Country · Americas

AI regulation in El Salvador

Verified against the official source 26 Sep 2026 · reviewed by Bhaskar Bhatt

What this label means

Verified: — a named reviewer opened the official source and confirmed the record; the date and the reviewer are shown.
Pending review: — linked to the official source and in the queue for a reviewer to confirm.
Source-linked: — linked to the official source, not yet confirmed by a reviewer.

Download: JSON · Markdown1 instrument · 1 binding

On this page 9 sections

In brief

El Salvador has 1 recorded AI policy instrument, 1 of them binding and 1 in force. El Salvador enacted a Law for the Promotion of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in February 2025, one of the first AI-specific laws in Latin America, creating an Agency for AI (ANIA) and liability safe harbours for developers acting in good faith.

Type: Country
Region: Americas
Instruments recorded: 1
Binding instruments: 1
In force: 1
Regulators: Asamblea Legislativa
Updates and RSS: RSS feed for new changes
Verification: Verified against the official source 26 Sep 2026

Overview

El Salvador enacted a Law for the Promotion of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in February 2025, one of the first AI-specific laws in Latin America, creating an Agency for AI (ANIA) and liability safe harbours for developers acting in good faith. General law (data protection where enacted, consumer, telecommunications and sector rules) applies to AI systems. This record exists so that coverage is complete and honest: it will be expanded when an official AI instrument is published or a reviewer adds one with its source.

What is the current regulatory status?

Binding rules versus guidance

Binding: Law for the Promotion of AI and Emerging Technologies. Strategy or guidance: none recorded.

Key policy instruments

El Salvador Act / statute In force Binding

Law for the Promotion of AI and Emerging Technologies

Ley para el Fomento de la Inteligencia Artificial y Tecnologías Emergentes (Decreto Legislativo, febrero de 2025)

Approved by the Legislative Assembly in February 2025, the law promotes AI development and investment, creates the National Agency for Artificial Intelligence (ANIA) as regulator, defines rights and principles (human oversight, transparency, non-discrimination, data protection), sets registration and sandbox mechanisms and limits liability of developers who act in good faith under the law, alongside data-processing rules for AI training.

Adopted 25 Feb 2025 Verified 26 Sep 2026 Official source

Instruments at a glance

Native-language names are shown where the record carries one; a blank means the source is in English or the name is not yet recorded.

AI policy instruments recorded for El Salvador
Instrument	Type	Status	Binding	Key date	Source
Law for the Promotion of AI and Emerging Technologies	Act / statute	In force	Binding	25 Feb 2025	Official

Timeline

Every dated event on the recorded instruments: publication, adoption, entry into force, application and deadlines. Future dates are marked.

25 Feb 2025 · Law for the Promotion of AI and Emerging Technologies adopted

No future deadlines are recorded for El Salvador; past milestones are listed on each policy page. New dates reach the calendar feed: El Salvador feed · how it works

Latest changes

RSS

No change events recorded yet.

Applicable sectors, use cases and obligation areas

Use cases: AI in public services Generative AI and foundation models
Sectors: Cross-sector / all sectors
Obligation areas

How to use this information

Open the official source on each instrument before relying on any date or obligation.
Treat strategies and guidance as signals of coming regulation, not as binding requirements.
Check data-protection, consumer, employment and sector law that applies to AI systems regardless of AI-specific instruments.
Treat the absence of an AI-specific instrument as a gap in our records, not as legal certainty; check the government portal and regulator sites linked here.

Official government and regulator sources

Asamblea Legislativa
Government of El Salvador · Tier 1 source
Data Protection and Privacy Legislation Worldwide (country table)
UNCTAD · Tier 3 source

Cite this record

AIPolicyTracker (2026). “AI regulation in El Salvador”. https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/el-salvador (accessed 27 October 2026). Data licensed CC BY 4.0.

BibTeX

@misc{aipolicytracker2026_airegulationinelsalvador,
  author       = {{AIPolicyTracker}},
  title        = {{AI regulation in El Salvador}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/el-salvador}},
  url          = {https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/el-salvador},
  urldate      = {2026-10-27},
  note         = {Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Accessed 27 October 2026}
}

Frequently asked questions

Does El Salvador regulate AI?

El Salvador enacted a Law for the Promotion of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in February 2025, one of the first AI-specific laws in Latin America, creating an Agency for AI (ANIA) and liability safe harbours for developers acting in good faith. General law (data protection where enacted, consumer, telecommunications and sector rules) applies to AI systems. Report an official source through the correction form and a reviewer will add it.

Does El Salvador have an AI law?

Yes. 1 binding instrument is in force: Law for the Promotion of AI and Emerging Technologies.

Who regulates AI in El Salvador?

Asamblea Legislativa (Official government portal; AI policy lead not yet identified).

What is the status of AI regulation in El Salvador?

What is binding and what is only guidance in El Salvador?

Binding: Law for the Promotion of AI and Emerging Technologies. Strategy or guidance: none recorded.

Disclaimer: informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult a qualified lawyer before acting.