Trying to understand it

There is a ton of information on this at the FB Ecuador EXPAT page.  It is a closed group, but Gerard doesn't turn anyone away.  We got our visas in 2011 and I hesitate to tell you all the docs required as it may have changed.

But yes, upon arrival you you get a 90 day tourist visa stamped in your passport.  You can get it renewed for another 90 days.  While some have gotten residency visas without an attorney, it is not for the faint of heart.  There are, to my knowledge, three places that grant visas: Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca.  There are a bunch of docs you will need that have to be translated and apostillized like birth certificate, police record (basically what arrest you have or don't have) and if you are using a pension or SS that you get $800 a month minimum.  There may be more.  Unless you have someone who can do that for you in the States you really need to have all the papers with you when you come.

HTH,

Mike

BTW, Ecuador has a limit on the amount of time that you can stay per year on a tourist visa. I think 180 days per year.  The year starts from the day you come in-country.  So if you are thinking about making a "tryout visit" first, keep that in mind.

i hate to say it but i still dont get it.  Would you say i need to hire an attorney here after my scouting visit and before the move- or wait til the move to hire an attorney in Cuenca?
Can that attorney there get all those docs they need from there?

It is good news that i dont need to go to the Ecuador Embassy first in LA!!!!  Yeah

Thanks for you help

Sorry, let me try that again.

If you come on a scouting trip you will not need any papers.  You just need a passport that does not expire while you are here. 

I would see an attorney or go to the visa office while here on a scouting trip to find out the required docs. These docs you have to get in the US.  At the time we got our visas I had to get an apostillized birth and marriage certificate from the State of Virginia plus a SS statement as proof of income.  All have to be translated into Spanish and were notarized here by an Ecuadorian attorney.  An Ecuadorian immigration attorney can tell you the docs that are needed.   They seem to change.  Also your passport has to have at least six months left on it.  If your passport is going to expire in a year or less I would renew the passport.  The visa is placed in the passport and remains valid while the passport is valid.  When the passport is renewed the visa has to be placed into the new passport.  Avoiding trips to a govt office, no matter where you live, is a win-win situation, imho.

No matter what, you want to come here with all the docs needed if/when you decide to apply for a residence visa.  There are several types of residency visas.  Mine is a pensionado (retired) visa. 

HTH,

Mike

FB page for expats https://www.facebook.com/groups/EcuadorExpats/

Bingo Mike! - Thank You
The light finally went off!!!
Its not so hard to understand now, you didnt give up and i thank you for your effort!!!
its logical!!!
thank you thank you thank you

No sweat.  Glad to have been of help.

Mike

So generous of you Mike to clarify.  We've been exploring several countries for retirement and are interested in Ecuador next.  We came closest to moving to Belize, but after several trips, decided against it for now.  I just wanted to say that our experience has pointed out that contracting an attorney is really the only way to finally expatriate to another country.  There are so many issues -- financial, political, legal -- that are and will remain in flux right now that it's best to contact somebody who can intercede for you...unless you enjoy learning from your mistakes!  My husband's a retired attorney and judge and he's not taking on the pithy immigration steps on his own!  A thought for all:  I am in the process of my becoming a Jamaican citizen, through descendancy (my grandfather was born in Jamaica). This would certainly make moving to a Commonwealth country like Belize much easier. Having any additional citizenship can often make permanently moving to another country much, much easier.  I nsuspect that this may also be true of Ecuador.  You don't have to give up your US citizenship if you don't want to..at least not yet. It's also good to keep up with the Emmigration changes in your own country -- things like the amount of money you can move out of the US without additional taxation are in flux in Congress.  Good luck to us all!