To Do List Before Moving

[MIRIAM O.]

Hello
My husband and I live in Houston, TX. We are Latin Americans from Chile and El Salvador respectively and have decided that it is time to retire. My husband is already retired and even though I am far from the retiring age in the US, we can live in Ecuador with both his retirment checks and live comfortably sooner than later. I joined “Ecuador Insider” to get a better idea what we need to do before moving, how easy will be to bring our pet with us, what can we bring and what do we need to leave behind in the US, and what to expect from the country. Even though that we fluently speak Spanish, each country has their own rules and laws that we need to abide by therefore, becoming members was the best thing to do. I see that everyone in the forums help each other and provide generous tips and errors to avoid because many already went through the same thing. In advance, thank you for any support and ideas you can provide.
Looking forward with happiness to our move to Ecuador.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Lucky you! Yes, I think you will be able to retire early by moving to Ecuador, and what a great thing that is! Let us know how we can help along the way.

[EUGEN MACOVEI]

Hello from VA,
I am moving to Cuenca next weekend (March 30, 2014) and would like to find answers to a few questions, such as:
– how much cash shall I carry with me to be able to cope with expenses before I can open a bank account (after getting my residency and my ‘Cedula’)?
– shall I carry a printer and a TV set? I hear that electronics are more expehall carrysnsive in Ecuador but is it such a big problem so that I need to bring them in?
– how soon can I sign up for medical coverage?
Thank you so much in advance,
Eugen M.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Eugene, I’m not sure what your expenses will be so it’s hard to say how much cash you might need. For instance, do you already have a place to live or will you need to put down deposits and pay first month’s rent, etc. But if you have an ATM card and/or a credit card you should be able to get cash as needed. Banco Internacional (not sure if there is one in Cuenca) will give cash and charge your credit card. If you don’t want to worry about it, I’d say bring $3k or so and you should be fine. I personally wouldn’t bring a TV or printer. Yes, they are more expensive here but if you’re thinking of bringing them in your luggage they’ll take up lots of room. And do you really need a printer? You can sign up for medical coverage once you get your cedula.

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