One of the things that could happen to you at the U.S. Embassy in Quito is that you could be turned away...
1. I went there last week for a scheduled notary appointment and was told: Sorry, our computers are down, we can't accept payment for our services when that happens, please come back another day.
2. You could be asked for more I.D. than you expected. A U.S. passport has not been enough in my case. Every time I go (three times so far) they let me take my passport into the Services building, but require that I leave another ID (in my case, my cedula or EC ID) at the front Security Building.
3. Your business could be broadcast. When I went back today for the notary, the woman before me (they give out numbered coupons like in a deli) went up to a Services window. The Embassy rep then verbally went over her reason for coming: she was alleging that her (unidentified) man had beaten her up, taken her passport and was keeping her child in the country without her permission.
I know all this because the Embassy rep's comments were broadcast throughout the waiting area via a speaker at that window for all 15 or so of us in the area to hear.
4. You could be bored. They take away your cellphone (for pickup at Security when you leave). Today they had a TV on in the Services waiting area but you couldn't really hear it. Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra was being extensively interviewed -- in Spanish -- on a channel with which I was unfamiliar.
5. You could get exactly what you came for.
Everybody at the Embassy I have encountered on those three trips seemed to know what they were doing. All the reps, guards, security people, etc. were friendly and courteous.
Aside from the incident when I got turned away, I got exactly what I wanted the other times: transfer of my benefits payments to my EC bank...and the notary signatures I was seeking today.
Let us know about your experiences at the U.S. Embassy, the Consulate in Guayaquil and what the U.S. government is up to in Cuenca.
cccmedia in Quito