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First of all: Ecuador Tourist Visa
Before buying a property we strongly recommend you see it first. What’s more, if you are planning on moving to your overseas property we advise you to spend some time in the country before taking such an important decision. Traveling in Latin America is easy for American and most European Countries passport holders. Tourist visas are not always necessary and, if they are, getting one is not a problem. In this section we provide some general information on visas and residence permits. Since this information might change, particularly regarding red tape and form filling, in January First Real Estate we are always ready to answer your questions and provide research in order to give all necessary answers with up-to-date information. Once you have been in the country and decided to become a resident the staff in January First Real Estate will gladly help you out finding out requirements and most advantageous choices for your residence status.
Tips on applying for a visa
Several things need to be considered here, including whether you’re living part-time or full-time in the country, and what you intend to do there. There are many kinds of visas, but here are a few common elements that may be required of you:
- Verify that your passport is valid for the required length of time.
- Some countries require that you have a passport valid for at least six months when the visa is granted.
- Find a notary (or other approval authority) acceptable to the consulate.
- Get a physician’s health certification.
- Most countries require some sort of health certification. Find out what they need, and make sure the doctor addresses it specifically.
- Visa photos will likely be a different size than any photo you have so far, so check this in advance.
- Criminal record checks are required in many cases. Allow plenty of time for this, as the process to get one from your state police or other law enforcement agency may not be quick.
- Pension verification is your most important document if you’re applying for a pensioner’s visa, while your foreign property deed will be needed if you’re getting a visa based on property ownership.
- In some cases the copy of the property deed needs to be notarized in the country where the property is located, so allow time for this if it hasn’t been done already.
- Document certification: Be sure to allow enough time to notarize or certify all required documents—and resolve any issues your country’s notary may have—and then submit your visa application.
It is helpful to make an interim stop or two at the consulate to have them review how you’re processing the required paperwork. This can help to avoid any surprises at the end when you turn in your final visa application for approval.
In case you need more information or have doubts on any of these issues, the specialised staff in January First Real Estate will be glad to answer all your questions, click here.
Tourist Visa
Citizens of the EU, and North American and Australasian countries, do not need a visa to enter Ecuador, and only require a passport valid for more than six months, a return ticket and proof of having enough money for the duration of the stay. You'll be issued with a T-3 tourist card on arrival, which you should keep with your passport – it will be collected when you leave the country. The tourist card can allow up to ninety days' stay, though it's up to the official whether you're allocated thirty, sixty or ninety days on arrival.
You can get extensions for $10 at the Jefatura Provincial de Migración in provincial capitals, often at the same address as the police headquarters; and in Quito it's at Isla Seymour N44-174 and Río Coca, Sector Jipijapa (Mon– Fri 8am–12.30pm & 3–6.30pm; Telephone02/224-7510). You can't be granted an extension until the day on which your tourist card runs out and there's a small fine if you renew it after it's expired. Extensions are given at the discretion of the relevant official in batches of thirty days, up to a maximum of 180 days per twelve months.
Once in Ecuador, you have to report to the Dirección de Extranjería at 10 de Agosto and General Murgeon in Quito (Mon– Fri 8am–1pm; Telephone02/223-1022) within thirty days of arrival in order to get a censo (identity card); the procedure is bureaucratic and may take a couple of days with plenty of paperwork and visits to more than one authority. The officials often neglect to tell you this, but you'll also need permission to leave the country (permiso de salida). You can use it for multiple exits during the course of one year. Please note that visa regulations and procedures change regularly.
Note that for international flights, you must pay departure tax in cash at the airport: $25 when leaving Quito and $10 from Guayaquil.
Ecuador, make your dream investment come true. |
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