Mail service in Ecuador

[RICHARD MACATEE]

Can Expats from the US have Ecuador addresses or P.O. Boxes at which they can receive letters mailed from the US?
If so, how many days does it normally take to receive a letter mailed from the US?

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

You can but I wouldn’t advise it. Mail delivery in Ecuador is spotty at best. In my experience mail sent from the U.S. can take from 2 weeks to forever to be delivered. Use international delivery services like FEDEX or UPS for important documents and online communication for everything else.

[GERALD NADEAU]

Will Fed Ex and UPS deliver to a regular residential address in Ecuador? If so, about how long does it take and approx. cost for shipping from the US? Also, are there Customs snags, etc?

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

FedEx and DHL are the most commonly used international courier services here. I don’t think they deliver to home addresses – you’ll need to pick up your package at their office, but you should double-check with them as sometimes services vary from town to town. If you go to fedex.com or dhl.com you can check the pricing and time estimates for sending packages internationally. It’s fairly expensive, but some people do use them when they need an important document shipped quickly.

There are customs limitations on all packages coming in to Ecuador. They cannot be more than 4 kilos or have a value of more than $400 or it will be subject to import fees. Also $42 per package is charged to the recipient. Most of us just choose to buy anything we need from the states when we visit or have friends bring it back when they visit the U.S.

[hayden59580]

Wendy,
When I lived in Spain, I had my US mail forwarded via FedEx weekly and picked up at their office. Are you saying that if I do the same thing to Ecuador, I’ll be charged $42 by customs for each weekly mail delivery?
Thanks

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

I’m not certain if the $42 fee would apply to such a situation Hayden. My understanding is that “packages” are charged this fee while documents are not. I’m not sure how customs would classify an envelope or box stuffed full of mail envelopes. I would suggest getting in touch with FedEx to see if they have a clearer view of how this would work.

[ANDREA LYMAN]

In Cuenca, we have received FedEx deliveries right to our door. DHL always calls and we go pick it up at their office. DHL is very expensive but both they and FedEx are reliable. I’ve only received documents and the like, not heavier packages.I would never trust the mail system here, so I’ve tried to have everything possible sent to me via email. I have a friend in the US who gets my very few pieces of mail and scans them. I tell her what to do with whatever isn’t tossed out. Works really well!!

[SUZAN HASKINS]

You won’t pay the $42 fee on documents… only on goods sent via courier and over a certain amount.

[ROBERT CRENSHAW]

What’s the best way to send a check to Quito? The reason I ask is that a wire transfer costs $60 dollars.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

What about Pay Pal, Robert?

[ROBERT CRENSHAW]

I checked with them and they don’t offer that service. Checked with FedEx and was quoted $117 dollars !!

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