El Salvador birth certificate for USCIS: how to get it

To file an El Salvador birth certificate with USCIS, you need the certification issued by the Registro del Estado Familiar of the municipality (alcaldía) where the birth was registered, plus a complete English translation. From the United States, the most direct route is to request it online on simple.sv, where the Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales (RNPN) handles it.

El Salvador has one feature that sets it apart in the region: each alcaldía keeps its own registry books, while the RNPN consolidates and certifies that information nationwide. That is why the same birth can appear on documents that look very different.

What the State Department lists

The State Department’s Reciprocity Schedule for El Salvador names the document as the partida de nacimiento. It is issued by the Registro del Estado Familiar of the city where the birth took place and is usually signed by the Jefe del Registro del Estado Familiar or a delegate.

The same page describes the seal: round, belonging to the city hall the registry is part of, with the coat of arms of El Salvador. It also notes that some city halls still issue handwritten birth certificates. The State Department lists a fee of $3.00 to $5.00, depending on the city hall.

The three versions in circulation

The alcaldía certificate. This is the certification issued by the local Registro del Estado Familiar. Depending on the municipality and the age of the entry, it may be typed, printed or handwritten, with the city hall’s round seal.

The RNPN certification. The RNPN issues certifications from its vital and family records system. They carry a digitized signature and a QR code for verifying it. In its service guide, the RNPN states that this certification has no expiration of its own: that depends on the institution receiving it.

The short-form certification. Since June 2026, the RNPN has offered a short-form version (certificación extractada) of the birth record at its central office, for $3.00, and says it will be available online soon. The agency describes it as easier to read for old handwritten records, because it carries only the essential information, and says it has the same legal standing as the literal certification.

Where a Salvadoran file gets complicated

The canceled record. This is the trap most specific to El Salvador. The Reciprocity Schedule explains that if parental information changes (a parent is added, removed or modified), the original birth certificate is canceled and a new one is issued. For immigrant visas, the State Department says the original can still be requested from the Registro del Estado Familiar and must be included. The amended record does not replace it.

Marginal notes. Name changes, parental authority and corrections are added as marginal notes on the birth certificate, according to the same page. Because the translation has to be complete, those notes are translated in full. If your record has annotations, the literal certification is a safer choice than the short form.

The QR code and digitized signature. On an RNPN certification, both are part of the document. They are described in the translation for what they are, without turning them into a statement the record does not make.

Handwriting in municipal books. A handwritten entry may carry a surname or a date that admits two readings. The translation reflects what the document says and flags what is not legible. If the entry is already in the RNPN system, a printed certification removes the problem.

Two surnames. A Salvadoran record lists both the paternal and the maternal surname. If your passport or your forms use only one, review that difference before filing. The translation keeps the exact order shown on the record.

Requesting it from the United States

Online, on simple.sv. The RNPN’s “Certificación de partidas” listing asks for the registered person’s name, the date of the event and the place of registration, plus any other details from the record you have. The request is electronic, and the published average turnaround is 24 business hours. The listing itself notes that the response depends on how quickly the local Registro del Estado Familiar handles it.

With help from someone in El Salvador. The simple.sv listing states that a third party can file the request without an authorization document. You can also ask the Jefe del Registro del Estado Familiar at the alcaldía directly, verbally or in writing, as the State Department describes.

Fees published by the RNPN. A certification of a Salvadoran birth record costs $5.00. Among its online services for people living abroad, the RNPN lists record certification at $35.00.

If you are asked for an apostilled record

The USCIS regulation does not mention an apostille. If another agency asks for one, there are two official steps in El Salvador.

The RNPN issues an authentication of the local registrar’s signature (auténtica de firma de registrador local), confirming that the signature on the record belongs to the officer in charge of the Registro del Estado Familiar. It is intended for procedures before institutions abroad, costs $20.00 and requires an original certification issued less than one year earlier.

The apostille is issued only by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, free of charge. El Salvador is a party to the Hague Convention, so an apostilled record does not need to go through a consulate.

Before you send us the document

Check which version you have. If it carries a QR code, it is an RNPN certification and the translation will be straightforward. If it is a handwritten alcaldía record, send us the sharpest image of the original and flag any marginal note, even if you cannot read it.

If a parent was added or changed after the birth, tell us that too. You may want to translate both the current record and the original canceled one. For more on the service itself, see our page on birth certificate translation for USCIS.

Official source

Review the applicable federal requirement directly at 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3) on eCFR .

About this document: State Department Reciprocity Schedule.

Fidelis Certified Translations is an independent translation service and is not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by USCIS or any U.S. government agency. Final acceptance of any document rests solely with the receiving agency or institution.