Resident Visa

[LARRY WELLS]

My target date for moving to Ecuador is March 2016. Is it best to aquire a resident visa before moving to Ecuador of after I and my wife actually move to Ecuador. We are both US citzens and will be receiving Social Security as our main source of income.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Larry, you need to be resident in the country to get your cedula, or resident visa. You can start the process in the States, however, at your nearest Ecuadorian consulate. Since you have quite a bit of time before you’ll be coming to Ecuador, you should wait until closer to your move date. It’s not only possible that the required documents might change, but most need to be authenticated within six months of your application.

[LARRY WELLS]

Thank you, my wie and I will be traveling to Ecuador next summer. We have planned to to ome in July. Is that a good month to come?

PS: My nearest Ecuadorian consulate is in Washington DC. I live in South Carolina.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Larry, the visa process continues to improve and quite likely will be even better by the time you plan to apply for residency. No need to travel to DC–you can get everything done here once you arrive with your proper documentation. There’s no “bad” time to come to Ecuador, but July is often the coolest and rainiest month of the year.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Thanks, Edd, for clarifying.

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