Home > North America > EI Salvador > EI Salvador Pensionado/Rentista Visa | A Complete Guide
EI Salvador Pensionado/Rentista Visa | A Complete Guide
What is Passive Income Visa?
Passive Income Visa refers to a visa system where applicants can obtain long-term residency in a destination country based on a certain amount of income/savings without the need to invest or work.
Generally speaking, passive income visa programs in various countries have the following characteristics:
1. Strict limitations on the source of income: The applicant’s income needs to be completely passive, such as interest from savings, financial trusts, pensions, or at least non-wage income like investment returns, dividends, and distributions.
2. Visa holders cannot utilize local resources: In theory, you can only consume in the destination country and cannot seek employment locally. You also need to purchase your own health insurance and cannot use free welfare resources such as medical services.
3. Potential for eventual immigration: Almost all countries with passive income visa programs allow participants to apply for permanent residency or citizenship after legally residing there for a certain period.
If you are interested in a passive income visa, you can read another guide on the website: “Global Passive Income Visas | An Incomplete Guide”.
Two typs of EI Salvador Income Visas:
El Salvador offers two types of income-based visa application pathways for foreign nationals:
Pensionado Visa (F7): This visa is issued to retirees. There’s no age limit for applicants, but you must have a stable monthly pension income of over $1,095 USD.
Rentista Visa (F8)：This visa is for individuals who can live in El Salvador without needing to work there and have a stable monthly income exceeding $1,460 USD. This income can be passive income, or active income such as from freelancing or remote work, as long as you are not employed within El Salvador.
Application Process:
Applying for both the F7 and F8 Salvadoran visas requires an in-person process. Essentially, once you’ve gathered all the necessary documents, you’ll need to schedule an interview at an El Salvadoran embassy or consulate to submit your application.
Here’s a rundown of the documents you’ll typically need:
Personal Identification: This includes your passport and copies for all applicants, passport-sized photos, and documents proving relationships between the primary applicant and any dependents (like birth or marriage certificates).
Application Form: You’ll complete a specific application form.
El Salvador Tax ID: The main applicant will need to get an El Salvadoran NIT tax identification number.
Proof of Income: For the F8 Rentista visa, you’ll provide documentation of your active or passive income.
Medical Certificate: A health clearance.
Police Clearance Certificate: All adult applicants must provide a certificate of no criminal record issued within the last two years.
It’s important to remember that all documents must be notarized, and any documents not in Spanish must be translated into Spanish.
Visa processing generally takes no more than two months. The initial application fee is $2,825 USD, and subsequent renewals cost $450 USD per person.
Both types of El Salvadoran income visas are valid for a maximum of two years. After your visa expires, if you reside in El Salvador for no less than 9 months per year and do not leave the country for more than three months at a time, you can renew indefinitely under the same conditions.
Dependents:
With El Salvador’s income visas, the primary applicant’s spouse and children under 18 can also obtain visas as dependents.
Visa Validity:
Generally, both the Pensionado (F7) and Rentista (F8) visas for El Salvador are valid for one year. To be eligible for renewal under the original conditions, visa holders must reside in El Salvador for at least nine months within that year.
After legally residing in El Salvador for three full years, spending at least eight months in the country annually, and with no single absence exceeding three months, you can apply for El Salvadoran permanent residency. Once you have permanent residency, you’ll only need to enter El Salvador once every two years to maintain your status.
Foreign nationals become eligible to apply for naturalized citizenship in El Salvador after five years of legal residency.
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