Update (February 11, 2017): The law has since changed. See the The law has since changed. See the most recent rules and how they will affect incoming expats.

Moving to Ecuador means that you must decide on which permanent residency visa you are going to use.

There are six options for permanent visas in Ecuador.

In this video interview, Grace Velastegui, an immigration lawyer in Cuenca Ecuador, explains the six types of permanent resident visas in Ecuador.

Learn more about her immigration law practice. Read about the benefits of permanent residency visas in Ecuador.

6 Types of Permanent Resident Visas in Ecuador

Pensioner Visa 9-I Investor Visa 9-II Industrial Investor Visa 9-III Agent Visa 9-IV Professional Visa 9-V Dependent Visa 9-VI

We have had our Ecuador residency visa for more than a year now, and we hired Grace and her husband Nelson to help us through the process.

Learn About Permanent Ecuador Visas

{complete transcript below the video}

Ecuador Visa Video Transcript

There are six types of permanent residency visas in Ecuador.

1. Pensioner Visa 9-I

The first one is the pensioner visa. In order to apply for a pensioner visa you have to show that you have income from a stable source. At the moment, from Social Security. The minimum that is required is $800 plus $100 per dependent. This has been the rule for the past 10 years, since I have been practicing immigration law. Of course, this minimum might change in the future.

There is also the possibility to use a trust that provides monthly income. But this needs to be approved by the admission of the immigration office. This isn’t very common to use this type of certificate to show their income. They usually use social security to show their income. This is the most common basis for a pensioners visa.

2. Investor Visa 9-II

The second type of residency visa is the investors visa. You can invest either in property or you can invest in certificate of deposits or government bonds.

You have to prove the investment with the title of ownership and a certificate that the title is clean of any liens. You have to keep the property untouched. You are not to lien it at any time of the process or during the time that you need this property as the basis for the residency visa.

The same applies to the investment. They way it’s done, is that the applicant goes to the bank that he chooses, and decides to make the investment. Then that money needs to be kept in that bank for as long as the applicant needs that residency visa. He will be able to withdraw the interest but not the capital. The CD (certificate of deposit) will be kept under the custody of the Central Bank. That is how the government makes sure that the funds are kept untouched.

Learn about legal issues with real estate in Ecuador. And check out our set of articles about Ecuador real estate.

3. Industrial Investor Visa 9-III

The third type of residency visa that is available in Ecuador is the visa 9-III, it’s the Industrial Investor Visa. That is for industrial, agricultural, livestock or international trade investors who wish to export. The investment will be in business, or individual owned companies. The amount that they have to invest will be higher than the second type of visa that I just mentioned (Investor Visa 9-II) and that is why the majority of clients don’t prefer this type of investment, but the investment in CD’s or mortgage funds that allow them to be safer by using banks instead of using of private companies.

4. Agent Visa 9-IV

The fourth type of visa is the agents visa, is a permanent visa also. It is for permanent agents also. It is for authorized agents of a company legally established in Ecuador. A permanent worker who does technical or specialized tasks for a company who also has good standing in Ecuador, or foreign press correspondents established in this country. As well as members of religious organizations that are recognized by the Ecuadorian government and accepted.

5. Professional Visa 9-V

The professional visa 9-V is for professionals with a university degree recognized by a national university. The professional needs to bring his title, his credentials and have them re-validated by an Ecuadorian university. They require the transcripts of your studies and they also have to be apostilled, which is legalized by the Secretary of State in the United States in the case of an American citizen.

This type of professional visa has been made a little easier at the moment. The entity that controls universities, which is called SNIESE (Sistema Nacional de Información de la Educación Superior del Ecuador), has published a list of universities that are automatically understood as good universities and approved by the Ecuadorian government. Therefore the professional that graduated from such universities, if they provided the apostilled paperwork, they have the possibility to have their degrees automatically renewed and then present that together with the rest of the requirement to apply for a professionals visa to live in Ecuador permanently.

6. Dependent Visa 9-VI

The sixth type of permanent visa for Ecuador is the dependent visa. This is for blood related relatives of a person who is either a resident of Ecuador or a citizen. They will have to provide the paperwork that shows the relation with the main applicant.

These are the six types of visas available to stay in Ecuador permanently.

Questions? If you have specific questions, please contact Grace Velastegui directly.