General Standards
El Salvador is considered to be among the countries with the most promising economy oriented on the international market. In order to protect the local manufacturers and their businesses, the government of the country has established a large variety of international trade standards which have to be respected by every importer or exporter.
There are three main bodies responsible for the trade standards organization in the country. They are the following:
1. The Salvadoran Standardization Organization (OSN) has the following responsibilities:
- Drafting, updating, adopting, and disseminating standards that seek the improvement of the quality of the products, processes, and services; and coordinating the drafting, adoption, and adjustment of standards through technical committees;
- Contributing to and participating in the development of national and international standards;
- Developing a national standards program that will be approved by the Quality National Council;
- Promoting the creation of standards technical committees and sub-committees for the development of standards;
- Representing El Salvador in regional or international standard organizations.
- Maintaining, updating, and making available for the public a database of standards implemented in the drafting process in El Salvador;
- Enforcing the application of technical standards in all sectors.
2. The Salvadoran Technical Regulation Organization (OSARTEC) has the following responsibilities:
- Observing and complying with international guidelines and commitments of El Salvador on technical regulations;
- Submitting comments from public or international consultations to the appropriate institution;
- Being aware of the annual plan on technical regulations of the different institutions;
- Verifying that all technical regulations go through a public or international consultation;
- Keeping an updated database of Salvadoran technical regulations approved or in process;
- Informing the WTO of any technical trade barrier and/or sanitary or phytosanitary technical regulation projects;
- Acting as the coordinator and point of contact in El Salvador at the CODEX Alimentarius Commission or any other international organization.
3. The Metrology Investigation Center (CIM) has the following responsibilities:
- Acting as the scientific, industrial and legal metrology in El Salvador.
- Performing international functions assigned to the National Metrology Institute
- Organizing a national metrology system according to the International System of Units.
- Calibrating scales, volumes and temperatures.
PRODUCT CERTIFICATION
The process of product certification requires the establishment of a Certification Technical Committee, which includes participation or representatives of:
- the manufacturing sector;
- government;
- consumers;
- academia.
Product certification programs are in accordance with international standards/ISO certification process.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
The following documentation is required for goods imported into El Salvador:
- a customs declaration;
- a shipping document (for example, an original bill of lading, or export certification);
- an original copy of the commercial invoice;
- an original copy of the packing list;
- a certificate of origin;
- sanitary/phytosanitary certificates, whenever applicable, and a fumigation certificate in the case of wood;
- any other certificate or document that may be required by El Salvador authorities.
All documents must be translated into Spanish. El Salvador Customs provides flexibility in certain instances, including by temporarily accepting pro-forma invoices. Importers may also submit customs declarations in advance of the arrival of the goods and make temporary or incomplete declarations when all the information necessary for clearance is not readily available.
LABELING STANDARDS
The rules regarding the labeling depends on the type of the imported/exported products.
1. For pharmaceutical products:
- Visibility: retailers must display the price of the product either on the packaging or in a visible place.
- Weight: all the products that are sold by weight or volume, or any other measure, must have the weight, volume, or an exact measure of the contents on the label.
- the trade name;
- Active ingredient;
- Concentration of active ingredient;
- Instructions for use, possible side effects;
- Warnings;
- Dose;
- Manufacturing and expiration dates;
- Formula;
- Manufacturing lot number,
- Health Registry Number, established by the National Directorate of Medicines;
- Expiration date.
2. For alcoholic beverages:
- Original product sigh: no false or misleading labeling;
- Full info: the data to be displayed in labels must be in Spanish, clear, visible and easy to read for the consumer;
- No extra info: no words, images or any other representation that can lead to the confusion for the consumer;
- Standard height: the height of labeling characters must be no less than 1 mm;
- Healing and preventive indicators are not allowed on labeling;
- Name and origin of the product;
- Alcoholic strength on each product and net content;
- List of ingredients and expiration date;
- Sanitary registration number and lot code;
- Include the caption: “el consumo excesivo de bebidas alcohólicas perjudica la salud”, if applicable.
- Country of origin.
3. For food products:
- Name and brand of product;
- Country of origin;
- Name and address of the manufacturer;
- List of ingredients (including salt) and additives;
- Nutrition and caloric value;
- Allergenic ingredients and allergenic processing aids (gluten, soybean, peanuts, etc);
- Net weight/volume (metric system);
- Expiration date/shelf life;
- Shelf life (if the product has a shelf life of less than three months, it must include the day/month/ year of expiration);
- Products containing GMO s must be labeled accordingly.
PROHIBITED ITEMS
- Drugs;
- Books, booklets, emblems, posters and other articles of a subversive character or doctrines contrary to the established political, economic and social order;
- Figures, statues, books, booklets, almanacs, magazines, engraved or lithographed articles, newspapers, lithographs, stamps, photographs, and cards of an obscene nature or any other obscene articles;
- Movies contrary to ethics and good behavior;
- Medications or equipment used to induce abortions;
- Gambling machines and tables, roulette wheels and any other items or articles used for gambling are not prohibited, but subject to authorization by the Ministry of Finance and local municipalities;
- Opium with less than 9% morphine, scraps and opium ash, and any material used for smoking these products;
- Non-stamped paper for cigarettes, white or colored in rolls, spools, booklets or small tubes;
- Machines and tools for making coins;
- Counterfeited coins and bills;
- Plain silver coins of less than 0.90 purity;
- Tokens of any metal or alloy that may be used as substitutes for legal coins;
- Coffee trees and coffee seeds for planting;
- Light passenger or cargo motor vehicles in use for more than 8 years, as well as heavy passengers and cargo motor vehicles in use for more than 15 years.
CONTACTS
Consejo Nacional de Calidad
Phone: (503) 2590-5300
1ra. Calle Poniente y Final 41 Av. Norte,
No. 18. Colonia Flor Blanca.
San Salvador,
El Salvador, C.A.
