A Honduran salvoconducto is a temporary travel document issued to a Honduran citizen in the United States who does not have a valid passport and needs to return directly to Honduras. It is not a replacement passport and does not authorize travel to another destination or reentry into the United States. Honduras currently lists a fee of US$10 and requires identification evidence, two passport-size photographs, an airline ticket, and proof of payment.[1]
Purpose: Direct return to Honduras when the traveler lacks a valid Honduran passport.
Official fee: US$10.
Application: In person through the Honduran consular office handling the request.
Last verified: June 27, 2026.
Important: This is an independent informational page, not a Honduran government or consular website. Requirements can change, so confirm time-sensitive details with the office or official agency handling your service.
When a Salvoconducto Can Be Used
The document is intended for a Honduran citizen abroad who has an expired, lost, or unavailable passport and must travel to Honduras. The Honduran Consulate in Los Angeles describes it as a document used exclusively for direct travel to Honduras by people who do not have a current passport or have lost it.[2]
| Situation | Document | What It Allows |
|---|---|---|
| One-way return to Honduras without a valid passport | Honduran salvoconducto | Travel to Honduras under the conditions printed on the document |
| Regular international travel | Valid Honduran passport | Travel subject to the entry rules of each destination |
| Return to the United States after temporary travel | Valid U.S. entry or travel document | Presentation for admission or parole under U.S. immigration rules |
A salvoconducto cannot be used as a general passport for a vacation, a visit to a third country, or a future trip after arriving in Honduras. It also does not replace a U.S. visa, Green Card, reentry permit, refugee travel document, or advance parole document.
Documents Required by Honduras
CONMIGHO publishes two document paths: one for a traveler with a current Honduran identity card and another for someone who does not have the current card but previously processed Honduran identification in Honduras. Its page states that the supporting documents must be originals.
| Applicant’s Situation | Documents to Present |
|---|---|
| Applicant has a valid Honduran identity card | Valid Honduran identity card, two passport-size photographs, airline ticket, and payment receipt |
| Applicant lacks the current identity card but processed it in Honduras | Original digitally issued Honduran birth certificate, at least one accepted photo document, two passport-size photographs, airline ticket, and payment receipt |
Photo Documents Listed for Applicants Without a Current DNI
The national requirements page lists the following examples of supporting photo identification:
- Honduran driver’s license
- Honduran Social Security Institute card
- Official identification issued by the country of residence
- U.S. permanent resident card
- TPS documentation issued in the United States
The birth certificate does not replace the photo-document requirement in this published alternative. The applicant must bring the original digitally issued birth certificate together with at least one listed document bearing a photograph.
Expired, Lost, or Stolen Passports
The Los Angeles consular office publishes additional local instructions: a traveler with an expired passport should present a copy of that passport, while someone whose passport was lost should present the corresponding police report. These items do not appear in the shorter national CONMIGHO checklist, so applicants should follow the requirements displayed by the consulate selected for the appointment.
Bring the damaged or expired passport when it remains in your possession. If the passport was stolen or lost, obtain the police report before the consular visit when the selected office requires it. A photograph or photocopy of the missing passport can also help the office locate its identifying details, but it does not replace any required report or proof of nationality.
When No Honduran Identification Was Previously Processed
The national U.S. requirements page does not publish a complete document path for someone who has never processed Honduran identification and has no Honduran photo document. Contact the selected consulate before purchasing a nonrefundable ticket. The office may need to establish the applicant’s identity and Honduran nationality before issuing a travel document.
Fee and Payment Instructions
The official consular tariff lists US$10 for issuance of a salvoconducto with a photograph. The national CONMIGHO page instructs applicants at Honduran consular offices in the United States to present a money order and states that cash is not accepted. The SRECI fee schedule also lists the US$10 service as active.[3]
Payment differences: The Los Angeles office currently refers applicants to an online payment method, while the national CONMIGHO page states that U.S. offices use money orders. Follow the payment instruction shown by the selected consulate and appointment system. Do not bring cash.
The national page does not publish the exact payee wording for the money order. Verify the payee with the consulate before purchasing it. An incorrectly addressed money order can prevent the office from accepting the payment.
Booking the Consular Appointment
Official Appointment System: Open the Honduran Consular Services appointment platform
The official platform asks for nationality, the applicant’s 13-digit Honduran identity number, location, consulate, service type, contact information, and residential address.[4]
- Select Hondureño as the applicant’s nationality.
- Enter the applicant’s 13-digit identity number without hyphens or spaces.
- Select Estados Unidos as the location.
- Choose the consular office where the application will be presented.
- Select salvoconducto or the corresponding travel-document service if it appears in the service menu.
- Enter the applicant’s city, ZIP code, email, telephone number, and address.
- Choose an available date and open the requirements displayed for that office.
- Schedule the appointment and retain a screenshot or printed copy of the confirmation.
Consular appointments made through the official system are free. The US$10 charge is for issuance of the salvoconducto, not for reserving the appointment.
If Salvoconducto Does Not Appear in the Menu
Do not select an unrelated passport or notarial service simply to obtain a date. Contact the consulate selected in the platform and explain the departure date, passport status, and documents currently available. For consular-service questions in the United States, SRECI publishes the telephone number (470) 751-9077, with service from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Honduras time.[5]
From Flight Reservation to Issuance
- Plan a route to Honduras. The consulate requires an airline ticket, so the itinerary must be available when the application is reviewed.
- Choose the consular office. Use the official appointment platform to identify an available office and service.
- Read that office’s requirements. Local instructions may add an expired-passport copy, police report, appointment confirmation, or a particular payment method.
- Prepare original documents. Carry the identity evidence, photographs, itinerary, and any documents related to the lost or expired passport.
- Complete the required payment. Use the method specified by the selected office and retain the receipt.
- Appear in person. The consular officer reviews the applicant’s identity, nationality, itinerary, and supporting evidence before deciding whether the document can be issued.
- Inspect the issued document. Verify the spelling of the name, birth information, photograph, document number, destination, and expiration date before leaving the office.
Honduras does not publish a nationwide processing time for salvoconductos issued in the United States. Do not assume that the document will be issued on the same day. Identity verification, missing records, local workload, and the applicant’s departure date can affect handling.
Direct Travel and International Connections
Official consular wording limits the salvoconducto to direct travel to Honduras. A domestic connection inside the United States is different from an international transit stop in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, or another country.
The published Honduran requirements do not promise that another country or airline will accept the document for international transit. Before purchasing a nonrefundable itinerary with a foreign connection, provide the route to both the Honduran consulate and the operating airline. A traveler should obtain confirmation for every operating carrier when the reservation contains codeshare flights.
The passenger should carry the salvoconducto, supporting identification, and itinerary in hand luggage. The name on the reservation should match the name printed on the travel document.
Why It Does Not Authorize Return to the United States
A Honduran salvoconducto establishes a route for return to Honduras; it does not preserve U.S. immigration status or provide permission to return. USCIS states that a person returning to the United States generally needs a valid entry document, such as a Green Card or visa, or an unexpired travel document such as advance parole, a reentry permit, or a refugee travel document.[6]
Leaving the United States can affect a pending immigration application, an existing removal order, unlawful-presence consequences, or eligibility to return. Anyone with pending asylum, adjustment of status, DACA, TPS, parole, removal proceedings, or another case that could be affected by departure should determine the immigration consequences before using the salvoconducto.
Form I-131 and the Honduran salvoconducto serve different governments and purposes. Approval or issuance of one does not create eligibility for the other.
Validity and Use After Issuance
Honduran consular guidance published for Montreal states that its salvoconducto expires 30 days after issuance and is valid only for entry into Honduras.[7] The national U.S. requirements page does not separately publish a validity period, so the dates and conditions printed on the document issued by the U.S. consular office control the trip.
Check the expiration date before finalizing the flight. A short-validity document should not be requested so early that it expires before departure, but waiting until the last days before travel creates a risk if identity verification or appointment availability causes a delay.
After arrival in Honduras, the traveler will need a standard Honduran passport for later international travel. The salvoconducto should not be treated as a renewable passport or retained as the travel document for a return flight to the United States.
Situations Requiring Office Confirmation
| Situation | Action Before the Appointment |
|---|---|
| No DNI and no Honduran photo document | Ask the consulate how it will verify Honduran nationality and identity before purchasing a nonrefundable ticket. |
| Lost or stolen passport | Obtain a police report and ask whether the office also requires a consular declaration. |
| Applicant is a child | Request the office’s child-specific list because the national salvoconducto page does not publish parental-consent requirements. |
| International layover outside the United States | Confirm document acceptance with the consulate and every operating airline before payment for the ticket. |
| Departure is within a few days | Contact the office directly; the official national page does not guarantee emergency or same-day issuance. |
| Money order or online-payment instructions conflict | Use the method displayed by the selected consulate and retain the payment receipt. |
| Name differs across the birth certificate, ticket, and photo ID | Tell the office about the discrepancy and bring the civil record supporting any legal name change. |
Official Sources
- [1] CONMIGHO Consular Tariff and Salvoconducto Requirements — Publishes the US$10 fee, national document checklist, U.S. money-order rule, and prohibition on cash payments.
- [2] Honduran Consulate in Los Angeles: Salvoconducto — Describes the document’s direct-return purpose and the Los Angeles requirements for expired or lost passports.
- [3] SRECI Consular Service Fees — Lists issuance of a salvoconducto with photograph as an active US$10 consular service.
- [4] Honduran Consular Services Appointment System — Provides the official appointment form for selecting the location, consulate, service, and appointment date.
- [5] SRECI Consular Assistance Contact — Publishes the United States consular-service telephone number and service hours.
- [6] USCIS Emergency Travel — Explains the U.S. entry and travel documents generally required for return after international travel.
- [7] Honduran Consulate in Montreal: Salvoconductos — States the 30-day validity period and restriction to entry into Honduras in that office’s published consular guidance.