Migration grants Salvadoran nationality by birth to three Nicaraguan residents

The General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners published in the Official Gazette of October 1, 2026, three nationality rulings granting the status of Salvadorans by birth to three Nicaraguan citizens with permanent residence in the country. The resolutions were signed by the Minister of Public Security and Justice, Héctor Gustavo Villatoro, and are detailed on pages 61 to 65 of Volume No. 453, under references F49641, F49683, and F49766.

The framework invoked in the three files is Article 90, third ordinal of the Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador, which declares as Salvadorans by birth “those originating from the other States that constituted the Federal Republic of Central America, who, having a domicile in El Salvador, express before the competent authorities their will to be Salvadorans, without requiring the renunciation of their nationality of origin.” The regulation is developed in Article 157, numeral 2 of the Special Law on Migration and Foreigners and refers to Article 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Central America, issued in Guatemala on November 22, 1824, which lists Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica alongside El Salvador.

The three published cases

• Samuel Antonio González Martínez, born on October 25, 1986, in Jinotega, Nicaragua; 39 years old, baker, married, domiciled in the district of Anamorós, municipality of La Unión Norte. Entry number two hundred fifty-three, folio 253 of the respective book (reference F49641).
• José Moisés Jiménez Ferrufino, born on September 25, 1964, in León, Nicaragua; 61 years old, degree in Legal Sciences, single. Entry number sixty-two, folio 62 (reference F49683).
• Brandon Josué Blandón Vargas, born on May 16, 1993, in Estelí, Nicaragua; 33 years old, systems engineer, married, domiciled in the district of San Salvador. Entry number three hundred four, folio 304 (reference F49766).

Family ties and permanent residence

In all three cases, the administrative file proves prior permanent residence and family ties in the country. González Martínez entered into a civil marriage with the Salvadoran Ana Yudelina Cruz de González on March 8, 2018, and submitted his application on May 25, 2026; the resolution was issued on June 16, 2026. Blandón Vargas has been married since August 28, 2019, to Sara Carolina Moreno de Blandón and applied for the status on June 24, 2026, with a ruling dated July 16, 2026.

The three provided a birth certificate apostilled by the Central Registry of the Civil Status of Persons of the Supreme Electoral Council of Nicaragua, a permanent resident card, a Nicaraguan passport, a marriage certificate, and the Unique Identity Document of their spouse. The Ministry concluded that the petitioners “possess family and residential ties in Salvadoran territory.”

The case of a recognized refugee

The resolution for Jiménez Ferrufino incorporates an additional element: the Commission for the Determination of the Status of Refugees (CODER) recognized this status on November 15, 2022, and on July 18, 2025, he obtained permanent residency while retaining said status. The ruling, dated December 4, 2025, is also based on Article 34 of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Article 47 of the Law for the Determination of the Status of Refugees, which grants refugees the option to apply for permanent residency and Salvadoran nationality.

Publication and effects

Each resolution orders the issuance of the corresponding certification, declares it final once notified and without further appeal, and ensures compliance with Article 275 of the Special Migration and Aliens Law, which requires the ruling to be recorded in the General Directorate’s book. The entries were certified by the Manager of Aliens, Eleonora Elizabeth de Marroquín, in July and August 2026, and the three individuals retain their original nationality.

The publication confirms that the constitutional route of Article 90, third ordinal, continues to operate as an ordinary mechanism for Central Americans residing in El Salvador to regularize their status as Salvadorans by birth, without a naturalization process or renunciation of their original nationality. For the Nicaraguan community residing in the country, the precedent is directly applicable: it is sufficient to prove origin in a State of the former Federation, domicile, and expressed will before the Ministry.

Source: Official Gazette, Volume No. 453, October 1, 2026, Paid Notices section, pp. 61-65 (official references: F49641, F49683, and F49766).