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Available. The National Civilian Police's (PNC) Department of Solvencias provides visa applicants with police clearance certificates which have shortcomings. The clearance certificates, which include a photo of the subject and the signature of a police officer, are readily available to visa applicants, but certify only that a person does not have a pending case against him or her in the criminal justice system. It is not a criminal history record. Example: A person with a long serious criminal history could get a clean police certificate as long as he had served his sentence and/or compensated the victims. Also, anyone charged with a crime who fled the country or escaped custody and returned after the statute of limitations had expired would not have a record under the police clearance process. Only if a case was still pending in the courts or a sentence will being served would the person not be able to obtain a police clearance certificate.
Individuals cannot currently obtain records of their criminal histories.
To obtain a police clearance certificate, an applicant must apply in person at the PNC's Department of Solvencias. He must present an application, two facial photos - one frontal and one right side with the ear uncovered - and pay 6 colones (about 70 cents). Processing time is usually four work days.
Applicants outside of El Salvador must initiate the application through the nearest Salvadoran consulate or embassy. Processing time depends on how quickly the consulate forwards the information to the Department of Solvencias. |
Manual retrieval by court researchers