Approved California apostille certificate on a U.S. document bound for El Salvador
El SalvadorHague Apostille member
Documents for El Salvador · San Jose · Atendemos en español

Apostille for El Salvador in San Jose
poderes & family records

Sending a poder or birth record to El Salvador? We notarize, translate into Spanish in-house, and apostille it in one San Jose visit, with same-day service available.

Is El Salvador a Hague country? Yes

El Salvador has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1996, so a single California Secretary of State apostille makes your U.S. documents valid there — no Salvadoran consulate legalization needed. Our Spanish-speaking team notarizes, translates into Spanish in-house, and apostilles birth, marriage, single-status, FBI, and power-of-attorney documents in San Jose.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528
No consulate step In by 10 AM, ready by 6 PM Spanish-speaking staff
1 Step
Apostille, No Consulate
Same-Day
Apostille Available
In-House
Spanish Translation
CA Sec. of State
Official Authentication
What you’ll need apostilled

Every document El Salvador asks for
handled in one place

Whatever you’re doing in El Salvador, the document needs a California apostille first.

Single Status Affidavit

Proof you’re free to marry — for getting married or registering a marriage in El Salvador.

Single status apostille →

Birth Certificate

For Salvadoran dual nationality, family records, and registrations.

Birth certificate apostille →

Marriage Certificate

To register or recognize a U.S. marriage with the Salvadoran registry.

Marriage certificate apostille →

FBI Background Check

For U.S. visa, work, and residence files. We handle the federal apostille for you.

FBI apostille for your visa →

Power of Attorney

To sell or manage property, land, or banking on your behalf in El Salvador.

Power of attorney apostille →

Diploma & Degree

For employment, degree recognition, and study in El Salvador.

Diploma apostille →
Apostille vs. legalization

For El Salvador, you need an apostille
not consulate legalization

El Salvador has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1996 — which decides your whole process: U.S. documents need one authentication, a California apostille, to be accepted across El Salvador. There’s no second trip to a Salvadoran consulate for legalization.

Documents headed to a non-Hague country need a longer consular-legalization chain. Because El Salvador is a member, an apostille for El Salvador is faster, cheaper, and final. Most Salvadoran offices also want a Spanish translation — our staff speaks Spanish and prepares it in-house, then apostilles it with your document.

Not sure which path your country needs? See our guide to apostille vs. legalization.

Notarized power of attorney prepared for apostille to manage a pension or property in El Salvador
The short answer

El Salvador = apostille. One California Secretary of State apostille (or a federal apostille for your FBI report), with an in-house Spanish translation when needed, and your document is ready for any Salvadoran registry, notary, or court — no consulate step.

How it works

Four steps to a document
El Salvador will accept

1

Bring or prepare the document

We notarize affidavits and powers of attorney on site, or you bring certified vital records and your FBI report.

2

Spanish translation, in-house

Most Salvadoran offices require it. Our Spanish-speaking staff prepares the translation and keeps it paired with your original.

3

Apostille it

State documents go through the California Secretary of State; FBI reports get a federal apostille. You handle neither.

4

Pick up or ship

Collect in San Jose the same day on rush, or we ship it tracked to you or to El Salvador.

On a deadline for El Salvador?

Walk in today, leave with
an apostilled, translated document

Same-day California apostille and in-house Spanish translation under one roof. Call or book and we’ll tell you what to bring.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528
Why people need it

Common reasons you’ll need
a El Salvador apostille

Getting married in El Salvador

Single-status affidavit and birth certificate apostilled for the marriage registry.

Dual nationality & births

Apostilled U.S. birth certificate to claim Salvadoran nationality or register a child.

Power of attorney (poder)

POA apostilled so a relative can sell land or manage property back home.

Property & land in El Salvador

Deeds and POAs to buy, sell, or transfer family property.

Marriage & family records

Single-status, marriage, and birth records for the Salvadoran registry.

Working or studying there

Diploma and transcripts apostilled for employers, universities, and degree recognition.

Simple pricing

Standard apostille from $85
call or come in for the rest

Every order includes a document reviewed for the receiving office and the California Secretary of State authentication. For priority, rush, same-day, in-house Spanish translation, and notarization, call or visit for an exact price — no surprises.

$85Standard, starting
Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528

Prefer mail? Order an apostille online and ship your documents to us.

Why choose us

One office for
the whole document

Most services authenticate the paper and stop — you still hunt for a notary, then a translator. We do all three in San Jose — in Spanish — and partner with TruPoint Legal for deeper legal needs.

Spanish-speaking staff helping a Salvadoran-American family with apostille and power-of-attorney documents

Notarize, translate & apostille in one place

No running between a notary, a translator, and Sacramento — built right the first time.

Same-day when you can’t wait

Same-day California apostille keeps tight travel and consulate dates on track.

Real Spanish-speaking help

We explain every step in Spanish, prepare your Spanish translation in-house, and apostille it with your document — our staff speaks English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Spanish.

Bonded California notary in-house

Quinnie Do reviews each document for the receiving office, which means fewer rejections in El Salvador.

“I needed a power of attorney apostilled so my brother could sell our family land in El Salvador. They notarized, translated, and apostilled it in Spanish, in one visit — no consulate.”

— Mauricio A., San Jose
Quinnie Do, owner of Fingerscan Digital and bonded California notary in San Jose
Prepared by

Quinnie Do

Owner, Fingerscan Digital Inc.

Bonded & commissioned California Notary Public, IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent, and registered California Immigration Consultant. Quinnie and her multilingual team have handled Bay Area apostilles for powers of attorney, marriages, and dual nationality since 2020.

Related services

Single Status Affidavit Apostille → FBI Background Check Apostille → Order an Apostille by Mail → All Apostille Services →
Common questions

Apostille for El Salvador
questions, answered straight

Is El Salvador part of the Hague Apostille Convention?
Yes. El Salvador has been a member since 1996, so U.S. documents only need a single apostille from the California Secretary of State to be accepted there. You do not need a separate legalization from a Salvadoran consulate or embassy.
Do I need a Salvadoran consulate to legalize my documents?
No. Because El Salvador accepts apostilles, the California apostille is the final step — there’s no consulate legalization. That’s faster and cheaper than the chain non-Hague countries require.
Do my documents need to be translated into Spanish?
Usually yes. Most Salvadoran offices want a Spanish translation. Our staff speaks Spanish and prepares the translation in-house, attaches it to your original, and apostilles them together, so nothing is rejected at the counter.
What documents do I need apostilled to get married in El Salvador?
Typically a single status affidavit and your birth certificate, both apostilled and translated into Spanish. Requirements vary by notary, so confirm with the Salvadoran office handling your case, then bring the documents to us.
Can you apostille a power of attorney for El Salvador?
Yes. We notarize your power of attorney (poder), translate it into Spanish in-house, and apostille it so a relative in El Salvador can sell property, manage land, or sign on your behalf — all in one visit.
How fast can I get an El Salvador apostille?
Standard runs about 30 days, with priority, rush, and same-day options for tighter deadlines. On same-day service you can walk in and leave with the finished, translated document the same day.
How much does an apostille for El Salvador cost?
Standard is $85 (about 30 days), Priority $200 (about 2 weeks), Rush $350 (3 to 5 business days) and Same-Day $450 when you drop off by 10 AM. Extras, such as in-house Spanish translation and notarization, are quoted when you call or come in — so you get an exact price for your documents, with no surprises. The seal is identical at every speed, so if your date is months out, take the standard tier and keep the money.
Can you apostille my Salvadoran birth certificate or partida?
No. A California apostille only goes on a document issued by a California authority. A partida de nacimiento issued by a Salvadoran alcaldía is authenticated there under their own process. What we seal are your U.S. records — a California vital record, an FBI background check, a notarized poder.
What has to be in the poder for it to be accepted?
Whatever the office or notario in El Salvador requires, and it varies by what you are authorising. A generic form downloaded online apostilles perfectly well and then gets refused there for missing a specific facultad. Ask the receiving office to tell you in writing what it must say, bring that in, and we draft, notarize and seal it around their requirement.
I need someone to sell or manage property for me. Same document?
It is still a poder, but the authorities it must grant are different and more specific than a general one. Property transactions are where a missing facultad costs the most, because the sale simply stops. Get the wording from the notario handling the sale before anything is drafted.
Do I need a state apostille or a federal one?
It depends on the issuer. A California birth or marriage certificate, or a notarized poder, is a state record. An FBI Identity History Summary is federal and authenticated in Washington, D.C. instead. Sending one down the other route gets it returned unprocessed.
Does the Spanish translation have to be done in El Salvador?
Sometimes. Some Salvadoran offices accept a translation prepared here; others want a translator registered there. Ask the receiving office before you pay. Where one is prepared here, the order matters: apostille first, translate second, because a translation attached beforehand is not covered by the seal.
How recent do my documents need to be?
Some Salvadoran offices require recently issued records, and an apostille does not reset that. A new seal on an old certificate does not make the certificate new. Check the age requirement with the office receiving your file before ordering.
Can you help me in Spanish?
Yes, in person rather than through a phone interpreter. Our partner Rosa handles the case in Spanish from start to finish, prepares the translation in-house and keeps it paired with your original.
Can I mail my documents in?
Yes. Send the certified originals to our San Jose office and we return the sealed documents. A poder is the exception, since it has to be signed in front of the notary — that one needs a visit.
What usually gets a Salvadoran document refused?
A poder missing a specific facultad, a photocopy where a certified copy was required, a translation attached before the seal, or a federal record sent to the state office. The poder wording causes more returns than everything else put together.
Ready when you are

Get your documents ready
for El Salvador, in San Jose

Walk into our San Jose office to notarize, translate, and apostille in one visit, or order online and we’ll ship it back — same-day available.

Book Appointment Call (408) 766-3528

California Secretary of State apostille service by Fingerscan Digital Inc. · 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose, CA 95123 · (408) 766-3528 · Serving San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas and the Bay Area. For business and bulk document authentication, visit fingerscan-digital.com. Last updated June 2026.

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Document guides

Which document are you authenticating?

Requirements differ by document type. Each guide covers what counts as a certified copy, whether notarization is needed first, and how long the California route takes.