Opening a Bank Account

my experience in Loja was that I needed proof of residence in the form of , say, electric bill of the landlord if you rent, your bill if you own the place, also a letter of recommendation from someone who has a bank account at that bank.  For that I used my lawyer. This was Banco de Pichincha.

Different banks have varying rules.  The most common rule is a requirement to have the Ecuadorian ID known as the cédula, which is obtained as a result of the visa application process, after the visa has been secured.

A couple of Ecuadorian banks may not require a cédula, but impose difficult requirements of another sort.   Naturally, these rules are subject to change and should be verified by applicants.

If you need to transfer funds, for instance for a real estate purchase, wire transfers can be sent via an attorney's escrow-type account or directly to the seller .. without having a personal bank account in-country.

If you post again, please explain why you, as a visitor, think you should open a bank account in Ecuador.

cccmedia

Hi, do you have a resident visa, or do you have a cédula yet?
   I know that at least Banco Guayaquil requires a cédula to open a bank account.
   What city are you visiting?

Hi, I got a bit excited when I heard that the investment visa no longer requires you to stay in the country 9 months of the year. This is something I heard on YouTube. I thought it would be cool if I open a bank account while I am there so that I can fund it later with a CD or something. That's when I banged out the message.

I made contact with an attorney Ill be visiting in Cuenca to discuss opening a bank account and the visa etc. I guess it is always more complicated than it seems.

I don't have any form of documentation at the moment except my SA passport. This will be my first trip to Ecuador ever and is mostly just to see if it will be the country I want to retire in. I will need to return if I do like it and want to get the visa as the process requires me present anyway so the urgency is gone.

Ill be visiting Quito, Cuenca, Loja, Guayaquil and Yantzaza. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for all the replies.