Japan to El Salvador visa requirements

Japanese ordinary passport holders do NOT need a visa for tourism in El Salvador. Japan is on El Salvador's visa-exempt list, allowing visa-free entry. A USD 12 tourist card (purchased on arrival) is the only entry document required. El Salvador grants visa-free entry to holders of ordinary Japanese passports for tourism, business, family visits and transit. Japan is one of roughly 89 visa-exempt jurisdictions, so no visa application or eVisa is required before travel. On arrival at the airport or land/sea border, all visa-exempt visitors purchase a Tourist Card ("Tarjeta de Turismo") for USD 12 (El Salvador uses the US dollar as legal tender), payable in cash. The card authorizes a tourist stay of up to 90 days within the Central America-4 (CA-4) region, which El Salvador shares with Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua — time spent in any CA-4 member counts toward the same 90-day total. A one-time extension can be requested from local immigration authorities. El Salvador launched a new eVisa system in October 2025, but it applies ONLY to visa-required nationalities; Japan is not affected and Japanese travelers continue to use the on-arrival tourist card channel. Passports should be valid at time of entry (six months' validity beyond stay is a widely recommended buffer) with at least one blank page. Officials may ask for proof of onward/return travel and sufficient funds.