Vanlife Guatemala – El Salvador: 3 steps to cross the border in a van
Article updated on 04.16.24
Here’s how to cross the Las Chinamas border between Guatemala and El Salvador by van.
1. The administrative side in Guatemala
When you arrive at the Guatemalan border, park your vehicle in the parking lot (1).
Exit stamp from the country
Walk to the first building to receive the exit stamp in your passport. (2) Be sure to keep the small piece of white paper you’ll need to give to Salvadoran customs officials.
Cancellation of temporary import permit
Go to the second building and find the open SAT counter (2) (for us, the open counter was on the Guatemala entrance side).
You need to provide the current TIP and copies of the usual documents (circulation permit, driver’s license and passport).
The customs officer came to check our vehicle and the VIN number, and then collected the SAT sticker from the windscreen. Back at the counter, she stamped the TIP to validate our exit and gave us the cancelled TIP. Be sure to keep it, as you’ll need to give it to the Salvadoran customs officials.
Once these steps have been completed, return to your vehicle to take the road towards El Salvador. Cross the bridge (3) to reach Salvadoran customs.
2. Entrance to El Salvador
You need to give your passport to the customs officer, along with the small piece of white paper you received at Guatemalan customs.
Park in the parking lot (4) and return to the customs officer who has your passports.
He won’t stamp your passport, as the visa is the same as for Guatemala.
3. Temporary importation of the vehicle into El Salvador
At the same place, another person will take care of issuing your TIP. You’ll need to provide them with your old TIP from Guatemala, and if you have your usual copies (circulation permit, driver’s license and passport). If you no longer have them, no problem, they’ll take care of it.
This step has never been easier, they literally do everything for you while you sit waiting for your new TIP.
To sum up
These steps take about 1 hour. The El Salvador border is totally free, both for the visa and the TIP!
- Guatemala exit immigration (exit stamp in passport and cancellation of TIP)
- Visa in El Salvador
- Vehicle import into El Salvador
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