Vilcabamba, Ecuador

An Ecuador visa will be issued on arrival for citizens of the United States, Canada, and much of Europe. This tourist visa is typically valid for 90 days. Check the stamp to make sure you know how many days they gave you.

You can extend your 90-day stay one time, for an added 90 days. But, if you want to stay longer than 180 days as a tourist, get a special tourist visa at the consulate. Get this, in advance of your trip, it’s valid for up to one year.

As for residency, the Ecuadorian residency process follows two steps.

Firstly, you need to hold a temporary resident visa. Once you have this you can apply for a permanent residency visa. The application for residency needs to be in Ecuador.

You must head to your local immigration office. If you are not fluent in Spanish, bring someone who is. You can no longer apply for residency in your home country.

Documents such as police check certificates need to be authenticated. Depending on the country of origin, you’ll use either the apostille process or consular legalization.

Any document that is not in Spanish must be translated into Spanish. The translator must certify the translation as correct, and their signature must be verified by a notary.

One big advantage of residency in Ecuador is that you can import your household effects, duty-free.

A big part of any move is the physical transportation of your belongings. So, if you are moving from the United States or Canada there are international shipping options available to you. However, it can be helpful to find a local shipping agent in Ecuador to ease the move.

There is a limit per-person of 440 pounds for clothing, shoes, and other personal items; an attempt to slow down Ecuador’s booming grey market for clothing. But otherwise, most reasonable household items won’t be a problem.

Pets will require an International Veterinary Health Certificate, available from most any vet’s office. It must show that all vaccinations are up to date and be issued within 10 days prior to your pet’s arrival in Ecuador.