Family in El Salvador

The Código de Familia is El Salvador's central family-law framework. It covers marriage, parenthood, parental authority, personal care, education, financial support, parentage, separation, divorce and duties toward older family members. Family matters also involve health services, civil registration offices, courts, the Procuraduría General de la República, CONAPINA, ISDEMU and other institutions with specific responsibilities. Marriage, called matrimonio, can be formalized through an authorized official of the Procuraduría General de la República, a notary, mayor, governor, assistant prosecutor or consular official. The couple gives mutual consent, and the marriage is registered through the applicable municipal or consular system. The authorized official must transmit the record within 15 business days. A unión no matrimonial is a legally recognized non-marital union, but it does not arise automatically merely because two people live together. It requires a final judicial declaration, normally registered in the municipality where the couple lived together. The Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales, commonly called the RNPN, is the central authority connected with the Registro del Estado Familiar. Municipalities maintain local family-status registers. Births, marriages, divorces and deaths can be recorded there, and parentage or adoption annotations can be added to the relevant record. Certificates may be requested through online services or at a service counter. Fees depend on the document and provider; an RNPN certificate for a birth, marriage or death has been listed at approximately USD 5. A family record confirms a registered fact, but it does not by itself prove every separate right or benefit connected with that fact. Parenthood includes autoridad parental, personal care, education and financial support. The Procuraduría General de la República provides family services for voluntary parentage recognition, parentage proceedings and support-related matters. DNA testing is available through a PGR–Supreme Court arrangement established in 2024. Cuotas alimenticias are financial support payments assessed according to the child's or dependent person's needs, the responsible person's economic capacity and any special needs. No universal fixed table applies to every family. The PGR Unidad de Cuota Alimenticia receives and disburses payments, and the Registro de Pensión Alimenticia launched in 2025. A non-collection procedure is available when ordered support is not being received. Pregnancy, birth and the post-birth period are covered by mother-and-baby rights under El Salvador's health system. These rights include participation by the father or another accompanying person, information about breastfeeding and breastfeeding support. Institutions and providers may also provide lactation rooms. Early-childhood care through a CAPI, a regulated early-childhood care center, is available through authorized providers. Enrolment with a CAPI does not create automatic placement of a child outside the family. The Ley Crecer Juntos has been in force since 1 January 2023. It treats child protection as a shared duty of the family, society and the State. CONAPINA and its 16 Juntas de Protección can respond to risk or vulnerability and order protective measures, including support services and temporary foster care. Authorities should review whether a child can safely return to the family of origin. Línea 119 is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day. The PGR Unidad de Niñez y Adolescencia can provide free legal representation before protection boards and courts. Returned migrant children and Hague Convention child-abduction cases are also covered by the child-protection framework. Adoption follows the Ley Especial de Adopciones. The Oficina Para Adopciones within the PGR has technical autonomy and works with CONAPINA. The process includes an administrative application, an adoptability declaration and a judicial resolution. The child's best interests guide the decision, and national adoption receives priority. Applicants must meet a minimum age of 25 years. An adopted person has the right to know their biological origin, and post-adoption follow-up applies. Timing varies by case, and historical institutional backlogs mean that no guaranteed completion period should be assumed. Divorce may proceed by mutual consent, after at least one consecutive year of separation, or when living together has become intolerable. An agreement involving children should address personal care, visiting arrangements, child support, housing and property. A family judge reviews the agreement to protect the rights and welfare of children and spouses. The PGR can provide mediation or conciliation through local units. An agreement may become enforceable when the applicable legal requirements are met. Domestic violence protection is available under the Ley Contra la Violencia Intrafamiliar and the LEIV, the law addressing violence against women. Protective, preventive and precautionary measures can apply even when family members do not share a home. Family courts, peace courts, the PGR and ISDEMU can respond. ISDEMU's free and confidential 126 service operates 24 hours a day and provides legal guidance, crisis support, psychological and social assistance, and activation of protection measures. ISDEMU also operates 14 departmental centers and six Ciudad Mujer units. The Supreme Court's 198 service provides guidance concerning violence against women, children, older adults and family members. A persona adulta mayor is a person aged 60 or older. Family members have the primary duty of care, while the State provides support through health and social services and the Instituto Nacional de los Beneficios para los Veteranos y Excombatientes, known as INABVE, where its current responsibilities apply. CONAIPAM was dissolved by Legislative Decree 465/2025, and its functions were transferred to INABVE. Older-adult support therefore depends on the person's health, dependency, family situation and available public services rather than on the former institution's name. Unpaid household and care work has a substantial effect on family life. El Salvador's official 2017 time-use survey recorded participation in domestic and care work at 85.3% overall, 93.7% for women and 75.3% for men. Average weekly time was 35 hours 56 minutes for women and 16 hours 41 minutes for men. Rural women recorded an average of 39 hours 12 minutes per week. The survey distinguishes dependency groups aged 0–5, 6–14, 15–59 and 60 or older, as well as people with permanent dependency. These figures help explain why changes in childcare, illness, disability or older-adult needs can alter household responsibilities and income even when no formal care contract exists. After a death, the death must be recorded through the local Registro del Estado Familiar or the RNPN. A survivor pension is a separate social-security matter. Depending on the governing system, it may cover a spouse, conviviente, children or economically dependent parents. Eligibility, proof of the relationship and proof of economic dependency depend on the applicable pension system. Registration of the death or family relationship does not automatically establish entitlement to a survivor pension. Family matters often involve more than one institution. A municipal register may issue a civil-status certificate, while a court decides a parentage, separation or adoption matter. The PGR may provide legal assistance, mediation or payment services, and specialized bodies may handle child protection, violence or older-adult support. The relevant office depends on the concrete question, the person's location, the existence of a court order and whether the matter concerns registration, protection, support, care or a benefit.