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It’s fairly straightforward to open an account. I believe the bank will ask to take a copy of your cedula (your government issued ID card), they’ll want your phone number, e-mail, and address. They may also ask for a utility bill to verify your residence.

But, you can actually have an account set up before you get your residency visa. It’s best to consult with an attorney on how to do this, but I believe that if an attorney verifies that you’re in the process of applying for your visa the bank will go ahead an open an account.

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You shouldn’t have any issues accessing cash here in Ecuador. Most people simply use their ATM cards to withdraw money from out-of-country bank accounts. The daily limit would be up to your bank, not the ATM machine. Most banks cap your daily take at $300-$500. If you need to wire money Ecuadorian banks accept international wire transfers, so again unless your bank in Belize is uncooperative, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Most expats here source their funds from other countries (primarily the U.S. or Canada) and have no problems whatsoever.

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Hi John,

I can’t find exactly what you’re looking for in the way of websites, but here are several that should provide information on any travel restrictions put in place by Ecuador:

Here is the official site for Ecuador and specifically the section discussing visas and who may enter the country. I would expect that it would be updated with travel restrictions due to health concerns.

The U.S. State Department also keeps up to date information on travel to various other countries and you can find their information on Ecuador here.

Finally, the CDC also keeps updated health information for travelers to foreign countries and here is their Ecuador section.

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Kpica in Bahia has a lot of kitchen goods. Tia would also have small appliances and possibly patio furniture. Manta has a couple of big malls where you could easily find anything else you’re looking for. If you just walk the streets of the smaller towns you’ll often find little stores selling these kinds of items so you might try doing that if you can’t get to a bigger city soon.

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I’m sorry, but I don’t know of any specific areas where you can find a road map. In Quito’s Mariscal district there are many travel and tour companies which would be your best be for finding a road map. If you’re not going to be in Quito I would inquire about a tourism bureau in Manta and check there.

With GPS being so popular, it’s becoming harder and harder to find actual printed maps these days.

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Ecuador itself does not charge a fee to bring your pets into the country, but you will have the expenses of flying them here plus the vet visits and certifications that are required prior to moving. You can read more about the details of bringing a pet into Ecuador here.

Pet food is all over the map here in Ecuador. You can find low-quality products at some of the stores, but certain pet supply stores or veterinary offices (especially in expat-heavy areas) will have specialty pet foods. It will cost quite a bit more, but you may find it worthwhile. Also, some expats make their own cat food from ground chicken and other local products and are very happy with the results.

The biggest danger to your cats will be dogs and vehicles, so you’ll want to have a nice secure area for them where they can’t get out and dogs can’t get in. I do recall a vet in Quito saying there is one feline disease that is a problem here (leukemia maybe?) but if you keep your cats in their secure area and take them to the vet regularly that shouldn’t be a problem. Many expats own cats here and I’ve never heard of any health problems due to life in Ecuador.

I’m sorry but I can’t really give you an idea on how much it would cost to build an enclosure as there are so many variables like size, what materials you plan to use, etc. I can tell you that building supplies will cost about the same in the U.S. (depending upon what you’re using of course), but labor is far cheaper. Every town will have small building supply stores while the larger cities will have Home Depot-like stores. You should have no problem finding building supplies.

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UPDATE: My friend tells me that he received his insurance through a company called QBE. He worked with their Ibarra office but is not sure if they have offices in other parts of the country.

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I do know of people who have done what you’re proposing and have not had issues with entry into the country. However, there is always the slightest possibility that you could run into an immigration officer who will give you a hard time. If you want to be on the safe side, you might consider booking a return flight with a company that allows free cancellation within a certain time-frame. Once you enter the country, simply cancel your return flight and your money should be refunded. I believe Orbitz gives you a 24-hour cancellation period and American Airlines used to give you two days to cancel, though I haven’t checked lately to see if that’s still the case.

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Yes, there is a highway that parallels much of Ecuador’s coast and is known as the Ruta del Sol or the Ruta del Spondylus. It is paved and in good shape and the larger towns along the way will have fuel stations. Be aware though that some of the towns you may want to visit might not be right off the highway so you might want to study a map before making your trip so you can decide where you want to get off the highway and explore a bit more.

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I’ve only met one person who has homeowner’s insurance. With most structures being built with brick or block, fire is a low concern. In the mountains our only real concern is earthquake damage and with better construction techniques these days it’s not common for newer buildings to be damaged in a quake. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen, it’s just something that I think most expats are betting against. On the coast flooding might be a concern depending on where your house is situated so maybe a few expats have insurance down there.

I’ll check with my friend who just purchased insurance for his newer house and ask him what company he used, then I’ll update you here.

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Update: The icons have now been completely removed from the Ecuador Insider site, so no need to worry about them at all!

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Move your mouse over the icons and you should see a light gray arrow below them. If you click on that the icons will be hidden from view.

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I have a friend that spends nine months of every year in Ecuador just using the T-3 and the 12-IV visas. Here is what he told me. If he enters the country on a T-3 on June 1st, 2014 he’s good for 90 days. He waits until near the end of those 90 days to get his 12-IV which gives him an additional 180 days. So he would be able to stay in the country until approximately the end of February 2015. At that point he needs to leave the country but is able to return on a T-3 visa one year from when his last T-3 was issued, so June 1st, 2015.

He has done this for several years now and not had any problems with immigration. So, theoretically you should be able to come back to Ecuador as soon as November of this year. I can’t guarantee that you won’t get an immigration officer who has a different understanding of the time limits on these visas, but most likely you should be just fine in re-entering Ecuador in February of next year.

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Well I don’t buy all of these things in those exact sizes, but I’ll do my best to answer.

Chicken: I buy whole chickens from my local market which run $5-8 depending on the size. Maybe someone else can weigh in on the boneless/skinless.

Water: .5 liter is 30 cents.

Milk: 900 ml is 75 cents

Local Cheese: ? I don’t particularly like the taste of queso fresco so I don’t buy it.

Domestic Beer: .5 liter is 80 cents from most stores, $1.75 to $2.00 in restaurants.

Imported Beer: I honestly have no clue since I don’t drink beer much and I’ve never bothered with the more expensive imports.

I hope this helps some, and hopefully someone else will be able to fill in the gaps that I left.

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Hi Marsha,

There are two gyms here right now in Cotacachi. The one I use has various weight machines which are a little older and well-used, but they are perfectly functional and cleaned regularly. It also has three ellipticals and a stationary bike. The owner offers zumba and step aerobics classes several times per week as well. I hear the other gym has some different equipment which is maybe a little newer, but I like the owner of Vital gym where I go and he’s very involved in helping his clients meet their goals.

There are a couple of places that offer yoga and a new martial arts studio has opened where the instructor also offers conditioning classes twice a week (which I also attend).

I don’t know of any hiking/walking groups, but there are plenty of people here who like to do both so I’m sure you could find others to go with you. There’s also a group of people who go horseback riding regularly.

That’s great that you plan to be proactive about learning Spanish. In my experience you’ll have a much richer experience here if you speak the language. As for lessons, it so happens that my husband David DeChambeau is a former Naval Spanish linguist and gives lessons here in Cotacachi. You can reach him at ddechambeau@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

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