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2026 Edition · Citizenship by Investment
El Salvador Freedom Visa
The only citizenship by investment programme in the world funded entirely in Bitcoin or USDT. One donation, paid only after your approval is issued, and you and your family become Salvadoran citizens for life. No residency, no language test, no years of waiting.
$1M
Donation in BTC or USDT, paid after approval
2–4 months
Typical timeline from submission to passport
0 days
Required in El Salvador before or after citizenship
~131
Visa free destinations including all of Schengen
Section One
Why El Salvador stands alone
Every other citizenship programme asks you to convert your wealth into someone else’s preferred currency. El Salvador built one for people whose wealth already lives on-chain, and structured it so the principal only moves once your approval is in writing.
Citizenship, Not Residency
This is not a permit you renew or requalify for. Approved applicants become full Salvadoran citizens with the same rights as anyone born there, and the citizenship passes to your children. There is no minimum stay before, during, or after.
Built for Crypto Wealth
The qualifying donation is made in Bitcoin or USDT, the only programme of its kind anywhere. If your net worth was built on-chain, there is no forced conversion to fiat, and the government has also accommodated wire transfers for clients who prefer them.
You Pay After Approval
The $1,000,000 donation is only due once the government has issued your official approval following due diligence. Until that point, your exposure is a $999 registration deposit, which is credited toward the donation itself.
Section Two
What the Freedom Visa actually is
The Freedom Visa, formally the “Adopting El Salvador” programme, is El Salvador’s citizenship by investment initiative, created by legislative decree in late 2023. It grants full, direct citizenship in exchange for a non-refundable $1,000,000 contribution to the country’s development, paid in Bitcoin or USDT. It is not a residency scheme with a citizenship option years down the line; the passport itself is the outcome, typically within two to four months of submission.
The programme is deliberately small. Approvals are capped at 1,000 applicants per year, which keeps due diligence rigorous and separates it from the high-volume Caribbean programmes that have drawn international scrutiny. Applications run through an official government portal, and every applicant is screened by the country’s Citizenship Unit before any principal is paid.
The context matters too. El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender in 2021, and while the mandatory-acceptance rules were relaxed in early 2025 as part of an IMF agreement, the country remains one of the most crypto-aligned jurisdictions in the world: the state continues to hold Bitcoin on its balance sheet, crypto gains remain untaxed, and the Freedom Visa itself still runs on BTC and USDT. Alongside that, official figures now put El Salvador’s homicide rate among the very lowest in the Americas, a security turnaround that has been covered by media worldwide and transformed how investors see the country.
Contribution
$1,000,000
Paid in
BTC or USDT
Due diligence
30–45 days
Minimum stay
0 days
Visa free travel
~131 destinations
Family
Spouse + children
Passport renewal
Every 6 years
Inheritance
Passes to children
Section Three
What the Salvadoran passport gets you
The passport currently sits around 33rd in global rankings, with visa free or visa on arrival access to roughly 131 destinations. Raw numbers only tell half the story; the structural benefits are what make it interesting.
The full Schengen Area
90 days in any 180-day period across all 29 Schengen countries, visa free. From late 2026 the EU’s ETIAS pre-authorisation will apply, a standard online form for all visa-exempt travellers, not a visa.
Asia, the Gulf, and the Americas
Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, the UAE, Russia, and most of Latin America including Brazil are all accessible without a visa, alongside the whole of Central America.
CA4 regional rights
Salvadoran citizens can live, work, and do business freely across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua under the Central America-4 agreement, with no additional permits.
US Global Entry eligibility
El Salvador is one of a small group of Global Entry partner countries, so Salvadoran citizens can apply for expedited US border clearance, subject to CBP’s own vetting and a valid US visa.
Dual citizenship recognised
El Salvador does not ask you to renounce anything. Whether you may hold a second nationality depends only on your home country’s rules, which we review before you apply.
A note on the Spain fast track
Spain naturalises Ibero-American nationals after two years of residency instead of ten. In practice Spanish authorities have applied this to nationality by birth, so treat any claim that a Freedom Visa passport unlocks it as unconfirmed; I flag this because others sell it as a certainty.
Section Four
What it costs, when you pay, and where the money goes
This is where every serious conversation starts, so let me lay it out plainly. The donation is exactly that, a donation; you do not get it back, and anyone describing it as a recoverable investment is misleading you.
The sequencing is the part I want you to remember. Due diligence happens first. The $1,000,000 only becomes due after the government issues your official approval, a signed and stamped resolution confirming you have passed. Your only earlier outlay to the government is a $999 registration deposit, which is credited against the donation.
The donation itself is transferred directly to SETEFE, the Technical Secretariat for External Financing inside El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which channels international funds into infrastructure, healthcare, and social programmes and is subject to government audit. The money never passes through an agent or intermediary, mine or anyone else’s.
Walk Through the Numbers With MeThe Full Cost Structure
Single applicant · 2026
Registration deposit (credited to donation)$999
Government donation, due after approval$1,000,000
Each dependent added+$1,000
Accredited agent & professional feesFrom ~$25,000
Principal at risk before approval$999
Donation payable in BTC or USDT to the government-designated wallet, or by wire for clients who prefer it. Transfer details are issued directly by the government upon approval, and an official receipt follows payment. Professional fees depend on family size and case complexity; I quote them in full before you commit to anything.
Section Five
From first call to passport in hand
The process is fully digital until the final step. No trips to El Salvador before applying, no interview, no language test. Most clients go from submission to passport in two to four months.
1
Eligibility pre-check
Before anything is submitted, I review your profile, documents, and source of funds so your application is clean when it reaches the Citizenship Unit.
2
Registration and submission
Your file is submitted digitally through the official government portal along with the $999 deposit in BTC or USDT. You can track progress on your own dashboard.
3
Government due diligence
The Citizenship Unit runs KYC, criminal record, sanctions, and source-of-funds checks. This typically takes 30 to 45 days; complex cases can take longer.
4
Approval letter
If you pass, the government issues a signed, stamped approval resolution. This is the moment the programme is designed around: approval first, principal second.
5
Donation and certificate
You transfer the $1,000,000 (plus $1,000 per dependent) directly to SETEFE. The naturalisation certificate follows within about 7 to 10 business days.
6
Biometrics and passport
You attend one biometrics appointment in San Salvador, Los Angeles, or Seville. The passport is typically issued the same day or shortly after.
Section Six
The vetting is real, and that is good news
A citizenship programme is only as valuable as the people it refuses. El Salvador screens every applicant to international AML and KYC standards, and the government keeps full discretion over approvals. Here is what they look at, and what you will need.
Identity and criminal checks
KYC verification plus criminal database searches in every jurisdiction you have lived in. Applicants with convictions or sanctions exposure are declined.
Sanctions screening
Every applicant is run against OFAC, UN, and EU lists. Nationals of internationally sanctioned states such as North Korea and Iran cannot apply.
Source of funds, crypto-native
For crypto holders this is refreshingly practical: wallet evidence, the relevant transaction links, and a short account of how the assets were built, whether mining, trading, or business income.
Enhanced checks where warranted
Politically exposed persons and complex corporate structures face deeper review, which can add several weeks. I tell you before submission if your case falls here.
The document list is short
Valid passport, police clearance, medical certificate, birth certificate (plus marriage certificate for spouses), proof of crypto assets, and a brief source-of-funds statement. Everything is submitted digitally.
Family on one application
Your spouse and children under 18 can be included, students up to 25, and dependent parents over 65 may also qualify. Each dependent adds $1,000 to the donation and receives full citizenship.
Section Seven
Citizenship is not tax residency
0%
Salvadoran tax on foreign-source income for citizens who never become tax resident there
El Salvador runs a territorial tax system: residents are taxed on Salvadoran-source income only. If you obtain citizenship through the Freedom Visa and simply never move there, holding the passport creates no Salvadoran tax exposure on your foreign income at all.
For those who do relocate, the picture stays attractive. There is no capital gains tax on cryptocurrency, no wealth tax, and no inheritance tax. Foreign dividends and interest sit outside the net. El Salvador also does not currently participate in the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard, though that is a fact to plan around with proper advice, not a strategy in itself.
As always: a second passport changes your options, not your existing obligations. Your current country of tax residence keeps its claim on you until you properly restructure. I work through this with clients alongside qualified tax advisers, and nothing on this page is tax advice.
Section Eight
The Bitcoin country, honestly told
In 2021 El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, and the Freedom Visa grew directly out of that decision: a citizenship programme designed for the people who believed in the same idea. In January 2025 the law was adjusted as part of a $1.4 billion IMF agreement; businesses are no longer required to accept Bitcoin, and taxes are paid in dollars. I would rather tell you that plainly than pretend it did not happen.
What did not change is more relevant to you. The state still holds Bitcoin on its national balance sheet, crypto gains remain untaxed, the banking environment remains genuinely crypto-friendly, and the Freedom Visa still accepts its contribution exclusively in BTC and USDT. The commitment moved from mandate to posture, but the posture is intact.
The country around it has changed even more. A decade ago El Salvador was infamous for gang violence; today official figures report a homicide rate among the lowest in the Americas, and the government describes it as the safest country in the Western Hemisphere. Tourism, surf towns like El Tunco and El Zonte, and foreign investment have all surged on the back of it. However you weigh the politics behind that turnaround, the practical reality for visitors and residents is a very different country than its reputation suggests.
Book Now
Book a free strategy call
Bring your questions, your holdings, and your passport situation. I will tell you honestly whether the Freedom Visa is the right move, or whether a $90,000 Caribbean-style programme or a residency route serves you better at a tenth of the cost. Pick a time below.
Prefer to write first? Send me your situation and I will come back to you personally.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the El Salvador Freedom Visa legitimate?
Yes. The programme was created by Salvadoran legislative decree in late 2023 and operates through an official government portal, with applications processed by the country’s Citizenship Unit. Its key structural protection is sequencing: the $1,000,000 donation is only paid after the government has issued your written approval, and the funds go directly to SETEFE, a state institution, never through an intermediary. I also arrange direct introductions to official channels for clients who want to verify everything at source.
Do I have to pay in Bitcoin?
The programme was built around BTC and USDT, and that remains the standard payment route to the government-designated wallet. Wire transfer has also been accommodated for clients who prefer fiat; the transfer details always come directly from the government after approval. Either way, no conversion of your crypto to fiat is required at any stage.
Can I include my family?
Yes. Your spouse, children under 18, and children up to 25 in full-time education can be included in one application, and dependent parents over 65 may also qualify. Each dependent adds $1,000 to the donation, and every approved family member receives full Salvadoran citizenship.
Do I need to visit or live in El Salvador?
No. The entire application is remote and digital, with no residency requirement before or after citizenship, no language test, and no interview. The only in-person step is a biometrics appointment to collect the passport, at your choice of San Salvador, Los Angeles, or Seville.
How fast is it really?
Government due diligence typically takes 30 to 45 days from a complete submission. After approval and payment, the naturalisation certificate is issued within about 7 to 10 business days, and the passport follows the biometrics appointment, usually within 2 to 3 weeks. All in, most well-prepared applications run 2 to 4 months. Complex cases, such as politically exposed persons, take longer.
Which nationalities can apply?
The programme does not run a nationality exclusion list beyond internationally sanctioned states such as North Korea and Iran, so applicants that many other programmes turn away, including Russian nationals, can be considered on their individual merits. Every applicant faces the same due diligence and must document the legal origin of their funds. If your passport is restricted elsewhere, ask me about your specific case.
Is the citizenship permanent and hereditary?
Yes. Citizenship is for life, passes to future generations, and the passport renews every six years at any Salvadoran embassy. One provision of general Salvadoran nationality law worth knowing: citizens absent from the country for five consecutive years without permission can theoretically have naturalisation revoked. It is a standard clause rather than a Freedom Visa rule, but I make sure every client understands it before applying.
Is $1 million too much compared to other programmes?
It depends what you are buying. Caribbean citizenship starts around $100,000 to $200,000 and São Tomé & Príncipe from roughly $90,000, so if budget is the driver, the Freedom Visa is not the answer. What the $1 million buys is a crypto-native process, speed, a hard annual cap of 1,000 applicants, and a country whose direction of travel aligns with how you hold your wealth. On a call I will map it against the alternatives so you can see the trade-offs plainly.
A second passport at the speed of crypto
Tell me about your holdings, your family, and what you want the passport to do for you. I will give you an honest read on whether El Salvador is the right move, with no pressure and no obligation.
This page is general information, not legal, tax, or investment advice. The Freedom Visa donation is non-refundable, and programme rules are set by the Government of El Salvador and subject to change; figures shown were verified in July 2026. Approval is at the government’s sole discretion.