Hacienda Vieja, Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado, Guatemala to La Hachadura, El Salvador | Customs and Immigration

Arrived at 8am on a Monday morning. No lines. Seemed a new shift started at 8am. Paid $12 per person + $10 for our dog. Didn’t need to make any photos copies they did it all! Yay for easy border.
Ps - for the dog they did ask for health certificates - I had one that was 35 days old from Mexico and our USA rabies cert and it was fine. Not sure if I needed the Spanish one or not but it certainly was no trouble that it wasn’t within 10 days or anything.

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Be careful a when entering el salvador their TIP is only 60 day if you need more you must apply for a temporary permit or wait three months after the vehicle exit the country to get a new one see pictures form.

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Process for us going from El Salvador to Guatemala, with reinstating suspended Guatemala TIP

EXITING EL SALVADOR
1) Aduana guy right when we entered the border, gave him original TIP, that’s it (if you plan to return it seems it’s a different process)
2) went to migracion, they do the passport stuff, no stamp but they gave us a paper slip, save this for when entering on Guatemala side. No payment of anything
3) changed money from USD to GTQ on this side
4) upon leaving another Aduana guy asked for a copy of the TIP, I told him I gave it to the other guy and showed him a picture of it from my phone. He called the other guy then waved us through. Everything was super easy.

ENTERING GUATEMALA:
5) drove through the traffic, parked next to big blue and white building
6) we went to Migracion, showed them our passports and the paper slips we got from El Salvador side, they stamped our passport and kept the slip
7) Reinstating TIP: need copies of vehicle title (or in our case where the bank owns the car - registration & permission to operate foreign vehicle letter), passport - page with photo AND page with the Guatemala entrance stamp, and original TIP. Copy place on other side of building across the street. Copies of 3 pages were 10GTQ which is more than usual, I gave her $1US and she accepted
8) went to Aduana/SAT, gave them our copies and showed originals. They asked which border we plan to exit Guatemala from.
9) Aduana came out and checked our vehicle plate, VIN, and original sticker from when we first got our TIP, did not inspect the vehicle
10) went back inside to finish TIP process, she added another stamp and signature to the back
11) that’s it. No payment of anything, insurance not required
@MoraVentures

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One of the easiest crossings in all of Latin America. Leaving El Salvador took only 30 min., entering Guatemala much longer because the (friendly) lady at aduana was VERY slow. You have to pay 160 Q. circulation fee at the bank in the same building - cash only! - before getting your TIP. Change your dollars on the Salvadorian side - recommendation from locals. Everybody on both sides was friendly and helpful.

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There is a photocopy place on the guate side. 1qtz per page (you can pay USD as well)
You will need copies of:
- drivers’s passport page
- drivers license
- exit stamp from Guate (so get that first)
- tip (all pages and slips)

Border people were nice on both sides and the process was quick and easy.

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guatemala to el salvador.

so easy border we couldn't believe it ! it was longer exiting guatemala than entering el salvador.
in el salvador everybody is relaxed, the border was empty, everything was easy and free ! we were so happy hehe. and we arrived at lunch time but there was ni problem about that and we have a dog and a van. they didn't check neither of those.

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Guatemala - El Salvador

Samedi matin, 9h, 31 décembre. Nous croyons que ce serait long en ce jour de fête mais nous étions seuls aux deux frontières! 😁 1h pour faire toutes les étapes pour trois personnes et une voiture!

Quitter le Guatemala
1. Se stationner et aller à l'immigration pour faire étamper la sortie du Guatemala dans le passeport de tout le monde.
2. Aller au bureau de fotocopia juste en face (c'est là que nous nous étions stationnés). Faire une copie du passeport des deux conducteurs et une copie de l'étape de sortie du propriétaire de la voiture. Faire une copie du tip du Guatemala.
3. Aller à l'aduana. Même bâtiment que l'immigration, mais de l'autre côté. Donner les photocopies et le tip. Il mettra l'étape de suspension sur le tip, car nous reviendrons dans 2 mois. Vous assurer que votre date de retour fonctionne avec ce qu'il vous offre.
4. Retourner à la photocopie et faire une copie du tip suspendu.
Documents nécessaires : passeport de tous les passagers, permis de conduire des conducteurs, immatriculation du véhicule, Tip avec étampe de sortie du Guatemala, passeport du propriétaire de la voiture avec étampe de sortie.

Entrée au El Salvador
1. Sur le pont, un officier approuvera votre tip suspendu du Guatemala.
2. Stationnez vous juste après à droite.
3. Un officier dehors à validé nos passeports. Aucune étampe de ce côté.
4. Aller à l'aduana pour faire le tip du El Salvador. Formulaire à compléter par le propriétaire du véhicule. Ils viendront vérifier le VIN et la plaque.
Documents necessaire:
Passeport de tous les passagers, permis de conduire du propriétaire de la voiture, immatriculation du véhicule, TIP suspendu du Guatemala.
Photocopies: passeport et permis du propriétaire de la voiture, immatriculation et Tip.

Guatemala-El Salvador

Saturday morning, 9 a.m., December 31. We think it would be long on this holiday but we were alone at the two borders! 😁 1 hour to do all the steps for three people and a car!

Leaving Guatemala
1. Park and go to immigration to stamp the exit from Guatemala in everyone's passport.
2. Go to the fotocopia office just opposite (this is where we parked). Make a copy of both drivers' passports and a copy of the car owner's exit stage. Make a copy of the tip from Guatemala.
3. Go to the aduana. Same building as immigration, but on the other side. Give the photocopies and the tip. He will put the suspension step on the tip, because we will be back in 2 months. Make sure your return date works with what he's offering you.
4. Go back to the photocopy and make a copy of the suspended tip.
Necessary documents: passport of all passengers, driver's license, vehicle registration, Tip with exit stamp from Guatemala, car owner's passport with exit stamp.

Entry to El Salvador
1. On deck, an officer will approve your hanging tip from Guatemala.
2. Park just after on the right.
3. An officer outside validated our passports. No stamp on this side.
4. Go to the aduana to do the tip of El Salvador. Form to be completed by the owner of the vehicle. They will come to check the VIN and the plate.
Documents needed:
Passport of all passengers, car owner's driver's license, vehicle registration, suspended TIP from Guatemala.
Photocopies: passport and license of the car owner, registration and Tip.

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Smooth crossing, everyone was helpful and explained next steps patiently. Took us about 1.5 hours from Guatemala to El Salvador including time to make copies.

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Easy crossing coming into El Salvador from Guatemala, helpful agents at immigration, aduana, and the agricultural check for our dog. Took in total 30 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon.
1. Quick look at our exit papers from Guatemala at immigration.
2. Inside the aduana we filled our a form for the truck with make, year, size, ect. Official then came outside with us and did a quick visual of the exterior of yhe truck and double checked our paperwork, VIN, and a quick look inside without entering. No search or inspection beyond that.
3. He then directed us to the agricultural check window (last window on the southern end of the building). We showed him our health certificate and rabies cert. He only asked us how long we planned to stay in El Salvador, and didn't ask us to bring the dog out of the truck or anything more. He then stamped the forms and handed them back. Took 2 minutes. This seemed very unofficial and happened so fast we were a little shocked how easy it was.
4. Back into the aduana we showed him that the dog was stamped in and sat and waited for the TIP. Took less then 10 minutes and he had our papers ready. He even made copies for us of the El Salvador TIP so we had extra walking out.
5. All done. One last check of paperwork as you exit the border and Officially enter El Salvador!
Note: Long line up of truck in no man's land between Guatemala and El Salvador had us sitting in traffic for over 1.5 hours. There was no room in this area to go around until you reach a parking lot closer to the El Salvador side, where we followed some small cars through a web to get closer to the front. But overall very smooth border, just traffic!

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Guatemala -> El Salvador
A man on the bridge looked at our Guatemala TIP and guided us to the blue and white building. We parked and went to the immigration window. He picked up our white exit papers from Guatemala and took our passports. No buffer, it's done by computer. We then went to the Aduana. We had forgotten to signal our exit on the Guatemalan TIP at the Guatemalan border. We had to return to the Guatemalan border but a customs officer helped us there and did the necessary in another office opposite El Salvador immigration. We were then able to do the authorization for the vehicle in El Salvador at the Aduana office. The customs officer completed the document for us with the vehicle paper, license and passport. He went to see the vehicle but no search. Everyone was very kind and helpful. Free. No copy needed.

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FYI antigen test is not accepted! PCR or proof of vaccination only.

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Crossed the border from Guatemala to El Salvador here on March 24, 2021.

Have 2 copies of your PCR Covid results along with the original. They ask for a copy at the bridge and another at immigrations. No stamp in your passport. TIP done at aduana took about an hour. You have to ask for a form to fill out all your vehicles info... make, model, year, color, weight, what side your steering wheel is on, cylinders, VIN, license plate, engine, what type of fuel. The tip paperwork and info is much lengthier than Mexico or guatemala. The guy doing the tip paperwork was pretty rude to me at first. I speak Spanish so I asked him why he was talking to me so nastily and he apologized shortly after telling me he was stressed about work. So I guess be patient. He gave me 60 days for the tip. He also told me to make sure not to overstay the tip as you are charged $1000 USD/per day you overstay the TIP. he told me a lot of the cars you see in the lot there are because people couldn’t pay the fine and left their vehicles. He also needed a copy of the Guatemala tip to make me a tip for El Salvador so make a copy of that as the official at the bridge will also need to sign it. The entire process from Guatemala side into El Salvador probably took 2 hours. Once you are in El Salvador you will pay a $5 fee when driving in, but there is no fee for the TIP.

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Have a pcr covid test result ready when crossing the bridge. An immigration official was on the el salvador side of the bridge checking test results, closed TIP paperwork and passports. proved ahead about 200 yards to the immigration and aduana building.

the immigration official in the office has a list of test sites that in guessing are approved, so I'm glad i had gotten my test the day before on Antigua. PCR test cost was $210 to have a technician come to my hotel, and i had the results within 8 hours.

i sat around in the aduana office for about 30 minutes while they created my TIP for entry into el salvador. when i left and got to the final checkpoint outside the border area, they initially asked for an inventory of personal items and tried to turn me around to get an inventory taken. since hector from aduana had checked everything during the vehicle inspection they just radioed him on a walkie talkie and let me proceed about 2 minutes later.

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English : No need to wait behind all trucks, you just overtake them ! Tramitadors are useless ! You don't earn time with them. Do it yourself, it's really easy but so long ! We waited for 3 hours, it's worse if you arrive at the lunch time. Good luck!

Français : n'attendez pas derrière la longue queue de semi-remorques, vous avez le droit de les doubler. Ne payez pas un type pour vous faire les papiers, vous ne gagnerez pas de temps, vous perdrez juste de l'argent ! On a attendu 3h pour simplement faire le permis d'importation du véhicule. Pas de besoin de tampon ou visa sur le passeport. N'arrivez pas à l'heure du déjeuner ! L'administration au Salvador est lente, ça discute, rigole beaucoup et ça se ballade :) bon courage !

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Very friendly staff, no need for help.

They did not take our copy, they made news, for free.

Check, if they have undersigned. At ours they forgot it, problem when leaving El Salvador ..

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Warning: you don’t need tramidors/fixers.

Alexander and Lino will try to scam you by creating additional fees. These borders are very easy to cross on your own. The officials are very helpful.

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We arrived at peak hour. Tons of traffic and trucks. Didn’t want to hire a guide but sure glad we did. We had a few “issues” with our paperwork and our guide had to “grease” a few squeaky wheels. The vehicle permit guy on El Salvador side is a real hardass. Whole thing took a couple of hours due to lunch break. Without Alex I’m sure it would have been 4 hours. He’s not cheap but he’ll do his magic for you. I included his picture. Good luck!

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Be patient, in El Salvador people take their time to do everything. Check every detail from the paperwork in the Aduana. They made a lot of mistakes even though we wrote everything down with clear handwriting. Good luck!

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easy but a bit long 3:00 hours total. No stamp in el salvador (only the exit from guatemala), no visa required ... only véhicule importation permit needed. No cost! only 5usd at the last check point. nice people

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This border crossing was much more mellow than the others that we've been through so far. Fixers were available but not pushy. we ended up hiring a fixer (Alexander +503 6311 6370) because we were missing some paperwork. He speaks English and was extremely friendly and helpful through the process- his services were absolutely worth the money and we recommend contacting him if you think that you may need help. The whole process took about 3hrs to get our car, motorcycle, and dog through.

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We paid a fixer 100 quetzals to help exit Guatemala and enter El Salvador. It was more than worth it since they helped us drive around the extremely long truck line into El Salvador.

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This seems to be a Truck crossing border. Checking out Guatemala took us about 40 minutes. We asked for a ,salida temporal del vehículo’ because we are coming back to Guatemala. See photo for information! Entry to El Salvador was a test of patience! We waited in line for more than an hour because you can only pass the trucks on the Guatemalan side, if you checked out Guatemala there is no chance passing the trucks and there were only trucks, no other cars.
Furthermore you need all the docs like described in pre posts and it worked pretty much as described. Total time: 3 Hours. Next time we would probably go through Las Chinamas. But nobody asked for food, alcohol, cigarettes,...

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El Salvador crossing from Guatemala la hachadura

Guatemala border took 1 hour, everybody are very efficient and kind
At the immigration they give you a little piece of paper stamped that you have to keep and give to the officer at Salvador border
As we are coming back through the Salvador we asked for a temporary suspension of our Guatemala TIP (salida temporal vehiculo)and it was easy to get, you need the same documents as if you were cancelling your permit.

All other steps given by travelamateurs.com are perfect

El Salvador
The line of truck was very long and we couldn’t pass the because we couldn’t squeeze between the line of trucks entering and the one exiting. The ditch wasn’t large enough for us to pass the trucks on the right side. A truck driver told us to pass in the ditch of the opposite lane on the side of the trucks entering Guatemala. Police wasn’t happy but we said tourist sorry and they smiled and let us through.
Border crossing easy and efficient.
All steps given by travelamateurs.com are perfect
But they requested a 150% enlarged copy of your driving licence
And you need to have exact directions of where are you going to stay in El Salvador.
Important note if you want renter El Salvador,
When you exit El Salvador you cannot have a temporary suspension of TIP. You need to wait 6 months in order to re-enter but You can get a permit for 24hour transit or otherwise drive to Guatemala through Honduras.

If photocopy office is close on the side of custom building you have to go outside there are 2 shop one near dose not do enlargements...

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Pretty easy to get all TIP paperwork done. Some challenges with the form (Spanish only) but the officer helped get it done. FYI- we did not receive any paperwork/stamps or receipts at immigration. We had traffic jam once we passed through because the border town was paving the main road and it was down to one lane road. FYI- the road to El Tunco from here is pretty good and took us about 2 hours.

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Really easy boarder crossing today - less than one hour. We were riding an motorcycle with Guatemala plates and travel with Canadian and Czech passports. Road passed / through all the transports and other traffic -- some ditches and really, really tight squeezing between transports required. Got stamps and a ticket from the Guatemala side and then breezed through the El Salvador side without questions, fees or anything. Almost feel too easy. It would have even been faster if we stopped on the Guatemalan side first to get stamps instead we had to double back after hitting the El Salvador side. Everyone was nice and easy.

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El Salvador to Guatemala

We crossed just after lunchtime and it was easy. No helpers!

Exiting El Salvador: make sure you have a copy of your TIP. You'll pass a checkpoint where a guy will take your original TIP, cancel it and sign the copy saying it's cancelled. Easy. Get stamped out of El Salvador.

Entering Guatemala: Get stamped in at migration. Get a copy of the entry stamp, your passport photo page, registration and driver licence at the copy shop nearby. Change some money so you have 160 Q for the car permit. Go to aduana, hand over originals and copies. Pay fee at the bank next door. Come back with the receipt and they'll give you the TIP. Check it for mistakes (ours had three).

Stress free border crossing and it really wasn't a big deal at all.

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1) pass all the truck by using the wrong way of the road. That's the right thing to do.

2) go park next to the car lane, the Guatemala Aduana

3) to the rest as descripted in the previous comments.

DO NOT WAIT BEHIND THE TRUCKS! YOU WILL BE THERE FOR AGES.

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1h30min because we didn't stamp the SAT in Guatemala had to go back to stamp it. No payments made. Everybody very helpful. Have copies of passport , licenses, and he vehicle title. That was all. 1 step migración Guatemala 2 aduana Guatemala for the SAT THEN CROSS over to El Salvador.

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we spent 4 hours and were told it was always like that. truck mess! they blocked the way and we got stucked for ages. i wouldnt use this border cross again. we were told that valle nuevo works better... inform yourself or be prepared to experience a wild border crossing...

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No surprises with required paperwork (same experience as travelers below). BUT, the traffic in & out of the border is horrendous. No organized lanes so everyone tries to pass each other up which blocks oncoming traffic. Pedestrians try to help you around traffic which causes more road blocks. Definitely plan for several hours not because of immigration officials but lack of competent traffic control.

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As described by travelamateurs with two small differences for us:
- Immigration did not give us little pieces of paper (nor a stamp).They said they go by the Guatemala exit stamp.
- No one asked us for a $5 entry tax into El Salvador. A guy checked and stamped our vehicle permit, but did not ask for money.

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Guatemala to El Salvador: Easy crossing with some waiting. A few helpers but not too pushy. Money exchangers available near Guat Immigration building. Crossed on a Sunday @ 11am

Guatemala:
-Drive passed line of trucks
-You will approach a blue and white building with two sides. Left side is traffic from El Salvador. Right side leaving Guat.
-Park your rig in the left lane on the right side of the building.
-Go to immigration window on same side of building as you parked. Passports will be stamped out here (exit stamp).
-Go make copies of exit stamp page in passport and any other copies you need. Two copy places accross street..one was closed, other towards where you drive in was open. 1Q per copy.
-Copies Needed: Passport exit stamp page, Passport picture page, vehicle title/registration, drivers licence, & vehicle import permit.
-After getting copies walk around building to other side.
-Enter door labeled "Ingreso" to have vehicle import cancelled.
-Official will ask if you are sure that you are leaving, check VIN on car and remove sticker with you.
-Sticker placed on back of cancelled import permit and signed/stamped. Official kept original.
-Exchange remaining Q into US Dollars.
-Drive away from building to check point where they view cancelled permit.

El Salvador:
-After crossing bridge, approach check point where they view cancelled vehicle permit and stamps, and sign/date the page.
-Blue and whie building ahead with covered walkways on each side. Drive to right side of building and park next to it.
-Immigration window is near beginning of building. No El Salvador stamps given. Small paper squares given instead..don't lose these!
-Immigration also viewed our vehicle paperwork...not sure why.
-For vehicle import, walk half way down the building just passed tiny courtyard to Aduana door on left.
-At window inside you will receive form in Spanish to fill out with lots of info: # of cylinders, vehicle production date, weight, capacity, type of fuel, etc. (picture attached)
-Fill out and return to window with your cancelled import permit and the following copies: passport picture page, license & title/registration.
-We waited 30+ minutes and then went with official to vehicle for quick inspection of VIN and contents. Also asked where we were from and where we are going.
-Return to aduana office to sign paper stating fine for overstaying 60 day vehicle import, and sign new import permit.
-Not sure if needed but we asked for and received copies of both the cancelled TIP, and the new Import permit, but you may have to make your own.
-Driving away there is a check point. Guard takes small pieces of paper you saved from immigration and checks vehicle permit.
-Man near booth asks for $5US to drive into El Salvador.
-Second check point further down the road checks paperwork again.

Time for pupsas and Pilseners! Cheers!

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3h, first I had to wait because pc said my car was stolen, then they told me to wait 40 minutes because they have lunch break and then they wrote wrong my nationality into the documents as Swiss instead of Czech....

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Leaving Guatemala: once you are getting closer to the border you will most likely see a lot of huge trailers all parked on the road, please proceed and start to pass them until you arrive at the border, you do not need to wait in line or use a tramitador. Once you get to the border you will see orange security separators, stay to the very left lane and park your vehicle. Head to "Migracion" Salida de guatemala : present Your passports. We asked the guy where to cancel the Guatemalan Vehicle import permit and he took us around the corner to SAT. There we waited in line and they required a copy of your Guatemalan import permit, and a copy of the exit stamp in your passport, a copy of your drivers license and a copy of your vehicle title. After that we cancelled El Salvador: same thing pass all of the trailer trucks and head to Migracion. Park your vehicle and get your passport stamped, after that head to Aduana and give them your vehicle title, copy of passport, copy of drivers license, passport, and the TIp from Guatemala. You will then fill out a form in Spanish. After that the guy will go on a check the VIN and ask you if all you carry its personal. He also gives you a paper to sign , where you can only be in Guatemala for 60 days or pay a fine of $755USD --- cost for immigratión , customs + dog stamp FREE. Only charge copies.

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Guatemala to El Salvador: officers were all friendly, we did not get a sticker when entering Guatemala and when we left no one asked for it. We got an exit stamp from Guatemala and no entry stamp from El Salvador! Apparently it's in the computer and all good (we will find out when leaving the country). There are helpers but they appear to be there more for the locals that can't read and write. We did have a couple of them ask us only in spanish if we wanted help and we said no and had no issues navigating our own way through the entire process. After all the border controls a guy stopped us and asked us for a 5 dollar us fee for the roads of the municipality. We told him we will park and come back. After parking we asked for a receipt which he instantly gave us and then we told him we had no money. He asked about any left over Q and we said we had no money at all and needed a bank. He then appeared to give up and we proceeded to get back in our car and drive away and are now on a nice black sandy beach enjoying El Salvador

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Guatemala to El Salvador:
Has we were 3 rigs it tools is almost 2/hours to cross but it was easy. make sure you have all your copies ready ( passports, import permit, title/registration of you car ) but there is a copy place there in case.
we paid nothing but a copy of our import permit stamp in El salvador. you don't get a stamp in your passport from El Salvador, it is normal has you are in the CA4. we cancelled our import permit from Guatemala and it is what took so long...
DOG: the guy at the douana said the dog doesn't need to be declare but am advice : it costs nothing to show at the quarantina office ( next office after the douana) the papers for your dog
( rabie vaccine, health certificate in spanish_which doesn't need to be recent BTW) je looks at it quickly and stamped them...
a $5 tax was asked after the border but it looked normal as we got an official receive...

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Leaving GUA: since we are not returning, cancelling the temporary import papers for the motorcycles took more than an hour. No costs except the necessary copies. Personal emigration is 5 minutes. 
Entry in ES: immigration is fast and easy. Paperwork for motorcycles takes more than an hour but you can stay for 60 days then. All free. There is a 5$ tax per person at the exit of the borderarea if you are not from central america.

>>> www.wanderingsouls.be <<<

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Exit Guatemala

As you approach the border stay in the left lane. You will see a series of traffic cones next to a large blue and white brick building, this is where you will park after someone appears to move the cones for you.

Immigration: On the left-hand side of the street look for the Migracion sign. They will stamp your passport and Import Permit out of the country. No Charge.

Go across the street and make 2 copies of the driver’s Passport and Import Permit with the new stamps. 4Q for 4 copies

Customs: Walk around to the other side of the brick building where Immigration is (you’ll now be with the Guatemala-bound traffic) and into the door marked Ingreso to cancel your import permit. If you do not return to Guatemala within 90 days without canceling your permit they will charge you an import tax based on the value of your vehicle. If you want to come back within 24 hours of canceling your import permit, you can import the same vehicle with a different driver otherwise you need to wait 90 days. Fill out a ton of paperwork then the very serious customs man will quickly check the VIN on your vehicle. No Charge.

Exchange your GTQ for USD: There was only one guy hanging around so we figured he was as good an option as any. We got 1 USD for 8 GTQ.

Enter El Salvador

Drive over the bridge into “no-man’s land,” and then towards the next bridge into El Salvador. Show your canceled Import Permit to the SAT guy at the bridge, he will add another stamp to your growing collection. Show your passports to the Migracion guys, they will just look back and forth between your passports and your face a couple of times.

El Salvador Immigration: The road curves right and then take your first left to park next to big blue and white building. The wooden box near the beginning of the building is Migracion. Friendly officer will take your passports and explain how you only have 90 days in the CA-4. He will also tell you it’s easy and cheap to get another 90 days by going to San Salvador. No Stamp. No Charge.

Next to Immigration there is a copy shop. Make 1 copy of your canceled Guatemalan Import Permit with the new stamp from the SAT guy at the bridge. 0.10 USD for 1 copy.

El Salvador Customs: About halfway down the building is a courtyard area with restrooms and an air-conditioned Aduana office. The driver should go in here with his/her passport, vehicle title, canceled import permit with many stamps, drivers license, and one copy of each. You will sit for a while basking in the air-conditioning until it’s your turn to fill out paperwork. The customs agent will come out to look at your VIN and ask you questions about your vehicle. They asked us if we surfed, opened the back door of the camper to take a peak, and laughed at our Perro Peligroso sign. Everyone will now head back inside to the glorious air-conditioning to do more paperwork (yaaay!). You will be issued a new Import Permit for your vehicle which is good for 60 days. After the 60 days you must leave or pay a 700 USD fine. No Charge.

Dogs: At the end of the building there is a sign for Cuarentena. Here you hand over all the paperwork you have along with one copy of everything. They will look at the papers for a while and then stamp everything. They did not look at either dog. 0.40 USD for copies otherwise, No Charge.

Inspection Gate: Our helper stopped traffic for us to wind our way through the 18-wheelers. Show your passports and new Vehicle Import Permit to the guards, they will check your VIN and then hand everything back. We also paid a 5 USD toll here but it looked like everyone else was paying it as well. We also got a receipt so we think it was legit. 5 USD

Insurance: Insurance used to be mandatory in El Salvador but it is no longer. We were told that there is nowhere to buy insurance at the border anyway.

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