Promote:
Find public support
The organizations that help companies export from and invest in El Salvador, grouped by what you need. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
1. Where to start
INVEST, DGA and ONEC: the guide’s first stops, of the 13 organizations below.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
- Get advice
Investment and export promotion agency
INVEST
Agencia de Promoción de Inversiones y Exportaciones de El Salvador
Advises expanding companies on investing and exporting, and publishes an exporters directory, sector guides and an incentives guide.
Visit INVEST (opens in a new tab)Source: INVEST, about the agency page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
DGA
Dirección General de Aduanas
Runs customs clearance and the export declaration process, and issues rules for exports from free zones and service parks.
- Research markets
National statistics office
ONEC
Oficina Nacional de Estadística y Censos
Publishes the consumer and producer price indexes, household surveys and the business directory, and issues statistical registration certificates.
Visit ONEC (opens in a new tab)Source: ONEC, about the office page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
2. Export development and market information
4 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
Investment and export promotion agency
INVEST
Agencia de Promoción de Inversiones y Exportaciones de El Salvador
Advises expanding companies on investing and exporting, and publishes an exporters directory, sector guides and an incentives guide.
Visit INVEST (opens in a new tab)Source: INVEST, about the agency page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Research markets
National statistics office
ONEC
Oficina Nacional de Estadística y Censos
Publishes the consumer and producer price indexes, household surveys and the business directory, and issues statistical registration certificates.
Visit ONEC (opens in a new tab)Source: ONEC, about the office page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Central bank
BCR
Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador
Publishes macroeconomic and trade statistics and the price index, and houses the export procedures center CIEX and the statistics office ONEC.
Visit BCR (opens in a new tab)Source: BCR, services guide listing CIEX El Salvador (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Research markets
Multilateral trade body
WTO
World Trade Organization
Multilateral body
Publishes El Salvador's member page, trade policy reviews and the Trade4MSMEs guide for small companies.
Visit WTO (opens in a new tab)Source: WTO, El Salvador member information page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
3. Investment and business setup
2 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Ministry of economy
MINEC
Ministerio de Economía
Registers foreign capital, authorizes free zones and tax benefits, and keeps the trade agreements portal with origin rules.
Visit MINEC (opens in a new tab)Source: MINEC, investment facilitation page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Immigration authority
DGME
Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería
Handles temporary and permanent residence, visas and extensions for foreign investors and staff.
Visit DGME (opens in a new tab)Source: Immigration directorate, services guide (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
4. Customs and tax
3 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
DGA
Dirección General de Aduanas
Runs customs clearance and the export declaration process, and issues rules for exports from free zones and service parks.
Export and import procedures center
CIEX
Centro de Trámites de Importaciones y Exportaciones
Registers exporters, authorizes the DUCA export declarations and issues some certificates of origin, as a service of the central bank.
Visit CIEX (opens in a new tab)Source: MINEC, origin documents, Bolivia agreement (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Finance and tax ministry
Hacienda
Ministerio de Hacienda
Runs the internal revenue directorate, which refunds exporters' unused VAT credit, and is the parent ministry of the customs directorate.
Visit Hacienda (opens in a new tab)Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of El Salvador, February 2023 (opens in a new tab) · as of February 21, 2023
5. Standards and sector requirements
3 organizations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Meet requirements
Plant and animal health ministry
MAG
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería
Issues export phytosanitary certificates and export permits for wild flora and fauna.
Visit MAG (opens in a new tab)Source: MAG, export phytosanitary certificates service page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
National standards body
OSN
Organismo Salvadoreño de Normalización
Writes national standards, runs consultations on draft standards and certifies products and management systems.
Visit OSN (opens in a new tab)Source: OSN, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
- Meet requirements
Technical regulations body
OSARTEC
Organismo Salvadoreño de Reglamentación Técnica
Coordinates the adoption of technical regulations and runs national and international consultations on draft regulations.
Visit OSARTEC (opens in a new tab)Source: OSARTEC, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
6. Chambers and industry associations
1 organization. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
CAMARASAL
Cámara de Comercio e Industria de El Salvador
Represents member companies and reports on its trade and business activity in an annual report.
Visit CAMARASAL (opens in a new tab)Source: CAMARASAL, annual report for 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Compare El Salvador with other countriesSet El Salvador beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your El Salvador project.
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Promote:El Salvador is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.