HOW TO OBTAIN ECUADORIAN CITIZENSHIP

Naturalization (Ecuadorian Citizenship)

According to the provisions of the Organic Law of Human Mobility and its regulations, you can obtain Ecuadorian citizenship through a naturalization process in the following cases:

1. – Application for a naturalization letter, universal procedure;

2. – Naturalization through adoption;

3. – Naturalization of children and adolescents born abroad to a naturalized Ecuadorian mother or father;

4. – Naturalization through marriage or common law union;

5. – Naturalization of foreigners for having rendered relevant services to the country;

The procedure of naturalization is carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, and each of the cases indicated above has a specific procedure to be followed:

NATURALIZATION LETTER

Foreign citizens eligible to request citizenship through a naturalization letter must have been permanent residents on a continuous basis for at least three years and must have not been outside Ecuadorian territory more than 180 days each year, during these three years as a permanent resident.

A foreigner who has stayed outside of the country for more than the time indicated in the previous paragraph, interrupts the notion of being a continuous resident.

Likewise, the foreigner will have three opportunities to pass an examination related to knowledge of national symbols of Ecuador and an interview inquiring about the reasons that the foreigner wishes to acquire Ecuadorian citizenship. All interviews will be done in Spanish.

It is also very important to demonstrate that their income is sufficient to live in Ecuador. The minimum amount is not established but we consider that the minimum must be to have an income above the national minimum wage.

NATURALIZATION BY MARRIAGE OR COMMON LAW MARRIAGE

This procedure applies to foreigners who have a marriage or common law marriage legally registered in the Civil Registry of Ecuador for more than two years.

NATURALIZATION BY ADOPTION

If an Ecuadorian person has adopted a foreign child or adolescent, the documents related to the adoption must be apostilled, and a report on the viability of naturalization by adoption will be required at the moment of initiating the process.

NATURALIZATION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS BORN OUTSIDE OF ECUADOR TO AN ECUADORIAN FATHER OR MOTHER BY NATURALIZATION

This is the case when a citizen obtained their Ecuadorian citizenship through a naturalization letter and their son or daughter was born outside of Ecuadorian territory, in which case their child can obtain Ecuadorian citizenship by naturalization, following the presentation of identification documents of the child and of the father or mother naturalized as Ecuadorian.

NATURALIZATION OF FOREIGNERS WHO HAVE RENDERED RELEVANT SERVICES TO ECUADOR

This naturalization is reserved only for foreigners who have given in the significant contribution of knowledge, virtues, and efforts to society and who therefore constitute an example to follow, and will be granted directly by the President of the Republic, in the case of being well justified.

For more specific information on how to obtain the ecuadorian citizenship, email us at info@ecuaassist.com