Visa extension requirements (another 90 day stamp)

Kaeliza wrote:

I'm staying in Ecuador for 6 months, and I've almost used up my 90 day stamp. I thus have to go to Quito to the immigration office to get another stamp for 90 days, but I cannot find what I have to bring. Does someone know all of the requirements?
I know I have to bring proof that I have enough funds for another 90 days, a copy of my return ticket, it will cost 150 dollars, and that is it. I'm pretty sure I need more, but I cannot find it.

Dear Kaeliza,

Welcome to the Ecuador forum.

You had better obtain the information for Quito from the immigration office there or from a Quito visa specialist or immigration attorney.  My guy is Sebastian Cordero, email scordero(at)rcpabogados.com ...
You had better find out if you have waited too long under the circumstances.  Sebastian once got me a rare 45-day extension when a  U.S. State Department error cost me valuable time while seeking an investment visa.

----


Due to recent events -- the Venezuela refugee crisis and the 2017 changes in the omnibus immigration law -- things are in flux.  Requirements could even vary from city to city within Ecuador.

Adding to the confusion is a fact that you did not reveal in your post:  you are Dutch.

A Canadian Expat who is currently on a 90-day extension posted an extensive two-part report on the web, complete with documents he encountered in his successful endeavor to obtain the extension in Ibarra, Ecuador.  The Expat, Barna Tanko, includes a list of what he needed to obtain the extension.

Google:  barna tanko ecuador visa extension

If you post again, you might mention what city or town you are in.

FYI:  officially, the first 90-day tourist permit is a tourist stamp.  The second 90 day-permit, the extension, is a non-immigrant visa.

cccmedia

Just in case anyone wants to know, you have to wait until your stamp is expired, then you have to go to the Immigration office to get a form, go to the bank and make a payment, and go back to the office again. That's it.

Kaeliza wrote:

Just in case anyone wants to know, you have to wait until your stamp is expired, then you have to go to the Immigration office to get a form, go to the bank and make a payment, and go back to the office again. That's it.

I don't think an Expat should wait until after expiration to take the above steps.

1.  That would put you in Ecuador in a non-legal status, even if only for a few hours.

2.  That status could jeopardize your legal right to "extend."  Some local immigration offices may require application for an extension the week before expiration.

3.  As for the part about going to the bank, that may be an out of date requirement if the office you visit accepts plastic.

If you can offer a reliable, checkable source for your above post, Kaeliza, we'd welcome you to post it, especially the part about waiting until expiration of the tourist stamp.

cccmedia

I went to the Immigration Office and asked them, and I had to come back. It was no problem that I would be 'illegal' for a couple of days. I have absolutely zero intention of living here, so that's fine. It was more information for other tourists that will be gone within 180 days.

Immigration offices in different cities are infamous for varying interpretations of the immigration/visa laws.

I recommend against going "illegal" even for a few hours ..
unless you have permission in advance from a specific official at Immigration.

Historically .. the main risk of violating the visa laws has been a
restriction of at least nine months before you may re-enter Ecuador.

cccmedia

I'm just repeating what the guy at the immigration office said.

Kaeliza,  if "the guy at the immigration office" turns out to be wrong, he can just shrug it off and go on about his business, no problema.

You, on the other hand, would pay the penalty for his giving incorrect advice.

I don't understand why you as a foreigner would want to break their immigration laws as they are written, when doing it the right way and staying legal with no ambiguity is so easy.

Well, as he was sitting in a cube and was working there, I'm pretty sure he knows more about what is going on than you guys.
I'm not breaking any law, I'm following what I am supposed to do. In Quito, you're supposed to go to the office on the day your 90 days expire. Then you fill in the form and make a payment, and get your 90 day extention on the same day. So yeah, I'm doing it the legal way, and yes, it is indeed very easy.

It's all fine if you're saying I'm wrong, but I'm absolutely right.

Kaeliza wrote:

Well, as he was sitting in a cube and was working there, I'm pretty sure he knows more about what is going on than you guys.
I'm not breaking any law, I'm following what I am supposed to do. In Quito, you're supposed to go to the office on the day your 90 days expire. Then you fill in the form and make a payment, and get your 90 day extention on the same day. So yeah, I'm doing it the legal way, and yes, it is indeed very easy.

It's all fine if you're saying I'm wrong, but I'm absolutely right.

Then the question remains:  If you know all this, why did you even bother posting your question in the first place???

OsageArcher wrote:

Kaeliza wrote:

Well, as he was sitting in a cube and was working there, I'm pretty sure he knows more about what is going on than you guys.
I'm not breaking any law, I'm following what I am supposed to do. In Quito, you're supposed to go to the office on the day your 90 days expire. Then you fill in the form and make a payment, and get your 90 day extention on the same day. So yeah, I'm doing it the legal way, and yes, it is indeed very easy.

It's all fine if you're saying I'm wrong, but I'm absolutely right.

Then the question remains:  If you know all this, why did you even bother posting your question in the first place???

Because I went after I asked.

OsageArcher wrote:

Kaeliza wrote:

Well, as he was sitting in a cube and was working there, I'm pretty sure he knows more about what is going on than you guys.
I'm not breaking any law, I'm following what I am supposed to do. In Quito, you're supposed to go to the office on the day your 90 days expire. Then you fill in the form and make a payment, and get your 90 day extention on the same day. So yeah, I'm doing it the legal way, and yes, it is indeed very easy.

It's all fine if you're saying I'm wrong, but I'm absolutely right.

Then the question remains:  If you know all this, why did you even bother posting your question in the first place???

Obviously for the benefit of all the ignorant people already in Ecuador.  Look on the bright side, he claims he is never coming back.

mugtech wrote:

OsageArcher wrote:

Kaeliza wrote:

Well, as he was sitting in a cube and was working there, I'm pretty sure he knows more about what is going on than you guys.
I'm not breaking any law, I'm following what I am supposed to do. In Quito, you're supposed to go to the office on the day your 90 days expire. Then you fill in the form and make a payment, and get your 90 day extention on the same day. So yeah, I'm doing it the legal way, and yes, it is indeed very easy.

It's all fine if you're saying I'm wrong, but I'm absolutely right.

Then the question remains:  If you know all this, why did you even bother posting your question in the first place???

Obviously for the benefit of all the ignorant people already in Ecuador.  Look on the bright side, he claims he is never coming back.

No, because it's a 3-hour drive to Quito and I did not want to find out I may have forgotten some papers.

We all have been in Ecuador longer than you have and experienced the processes here.  I have been here for almost two years now and have learned that CCCMedia is absolutely correct.  The process can change with the person whom you ask or who is helping you.  Or it can change from day to day with the same person helping you.
Also I believe the government has, regardless of your intentions, identified immigration as a problem and thus have made the process difficult for people.  I know of several people who have returned to their countries because of requirements that were to difficult to meet.
One last thing; I have also learned it is not wise to not follow the advice of an experienced expat.

Interesstingly, the facilitator my husband and I are using gave the same advice.  She tells us the rules have changed, now we must wait until the 90 day stamp expires, then apply for the extension.  She even described the same process with going to the bank and returning with the receipt.    Her only warning was not to try to leave the country.  It makes me very nervous.

JadeRiver wrote:

We all have been in Ecuador longer than you have and experienced the processes here.  I have been here for almost two years now and have learned that CCCMedia is absolutely correct.  The process can change with the person whom you ask or who is helping you.  Or it can change from day to day with the same person helping you.
Also I believe the government has, regardless of your intentions, identified immigration as a problem and thus have made the process difficult for people.  I know of several people who have returned to their countries because of requirements that were to difficult to meet.
One last thing; I have also learned it is not wise to not follow the advice of an experienced expat.

Yes, well, very nice, but the rules have changed. I got my visa two days after it expired, and it was no problem whatsoever. I got my 90-day extension within 2 hours. The progress is very easy at this moment.

You're missing the point.

It may be easy for you in one place, difficult for someone in another, almost impossible in a third place.

I suggest that you read Jade River's post above, in particular the sentence beginning with "the process can change..."

cccmedia