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April 21, 2015 at 1:55 pm in reply to: Can ATM, Credit Cards and Debit Cards from Amercian Banks Be Used in Ecuador ?? #609865
SUZAN HASKINS
ParticipantAnother tip is to use a bank that doesn’t charge ATM transaction fees. I use Capital One Bank for my ATM debits.
ParticipantArrive Quito and fly directly to Cuenca, spend 3 nights there, then take a bus to Guayaquil and on to Salinas, spend 2 nights there, then go by bus to Montanita and Olon and spend one night, then on to Manta and spend 2 nights there, then fly to Quito and spend time there. If you have an extra day/night, you could come up to Otavalo/Cotacachi.
April 19, 2015 at 10:21 am in reply to: Drinking Water ?? Do you need to buy Bottled Water or can you drink tap water ? #609544ParticipantWe were paying $3 at one time.
ParticipantI don’t know if there is particularly a no see-um problem, but any tropical coastal area anywhere in the world will have insects. I don’t recall having any big issues when traveling along the coast, but I haven’t spent a lot of time walking on the beach. Wendy has spent time in Bahia — let’s see how she weighs in on this…
ParticipantHi Richard, I do not know of any online racing sites, and a few years ago President Correa shut down the physical casinos in Ecuador.
But you do know that there are many ways to hide/change your VPN, right? I have no idea if that is legal or not…
March 31, 2015 at 5:27 pm in reply to: Are there large Expat communities on the coast? How do find an Expat Roommate? #607944ParticipantHey Mike, I just discovered a Facebook page called Share Houses & Rooms in Ecuador — sound like what you are looking for.
Try this link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1411966452446569/
ParticipantHI Gayle, I’m with Edd — Ecuador is not the right place for you. Panama may work but it is not as inexpensive as it once was and it is a very hot, humid place unless you live in the mountains where most facilities are not wheelchair accessible. You could email our IL correspondent in Chiriqui, Linda Card (lbwcard@gmail.com), and ask her if Boquete would meet your needs, but I would think it probably won’t.
I’d suggest you also look at Mexico — Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, specifically, and I’d suggest Nicaragua, but wheelchair accessibility there is not up to standards either. Also not that getting prescription narcotics will be difficult, too. You can get them, of course, but you will need to be under a doctor’s care and I know in Mexico, these types of drugs are only available to special pharmacies.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but if you qualify for medicare and other assistance in the US, that’s probably your best option. Latin America is not the place to be wheelchair bound unless you are content to stay at home most of the time.
ParticipantHI Pete, there are some private insurance companies that will not insure anyone over 65 and there are some that extend that to 70. So if you are interested in obtaining private insurance you will want to get here and get residency and insurance before age 70. However, as my post above discusses, the company may decide at any time to drop you. IESS may be an option for you. And yes you can pay out of pocket, but if something serious happens you could find yourself in a pinch. A friend of mine with a bacterial infection spent 6 weeks in intensive care and 6 months in a care facility after that and racked up a bill of $100,000 — fortunately they catholic hospital is working with them on the bill, but a serious illness can wrack up serious costs. And you don’t want to go to a public hospital or an inadequate private hospital when you have a life-threatening situation. You might also consider an international policy. Discuss your options in that regard with broker John McGee: john@expatglobalmedical.com
March 29, 2015 at 10:46 am in reply to: Info Needed .. I plan to retire in Ecuador in 18 months and become a citizen. #607580ParticipantHI Mike, have you read all the various sections here on your Ecuador Insider website? That will give you a good idea. You don’t say if you have already visited Ecuador but that’s the first step. You should come and visit the places you think you might likely live. Stay as long as possible and make sure they are for you. Make sure you can tolerate the altitude in the mountains or the infrastructure issues at the coast, etc.
Then, next things to do it to start downsizing your household and decide if you’ll move what remains of your household goods. Get all your banking and financial stuff online so you don’t have to worry about getting mail. Decide what you’ll do about health care once you get to Ecuador.
In other words, do all the planning and “before” work that needs to be done. About 8 months to a a year before the move you’ll need to start collecting all the documents needed to obtain your residence visa in Ecuador. That’s the time to hire an immigration attorney or visa facilitator. No need to do this in advance as rules and regulations are always being revised and changed.
ParticipantHI Shaun, I think much of this depends on the domicile rules of Tennessee and to lesser degree, Washington. But I am not a tax expert and thank goodness for that!! I know some, though, that specialize in taxes for expats. Email Nick Hodges: nhodges@moneyconcepts.com and you might copy one of his colleagues, Matt Apodaca, who may have more time to give you answers: matt@nchwealth.com — these are good guys and they are happy to answer questions.
ParticipantI have just learned of another way to get your fingerprint report: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks/identity-history-summary-checks
Go to that website and print the FBI fingerprint card. You find it here on the top right hand side.
ParticipantHello, you cannot legally work on a pensioner’s visa. So perhaps you might want to rethink your visa strategy and opt, instead, for a professional visa. You should probably contact an immigration attorney or a visa facilitator to get the latest information. Check to see if the university you recieved your degree from is on this list: http://www.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/…/LISTADO…
A visa facilitator in Guayaquil who has handled a lot of these and seems to be very on top of all this is Dana Cameron: agua_plata@hotmail.com — she processes a lot of visas for people who live in Cuenca and along the southern coast, but she appears to be very good about answering questions.
ParticipantTry this website to get your FBI report: http://myfbireport.com
You’ll have to take the reports to your Dept. of State to be apostilled.
ParticipantHI Lilie, you might want to send your query to customs broker Sandra Baquero: sandy.baquero@gmail.com. She can probably provide better, more detailed input. On average, and depending what part of the States your stuff is coming from and what time of year it is (May is less expensive than December) you can expect to pay $9,800 for a 20-ft container and $13,000 for a 40-ft. container. You, of course, plan to have far less than this.
Many people opt not to bring more than what they can bring on the plane and there are all kinds of packing strategies, including buying a first-class ticket in order to get more baggage allowance.
When planning your move, don’t forget all the associated costs: rental deposits (first and last month’s rent), the cost to obtain your visa ($2,000 – $3,000) and the costs to purchase some things you’ll need to get started (housewares, toiletries, pantry staples, etc.) We always suggest a cushion of $5,000 to $6,000 for those first few months.
ParticipantYes, there are acupuncturists in Ecuador. I am unsure how much a treatment costs and I am also unsure if you can practice in Ecuador with a US license. You might try emailing attorney Roberto Moreno with that question: roberto@morenodidonato.com.
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