Six months of paperwork, in order

My file took five months and eleven days from filing to card. Two of those months were my own fault. Here is the part nobody writes down.

Apostille before you fly

Every foreign document needs an apostille from the country that issued it. Birth certificate, police record, proof of income. Getting that done from El Salvador, for a document held in another hemisphere, adds four to six weeks and a courier bill each time.

I did mine in the wrong order and it cost me most of March.

Translate here, not there

Two of my documents had been translated professionally before I arrived. Both were rejected. Certified translation means a translator registered here, and the lawyer will have one they use. Do not pre-empt this.

The police record clock

Most offices want it issued within the last six months. Mine was four months old when I gathered everything and seven by the time the file was complete. I paid for it twice.

What it cost

A little under $4,000 including legal fees, translation, apostilles and the card. Roughly in the middle of the published range, and I had a simple file with no dependants.

Would I do it again

Yes, and I would hire the lawyer first rather than last. I spent two months researching what one meeting answered. If you want that meeting, we can arrange it; the residency guide covers the routes before you do.