[Country Expert Jim Santos]

I have also been told that a diploma or transcript, with a certified spanish translation is accepted,but Like Suzan said, you should check with a facilitator or attorney.

My wife and I got our drivers licenses last year. When we got our cedulas in November of 2013, we did not provide any proof of education, so ours say “inicio”, so we got in before the requirement.

We got our licenses through the foreign license exchange process – in other words, you provide proof you were licensed in another country, and Ecuador lets you test for the corresponding version of their license.

However, it was not that simple. Again, to amplify Suzan’s comment, things change frequently. We began gathering the docs for our process in December of 2014, and by the time we finally acquired them in April of 2015, the procedure and requirements changed twice.

[Country Expert Jim Santos]

Hi Jon. There are several good hotels and hostals along the malecon. Big Ralph’s is at the very end, just before you enter the malecon. There is Coco’s, Hotel Blue Bay, and the Hotel Francisco to name a few. Further down in Chipipe is the Hotel Amira. They range from $15-40 per person per night. At the upper end of the scale, the Hotel Barcelo Colon Miramar is a little pricey, but May is in our “off season” so bargains may be available. In addition, since it is off-season, there may be one or two bedroom condominiums available on the malecon for your stay.

As to Immigration, we worked with Sebastian Cordero of Quito. He speaks English fluently, and was extremely helpful to us. He does come to Salinas often, but I can make inquiries for a local atty if you like.

Happy to help with any details or additional information, feel free to email me at salinas@internationalliving.com if that is easier.

[Country Expert Jim Santos]

Hi Bernard – I’ve lived in Salinas just over two years now, happy to help you out. We’ve watched your building as it went up, loos like a great place!

A couple of points; if you are coming down with a residency visa, consider shipping some items while you are still in the first 6 months, so they are duty-free. Some larger furniture, kitchen supplies and appliances, linens, towels and dishes are some of the things that are either not the best quality or very expensive here.

For furniture, there are great maestros in nearby Atahualpa that sell beautiful wooden furniture at very nice prices. We have also given them pictures from catalogs and the sizes we needed, and they have built them to order. There are some decent local staures in La Libertad, and a very good selection in Guayaquil. Boyaca (you can google their website) and Tempo Design have home and patio furniture.

One word of caution – if you bring a bed from the US, be advised that the mattresses here are not the same size as the US. They tend to be about 2″ shorter one way, longer the other. It’s a pain with fitted sheets from the US, but we still prefer the nicer quality to a good fit.

I see by your last message you must be here already – happy to help anytime.

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