Latin America & Caribbean / El Salvador
Auto export to El Salvador.
El Salvador runs on imported used cars, and the rules got specific in 2025: the customs directorate publishes the eligible build years each January. For light vehicles the window is eight years from manufacture, ten for buses, fifteen for trucks. The historic engine of this lane was the rebuild trade, and here we owe you a straight flag: recent sources conflict on whether salvage imports are still permitted, so we confirm current DGA treatment per vehicle before you bid. Acajutla is the gateway, and CAFTA-DR can cut the duty on US-built cars.
For reference purposes only. Regulations, policies, and procedures change constantly. Ensure you verify and validate all requirements for your specific shipments before initiating any.
The El Salvador lane, in four numbers.
The Pacific gateway. Gulf and East Coast cargo transits the Panama Canal, West Coast sails direct down the coast.
Six container warehouses. Five RoRo terminals. Origin choice decides the canal-or-direct routing.
West Coast direct is the short leg. Gulf and East Coast via Panama run longer. Current numbers on the quote.
Light vehicles: eight years from manufacture, per the DGA annual circular. Buses 10, trucks 15. Enforced consistently.
A precise window, published every January.
El Salvador took the guesswork out of its age rule. Each year the DGA publishes the eligible manufacture years by vehicle type, and the schedule is enforced consistently. For 2025 that meant light vehicles built 2017 or later. The build year off the VIN, not the model year on the paper, is what customs reads.
The dependable core of the lane.
A US car inside the eight-year window with a clean title lands at Acajutla, clears DGA customs, and registers. Duty plus 13% VAT, with the CAFTA-DR preference for qualifying US-built cars. This is the dependable core of the lane.
- Inside the 8-year window off the manufacture date
- Duty on CIF plus 13% VAT
- CAFTA-DR preference for qualifying US-built cars
- Emissions and safety documentation at clearance
- LHD, cleared through your customs agent
Handled honestly.
El Salvador built its reputation as the rebuild capital of Central America, importing US salvage for skilled workshop repair. Recent sources report that salvaged and rebuilt vehicles are no longer allowed, which conflicts with that history. We do not guess on a conflict. Before any salvage bid, the desk confirms current DGA treatment through the clearing agent in writing.
- Historic rebuild trade absorbed US salvage in volume
- Recent sources report a salvage prohibition
- The conflict is real, so treatment is confirmed per vehicle
- Written confirmation before any salvage purchase
- Where the answer is no, we route you to a market where it is yes
Pacific gateway, two ways to reach it.
Acajutla sits on the Pacific, so the routing question is canal or coast. West Coast cars sail direct. Gulf and East Coast cars transit Panama. The desk prices both against your loading point.
Container origins
NY/NJ, Savannah, Miami, Houston, Long Beach, Seattle. Six warehouses, container loaded by our crew. Long Beach feeds the direct Pacific leg. Houston and Miami route via the canal.
A 40HC commonly holds four cars, five when they nest, three when they are full-size.
Container is the pick for higher-value cars and anything moving with declared parts.
RoRo origins
Baltimore, Brunswick, Galveston, Jacksonville, Port Hueneme. Five RoRo terminals. Port Hueneme serves the Pacific rotations, Galveston the canal routings.
Quarter-tank fuel maximum per SOLAS rules on every booking.
RoRo wins on running cars when the rotation fits. The desk runs both methods on the quote.
US origins for this lane
| Origin | Method | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| NY/NJ | Container, via Panama | Quoted per routing |
| Savannah | Container, via Panama | Quoted per routing |
| Miami | Container, via Panama | 8-14 days |
| Houston | Container, via Panama | 8-14 days |
| Long Beach | Container, direct Pacific | 8-14 days |
| Seattle | Container, Pacific routing | Quoted per routing |
| Baltimore | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Brunswick | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Galveston | RoRo, via Panama | Confirmed at quote |
| Jacksonville | RoRo, per rotation | Confirmed at quote |
| Port Hueneme | RoRo, Pacific rotations | 8-14 days |
Any origin can serve this lane. The desk quotes the routing that fits where your freight sits.
The window check happens before the bid, not at the dock.
El Salvador wants emissions and safety documentation alongside the standard file, and the build-year check is absolute. Everything gets verified US-side so Acajutla is a formality.
Required documents
Original title or bill of sale
Exception: vehicles 25+ years can ship under salvage certificate per US Customs rules. Otherwise, clean title required before booking.
Commercial invoice
Issued by Dapex on letterhead. Buyer or consignee, vehicle details, declared value, HBL number.
Packing list
Standard format. Critical when vehicles are co-loaded with personal effects in containers.
HBL
Consigned to the buyer or their clearing agent. Released after payment of the quoted amount.
At the port: clears DGA customs
Import declaration
Your clearing agent files the import declaration with the DGA.
Build year verified
Build year verified off the VIN against the annual circular.
Duty on CIF
Duty on CIF, CAFTA-DR preference where origin qualifies.
VAT
13% VAT on the duty-inclusive value.
Emissions certification
Emissions control certification presented at clearance.
After clearance: inspection, then plates
Safety and emissions verification
Safety and emissions verification at destination.
Registration
Registration with Salvadoran authorities.
US-spec equipment
US-spec lighting and equipment generally accepted.
Returning Salvadorans
The desk walks through any personal-import provisions.
Dapex scope
Dapex stops at port discharge and delivers the HBL on arrival.
What Dapex files, US side
AES filing with US Customs. ISF where required. HBL issuance under Dapex's NVOCC license. Commercial invoice and packing list on Dapex letterhead. Pre-alert pack to your clearing agent with all documents at vessel sailing.
The window decides. The title question is being confirmed.
Inside eight years and clean, a car moves without drama. The salvage side is the live question, and we treat it as such rather than bury it.
Clean stock, 2017 or later.
Light vehicles inside the eight-year window with clean titles. Sedans, SUVs, and the pickups this market loves. Buses to ten years, trucks to fifteen.
Anything with title damage.
Salvage, flood, and rebuilt titles are unconfirmed pending written DGA guidance, given the source conflict. No salvage bid moves until the answer is in hand. Where El Salvador says no, Guatemala and Haiti remain open rebuild markets, and the desk reroutes the strategy rather than the excuse.
Same as every lane.
Clean title or salvage cert (25-year exception), no unreleased liens, no personal effects loose in RoRo.
What moves the rate on this lane.
Locked components stay locked. Pass-through moves with carrier and port pricing. Four things drive variance on this lane.
Our work, our cost.
- Warehouse operations
- Booking fee
- Documentation handling
- Dispatch coordination
- HBL issuance
Carrier and port-driven.
- Ocean freight (carrier-set)
- Routing and transshipment surcharges
- Fuel and bunker surcharges
- Origin port charges (container and RoRo)
- THC at discharge port
- Inland trucking to loading point
Service standards.
- Compliance
- Documentation accuracy
- Submission urgency
- Dispatch priority
Lane-specific drivers
Canal or coast routing
Gulf and East Coast cars pay the Panama transit in time and cost. West Coast cars sail direct. Where your auction freight clusters decides which side of that math you sit on.
The January circular
The eligible build years roll forward each January. A car that qualifies in December can be out of the window in the new year. We time purchases and sailings against the circular so the window does not close mid-shipment.
CAFTA-DR origin work
The preference saves real duty on qualifying US-built cars. We check the build plant off the VIN and prepare the certificate of origin with the invoice pack.
Duty by engine and value
The duty stack scales with the vehicle, and the swing between a compact and a large SUV is significant. The desk runs the exact stack before you bid.
Who handles El Salvador accounts.
The Spanish-speaking desk runs every El Salvador account. Same person from the first quote through every BL.
Spanish-speaking Desk
Latin America and the Caribbean. Business hours across US Eastern and Latin American time zones, plus extended hours by request.
What the desk owns.
Quote signing, file management through BL, escalation on title or compliance issues, coordination with your destination agent or clearing agent. The desk lead's name and direct line are on every quote we send.
Things buyers ask about the El Salvador lane.
Acajutla, the Pacific gateway. West Coast origins sail direct down the coast. Gulf and East Coast origins transit the Panama Canal. The desk prices both routings.
Eight years from the manufacture date for light vehicles, ten for buses, fifteen for trucks. The DGA publishes the eligible build years each January and enforces them consistently. We read the build year off the VIN before you bid.
That is the open question on this lane, and we treat it honestly. Recent sources report a prohibition on salvaged and rebuilt vehicles, which conflicts with the country's long rebuild-trade history. The desk confirms current DGA treatment in writing before any salvage bid. Clean-title cars are unaffected.
Duty on the CIF value plus 13% VAT, with the exact rate scaling by vehicle. A US-built car qualifying under CAFTA-DR clears at a preferential tariff. The desk quotes the full landed number.
Each January, when the DGA publishes the new circular. A car near the edge of the window needs its purchase and sailing timed so it clears before the year turns.
If it qualifies as US-originating under the agreement and the origin is documented with a certificate. We check the build plant off the VIN and prepare the paperwork where it applies.
Left-hand drive. El Salvador drives on the right, and US auction cars are LHD.
Eight to fourteen days on the water depending on routing, then clearance, inspection, and registration. Door to plates commonly runs three to four weeks with clean paperwork.
Ready to ship to El Salvador?
Send VIN, lot number, vehicle year, and consignee details to the Spanish-speaking desk. We verify the build year against the current circular, confirm title treatment where it needs confirming, run the CAFTA-DR check, and quote door to Acajutla. Itemized quote signed by your account manager within 4 business hours.