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El Salvador officially reopened borders for international flights into the San Óscar Arnulfo Romero Airport on September 19, 2020 and made entry easier on November 15, 2021.
Since closing their borders back on March 18th, El Salvador has been closed to all international arrivals with the exception of humanitarian, medevac or repatriation flights. On September 10th the government of El Salvador announced the country will finally reopen air borders and will allow international flights to resume on September 19, 2020.
El Salvador gets around 1.7 million tourists every year, and with the borders being closed for the past 6 months, the nation is eager to restart their tourism industry as safely as possible.
Entry Requirements for El Salvador
Countries Allowed to Enter El Salvador
All nations that could visit El Salvador ‘pre-covid’ will be able to once again enter the country after September 19, 2020. Of course, all normal visa entry requirements will still be in effect.
86 nations can enter El Salvador visa-free
Testing Requirements
As of November 15, 2021, all testing and other entry requirements have been removed. Test-free entry is now in effect for all arriving tourists.
Prior to Nov 15, 2021, A 72-hour PCR, LAMP or NAAT test, or proof of vaccination was required for entry.
Quarantine Requirement
There are no quarantine requirements in place.
Vaccine Requirements
There are no vaccine requirements in place for entry, nor does the country have any active vaccine passports to access things like restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. The president, Nayib Bukele, has stated he never intends to enact a vaccine passport.
Vaccinations, including boosters, are available for visiting tourists should they want one.
As of Dec 2021, there are no mask mandates in El Salvador.
International Flights Resuming to El Salvador
On September 19 many direct international flights are restarting from the San Salvador (SAL) airport. Avianca, the largest airline that operates in the country, has already released some of their routes that will be immediately restarting:
Resuming between Sept 19 and Sept 22:
- Guatemala
- Pan Pedro Sula
- Managua
- Tegucigalpa
- Miami
- Los Angeles
- Washington
- New York
- San Francisco
#ElSalvador: A partir del 19 septiembre reanudaremos nuestra operación internacional desde El Salvador, siguiendo estrictos protocolos de bioseguridad. Conoce más aquí: https://t.co/RMXNrsFGUS. #AviancaSigueVolando pic.twitter.com/xya6TkqoQe
— Avianca Centroamérica (@AviancaCAM) September 10, 2020
Avianca has additional destinations scheduled for October like: Mexico City, Cancun, Dallas and more.
Avianca is reminding all passengers they must wear the mask throughout the entire flight.
United, Spirit, and American Airlines are all scheduled to resume to El Salvador in September as well, with Delta and COPA coming back in October. Air Canada is resuming their direct flight from Toronto, while Iberia will resume direct flights from Madrid.
San Óscar Arnulfo Romero Airport
The San Óscar Arnulfo Romero Airport has already implemented heightened biosecurity and health protocols, like temperature screening for all passengers, mandatory face masks, sanitizing stations and enforcing social distancing.
Read More: See which countries in Latin American have reopened for tourism, and what companies are offering travel insurance that covers covid
Sources: elsalvador.com / CEPA.gob.sv / CEPA twitter / elMundo.sv / Avianca /
Disclaimer: El Salvador’s reopening news is ever-changing and being updated constantly. We do our best to keep this article up to date with all the latest information, but the decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling.
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Originally published Sept 12, 2020 with updates