Ecuador Visa and Residency Questions

1. What is the documentation required for residency? 

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To answer this question you must first decide what type of residency visa, whether is temporary or permanent, you are most interested in and/or qualified for.  There are a number of different types available but these are the most common:

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•   Pensioner: If you receive over $1380 per month from a foreign source;

•   Real Estate Investor: If you invest a minimum of 100 Ecuadorian minimum wages in a real estate property;

•   Investor: If you invest a minimum of 70 Ecuadorian minimum wages in a bank or credit union. (The Ecuadorian Minimum Wage in Ecuador is $460,00 USD in 2024);

•   Professional: If you have a degree from an approved college or university, check the pre-approved list here.

 

Requirements vary somewhat based on the type of visa you apply for, but there are some that are standard for all residency visas:

 

• Request for the visa, written in Spanish and signed by you or your legal representative.

• Visa application form with a passport-sized photo attached.

• “Migratory Movement Certificate” showing all your comings and goings to and from Ecuador. (May be obtained at Immigration Office)

• Notarized color copy of passport front page and stamp page

• Notarized color copy of visa page (if you already have a visa)

• Apostilled, translated criminal background check (Federal and State level)

 

 GENERAL TIPS:

• Make sure your written request and application form are both dated according to the day on which your application is sent in. (If your application is rejected you will need to reprint any forms that are incorrectly dated.)  This is why it is a good idea not to date your application form until your entire application has been approved.

• If you fill in your application form by hand, make sure that nothing is crossed out or whited out.

• All documents coming from outside Ecuador (except passports) need to be apostilled by the foreign government’s secretary of state. (see below)

•  All documents written in a language other than Spanish (except passports) must be translated to Spanish and the translator’s signature must be certified by a notary in Ecuador or,  if the translation is done abroad, by an official in an Ecuadorian consulate.

 

2. What is an apostille and how do I get it?

 

An apostille is a type of certification that is issued by the Secretary of State of a country (or of a state in the U.S.) that makes a document legal on an international scale.  Just as a notary certifies that a copy is exact or a signature is true, an apostille certifies that a notary or public official is a real legal authority. This certification is necessary to make any document legally acceptable in Ecuador.  EXCEPT for in a handful of countries that were not a party to the apostille treaty signed in 1961 at the Hague Convention.  For those countries, documents need to be legalized by the nearest Ecuadorian consulate.

 

To find out the exact requirements and procedures for acquiring an apostille, you will need to contact the Secretary of State of the country or state where the documents in question were issued and/or notarized. For more Information about Apostille click here.

 

3. Do I need a bank account in Ecuador in order to get residency?

 

Not at all.  Only for the investor’s visa based on a Certificate of Deposit do you need to open a bank account.  For any other type of visa a bank account is not necessary but of course you may open one if you wish.

 

Different banks and credit unions have different policies in terms of allowing foreigners to open accounts.  JEP and Huancavilca are some of the easiest banks to get involved with as they have very few limitations and requirements for foreign account-holders.  Banco Pichincha requires foreigners to have been in the country for at least three months before opening an account, but they do not directly require a residency visa.  Banco del Pacifico is a bit tougher.  They will accept either a missionary, volunteer, work or residency visa but will not grant an account on a Tourist Visa.  These policies are of course subject to change at the discretion of each individual bank, and there are a number of other banks and credit unions that have different policies not mentioned here.

 

 

4. I have a new passport, but my visa is in the old passport.  Do I need a “renewed visa” in the new passport?

 

Yes.  You need to “transfer“ your visa from the old passport to the new at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores or Ministry of Foreign Relations (commonly known as just the Visa Office).  The required documentation is similar to that required for the original visa, as follows:

• Request for visa transfer, explaining the reason for a new passport (loss, robbery, expiration) written in Spanish and signed by you or your legal representative.

• Visa application form with a passport-sized photo attached

• “Migratory Movement Certificate” showing all your comings and goings to and from Ecuador. (May be obtained for free at the Immigration Police Station)

• Notarized color copy of old passport and visa page

• Notarized color copy of new passport

• Notarized copy of an official report of loss or robbery of the old passport (If Applicable)

• Notarized copy of cedula and either Censo Card or Certificate of “Empadronamiento.”  You should have received one or the other upon receipt of your original visa, depending on when you got it.

 

The final requirement(s) depends on which type of visa you have.  Here are some of the most common:

• Pensioner: Original proof of receipt of your most recent pension

• Real Estate Investor: Current certificate from the Property Registry verifying unimpeded ownership of the property (Certificado de Gravámenes or Solvencia)

• Investor with a CD: Current certificate of custody of the account

• Professional: Certified copy of diploma and official document acknowledging registration with SENESCYT, check if your University is on the list her

 

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