Visa options and Citizenship in Ecuador

Upon entry most tourists visiting Ecuador will receive a T-3 admission stamp, valid for a total of 90 days in one chronological year and extendable once for up to 90 additional continuous days (within that same chronological year) upon request and payment of the respective fee (one third of a basic salary).

If a tourist exceeds these time limits, they will be prohibited from entering Ecuador for a year counted from their departure date. If the infractor wishes to revisit before said time, they must pay a fine equivalent to one basic salary (USD 425.00 as August, 2022) or obtain a Consular Visa.

The last statutory changes that came into effect on February 5, 2021 freed Temporary Residency Visa (TRV) holders from "out of the country" restrictions and the corresponding fines, allowing them to travel as they please and to renew their TRV every two years indefinitely.

There are 15 Temporary Residency Visa types/categories that authorize their holders to carry out different activities depending on which type they hold. All of which, excluding the dependents TRV, allow dependents (spouse, partner in common law union and/or children) and all of them require applicants to prove economic solvency through different means depending on the visa category they apply for.

Categories:

• Work Visa
• Rentier (based on a person’s regular income): resent regulatory changes included a Digital Nomad Visa under this category
• Retirement
• Investor
• Scientist, Investigator or Academic
• Athlete, Artist or Cultural Manager
• Religious or Religious Volunteer
• Volunteer
• Student
• Professional
• Government, NGO Cooperators, and Foreign Press Correspondents
• Residency by Treaty
• Dependents
• Asylees and Refugees
• Marine Crew Members

• Valid passport
• Document that supports the visa application (the support documents will vary depending on the category the visa is requested for *see above): Benefits Letter, Academic Degree, Proof of Investment, etc.
• Proof of solvency
• A national criminal report from the country where you have resided for the past 5 years. For residents of the USA the aforementioned means two separate documents: (1.) apostilled FBI background check and (2.) apostilled State Police Report
• Visa Application and Issuance Government Fees (USD 450 for TRV and USD 550 for PRV and USD 250 for every dependent). Senior citizens are entitled to a 50% discount on every government fee
• Applicant must not have been convicted for crimes such as murder, homicide, rape, kidnapping and others punished with imprisonment greater than five years

Additional requirements for dependents of a principal holder of a Temporary o Permanent Residency Visa:

• Marriage Certificate or Civil Union document
• Birth Certificates of children
• Proof of solvency, showing economic means to support principal holder and dependents (specific requirements apply for different categories)

*All documents of foreign origin with no exceptions must be duly legalized or apostilled and translated into Spanish.

*A dependent does not lose their visa if the principal dies or if they get divorced.

*Important: Keep in mind these are general guidelines, specific requirements are applicable for all categories.

The main two differences between a Temporary Residency Visa and a Permanent one are: (1.) a PRV doesn't need to be renewed as the TRV does and (2.) a PRV doesn't require to keep a permanent underlying requisite as its basis.

Who can apply?

• After 21 months of continuous stay in Ecuador a Temporary Residency Visa holder can apply for a Permanent Residency Visa (PRV). Continuity is not lost unless applicant has been abroad for more than 90 days in total.
• Foreigners married to an Ecuadorian citizen or those maintaining a legal common law union with an Ecuadorian citizen
• Foreign minors or disabled persons who depend on an Ecuadorian citizen or a foreigner who has a PRV
• A relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity of an Ecuadorian citizen or a foreign citizen with a PRV

Important note: PRV holders can only leave the country for 180 days per year during the first two years counted from the date of issuance of the PRV (non-compliance will result in a fine of up to 50% of basic unified salary) and up to 2 consecutive years from the start of the third year (non-compliance will result in the definitive cancelation of the PVR).

Who can apply?

• Permanent residents that have resided regularly and continuously for at least 3 years in Ecuador

Requirements:

• Applicant must be over 18 years of age or have the consent of their parents or legal guardians in the case of minors
• Apostilled birth certificate
• Applicant must know the culture, history, geography and current reality of Ecuador (with the exception of disabled people, minors, those over the age of 65 years and those who have obtained a university degree in Ecuador)
• Applicant must prove spoken and written proficiency in the Spanish language
• Applicant must state in an interview the reasons why they want to acquire the Ecuadorian nationality
• Applicant must prove to possess sufficient economic means of legal origin in the country
• Applicant must not have outstanding obligations with the Ecuadorian State
• The naturalization letter must be requested and processed in Ecuadorian territory