passport is issued.
12 / Team
Your El Salvador application is handled not by a sales manager but by a permanent team: the program lawyer, a compliance specialist and a family coordinator. You know all of them by name from day one.
Andres FerreiraHead of Investment AdvisoryProgram strategy and complex cases
Klara RihterHead of Compliance and Due DiligenceLegal handling of the application, documents and compliance
Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTax matters and residence after the passport
Elena TitovaClient Relationship ManagerFamily coordination and contact at every stage15 / Materials
During the engagement you receive a pack of materials prepared by our team. They help you understand the legal basis of the program, the cost, the documents, the stages and what happens after citizenship is granted.
Main materialPresentation
The deck covers the essentials: requirements, amounts, family members, documents and how the process runs.
Inside:
PDF · free · current as of August 2026
A short check: who passes screening, which nationalities are restricted and what due diligence looks at.
The list of documents for the applicant and every family member, with notes on translation, notarisation and apostille.
We calculate the full estimate for your family: contribution, government fees, due diligence and our work.
All materials are updated regularly by our team and used when supporting BRIDGES clients.
16 / News
The Legislative Assembly passed, with 57 votes, a reform of articles 49, 119, 164 and 279 of the Law on Migration and Foreigners: temporary residents must spend at least 90 days a year in the country, children of naturalised citizens born abroad acquire citizenship, and citizenship by naturalisation is lost permanently for serious intentional crimes.
Reform of article 152: foreigners who donate to or invest in government programs receive permanent residence directly, without temporary residence first. The fee for the service is USD 690 per year. The same decision abolished the USD 12 migration entry card (TMI).
Decree 199 amended the Bitcoin Law: acceptance of bitcoin became voluntary. The exemption of bitcoin exchanges from capital gains tax (article 5) was retained.
Decree 918 of 20 December 2023 was published in Diario Oficial No. 5, vol. 442. It added item 5 to article 156 of the Law on Migration and Foreigners — the basis for naturalising participants of government programs that attract investors and donors.
Worth having
The program is new, and the main question is almost always the same: will your source of funds pass. In the review we look exactly at that — before you pay the first fee.
Inside the document
We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.
17 / Questions
Yes. The basis is Decree 918 of 20 December 2023, published in Diario Oficial No. 5, vol. 442, on 9 January 2024. It added item 5 to article 156 of the Law on Migration and Foreigners and instructed the Directorate General of Migration and Foreigners to run a separate expedited procedure for participants of such programs. The Adopting El Salvador program itself sits on the government gob.sv domain.
Yes, the donation is made in bitcoin or USDt — this is what sets El Salvador apart from every other citizenship program. The application starts with a non-refundable USD 999 fee in BTC or USDt, which is then credited towards the donation.
The USD 1,000,000 donation covers the main applicant, one spouse and all children under 18. The program provides for no surcharge per family member. Paid separately: the state passport fee (USD 25 per person), legalisation and translation of documents, and the engagement fee.
The application is filed and screened remotely. By law the oath (juramentación) is taken before an authorised body; the procedure for program participants is set by the Directorate General of Migration and Foreigners and may differ from the general one. We verify the current format for your filing date before the start and do not promise in advance what is not in the documents.
No. Under the 2019 law the naturalisation oath is a declaration of adherence to the laws and authorities of the republic; it contains no requirement to renounce a previous citizenship. However, the file must include a certificate from your country’s embassy or consulate confirming that it permits dual citizenship. If your country does not permit dual citizenship the program is closed to you — that is the first thing we check.
Yes, and this matters before you file. Article 94 of the Constitution: citizenship by naturalisation is lost on residing more than two consecutive years in the country of origin, or on being absent from El Salvador for more than five consecutive years, save where permission has been obtained under the law, and by a final court judgment — in the latter case it cannot be recovered. The March 2026 reform additionally set out permanent loss of citizenship for serious intentional crimes. Permission for absence is processed through the Ministry of Justice and Public Security; we go through the procedure at the consultation.
Yes. El Salvador is listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 — no visa is required for short stays in the Schengen area. From the fourth quarter of 2026 an ETIAS authorisation is additionally required: it is not a visa, but without it entry will not be permitted.
The ordinary Salvadoran passport is issued for six years. The state issuance fee is USD 25; the passport is biometric and issued by the Directorate General of Migration and Foreigners.
The program is capped at 1,000 participants. The conditions and the size of the quota are set by the government and can be changed: the program is under three years old and has already been through several amendments of the law. That is exactly why we fix the conditions applicable on your filing date in writing.
The program does not provide for them: the application covers the applicant, one spouse and children under 18. For parents and adult children we look at a separate route — usually residence or another citizenship program. Children born after the parent’s naturalisation acquire citizenship through a separate procedure introduced by the March 2026 reform.
The USD 999 fee is non-refundable, so the preliminary check comes before filing, not after. We look at citizenship, criminal record, sanctions restrictions and the history of the source of funds. If we see a material risk at that stage we say so directly and propose an alternative program.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
