Do France passport holders need a visa to visit SV?

No. French ordinary passport holders do not need a visa for tourism in El Salvador. You buy a USD 12 tourist card on arrival and may stay up to 90 days under the CA-4 agreement (extendable). France is on El Salvador's visa-exempt list (granted to all European Union member states), so French ordinary passport holders can travel for tourism without obtaining a visa in advance. On arrival at the airport or land/sea border you purchase a Tourist Card (Tarjeta de Turismo) for USD 12, normally paid in cash in US dollars (the US dollar is El Salvador's official currency). The standard tourist admission is up to 90 days, governed by the Central America-4 (CA-4) Border Control Agreement that El Salvador shares with Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua: the 90 days is a combined regional allowance, not 90 days per country. A one-time extension (up to a total of around 180 days) can be requested from Salvadoran immigration (Direccion General de Migracion y Extranjeria). You should carry a passport valid for your stay (six months' validity is widely recommended by carriers), proof of onward or return travel and evidence of sufficient funds. El Salvador is in Central America and is NOT part of the Schengen area, so the Schengen 90/180 rule and ETIAS do not apply to this travel direction (ETIAS is a future EU requirement that will instead affect Salvadorans visiting Europe). Always reconfirm fees and stay limits with the El Salvador embassy/consulate in France or IATA before departure, as tourist-card fees and CA-4 procedures can change.