Guides · El Salvador · Birth certificate
USCIS asks for a photocopy of your birth certificate, issued by the civil authority in your country and naming at least one of your parents, plus a complete English translation with the translator's certification. In El Salvador that document is the certified partida de nacimiento, issued by the town hall's Family Status Registry or by the RNPN.
Updated October 26, 2026 · Sources · General information, not legal advice
The State Department's country-by-country document list (the Reciprocity Schedule) says the partida is issued by the Registro del Estado Familiar (Family Status Registry) of the town hall where the birth took place, and that town halls may issue it handwritten.
The Form I-485 instructions point to that same list to find out how to get each country's birth certificate, and say USCIS only accepts a birth certificate that lists at least one parent.
Changes in parental authority, name changes and corrections are recorded in the margin of the partida. Those notes are part of the document and get translated.
If your parents' information changed, the original partida is cancelled and a new one issued. For immigrant visas, the State Department asks you to include the cancelled original as well, because the new one doesn't replace it.
From the United States: the RNPN issues the certified partida online at simple.sv. Ordered from abroad it costs US$35.00. It carries a digitized signature and QR code, and the RNPN says it is fully valid.
In El Salvador: at the Family Status Registry of the town hall where the birth was recorded, or online at simple.sv for US$5.00.
Literal or extractada: the literal certification reproduces the full entry in the book. The extractada is a summary that includes later changes; the RNPN issues it and says it has the same validity as the literal one. We found no USCIS rule on which it prefers.
We found no official printed sample of the Salvadoran partida, and older ones may be handwritten. This list covers the information described by the law and the State Department, with the usual translation. Copy names, numbers and dates exactly as they appear.
| On the document | In English | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Partida de Nacimiento | Birth Certificate (birth record) | What the birth registration is called. |
| Registro del Estado Familiar | Family Status Registry | The town hall office where the birth was recorded. |
| Jefe del Registro del Estado Familiar | Head of the Family Status Registry | Official who usually signs the certification. |
| Alcaldía Municipal | Municipal Government (City Hall) | |
| Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales (RNPN) | National Registry of Natural Persons (RNPN) | Issues certifications online. |
| Certificación literal | Verbatim certification | Full copy of the book entry. |
| Certificación extractada | Abstract certification | Summary that includes later changes. |
| Número, folio, libro y año | Entry no., folio (page), book and year | How older entries are located in the book. |
| NUI (Número Único de Identificación) | Unique Identification Number (NUI) | Required by the 2024 law for new registrations; older ones may not have it. |
| Conocido social | Also known as | Name the person is known by, if the partida includes it. |
| Datos de los padres | Parents' information | Name, address, nationality and ID document. |
| Marginación / anotación marginal | Marginal note | Changes in parental authority, name, marriage or corrections. |
| Sello de la alcaldía con el escudo de El Salvador | [Seal: City Hall, coat of arms of El Salvador] | Round seal. Described in brackets. |
| Firma digitalizada / código QR | Digitized signature / [QR code] | On RNPN certifications. |
Also translate everything that isn't on this list: seals, signatures, codes, handwritten notes and margin notes. Describe anything without words in brackets, for example [seal] or [signature].
Yes. The RNPN issues it online at simple.sv for US$35.00 when ordered from abroad. You need the name, date and place of birth. It carries a digitized signature and QR code, and the RNPN says it is fully valid.
It depends on the document. According to El Salvador's Foreign Ministry, consulates register births that happened outside El Salvador and issue certifications of those records. In the official sources we checked, we found nothing showing they issue partidas for births in El Salvador; for those, the official route is the RNPN.
The Form I-130 and I-485 instructions ask for a photocopy and a complete English translation certified by the translator, and don't mention an apostille. If you need it for another procedure abroad, El Salvador's 2024 Family Status Registry law says only the RNPN authenticates partidas.
The State Department recognizes that town halls may issue handwritten partidas. It gets translated in full, margin notes included. If it's hard to read, the RNPN offers an extractada certification that, according to the RNPN, has the same validity as the literal one.
Margin notes are translated along with the partida. If your parents' information changed, the original partida is cancelled and a new one issued; for immigrant visas, the State Department asks you to include the cancelled original as well.