Property
Unified registry and cadastre, with an agricultural ownership cap
Title is registered at the Centro Nacional de Registros, which merged the property registry and the cadastre into a single institution, making El Salvador's land records comparatively reliable. The Constitution caps rural landholding at 245 hectares.
Key rules
- Transfer requires an escritura pública before a notary and inscription at the Registro de la Propiedad Raíz e Hipotecas.
- Article 105 of the Constitution limits any single owner to 245 hectares of rural land.
- Foreigners may own urban property freely; rural acquisition is subject to reciprocity with the buyer's home state.
- The CNR issues a georeferenced cadastral certificate that should be matched against the registry folio.
- Adverse possession requires ten years with good title or thirty years without.
Governing law
- Código CivilOwnership, possession and prescription.
- Ley de Reestructuración del Registro de la Propiedad Raíz e HipotecasRegistry organisation.
- Constitución (Art 105)Rural landholding ceiling.
In practice
Order both the registry certification and the cadastral sheet, because legacy folios sometimes predate georeferencing. Transfer tax is 3% above a statutory threshold, and the notary withholds it on completion.