North and Central America and Caribbean

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

General

Here's how we can help if things go wrong.

Registration

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can register with the British Embassy in Guatemala on arrival in El Salvador. You can do this in person, via e mail: consular.guatemala@fco.gov.uk or through the Embassy website at www.ukinguatemala.gov.uk.

Consular Representation

There is no British Embassy in El Salvador.  The British Embassy in Guatemala City has overall responsibility for El Salvador.  In the event of an Emergency you can contact the British Honorary Consul:
 
Mr George Chippendale, San Salvador, PO Box 424; Tel:  +503 2281 5555 extension 104 or 2271 1050; Fax:  +503 2271 1026; e-mail: claims@gibson.com.sv

Honorary Consul Office Hours: Local Time:  Mon-Fri:  08:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00; GMT:  Mon-Fri:  14:00 to 18:00 and 19:00 to 23:00.

Passports should be left in a hotel safe/deposit box.  You should carry a photocopy of your personal details page for identification purposes. You should ensure that your passport has sufficient validity and a plentiful supply of unused pages before you travel.

The British Honorary Consul in San Salvador and the British Embassy in Guatemala City do not issue standard passports. Applications for new passports should be sent to the UK Passport service for the Americas and Caribbean in Washington. Details of the process can be found at their website www.ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/passports. The process may take up to 10 working days. If a courier is used, the cost will be borne by the applicant.

However, in emergencies and some circumstances, we are able to process emergency passports in El Salvador and Guatemala, but it is dependant on your situation. This document is only available if you have held a full passport previously. Please note that this passports is restrictive and only allows for one nominated journey and is not valid via the United States.

Money

The American Dollar is the official currency in El Salvador.  Although some prices are still quoted in the Salvadoran Colon, payment is expected in Dollars.  The exchange rate is fixed at US$1.00 = 8.75 Salvadoran Colón.
 
Pounds sterling cannot be exchanged anywhere in El Salvador, so you should bring a mixture of cash and travellers’ cheques in US dollars.  You are advised to bring some low denomination US dollar notes as US$50 and US$100 notes may not be accepted in many smaller restaurants and shops, in bars and by taxi drivers.
 
ATMs allowing withdrawals using debit and credit cards are widely available in El Salvador. For advice on using ATMs, please refer to the Crime section above.