In short: one typical path, step by step, from your first residency to a passport.
Year 1: getting your first residency. Read the story first, details below. The steps above the dashed line cover the first residency; the rest happens later on. This is one typical scenario on the main route, in plain language. Figures come from our research notes; anything marked ⚠️ or ❓ is uncertain, so check the linked details before you act.
🧳
Before you go
Prove your income
The rentista visa needs passive income of at least 3 SBU = US$1,446 a month (+US$250 per dependant). Aim at least ~20% higher. Get your FBI record (valid 180 days until your last entry) apostilled and translated.
Need: FBI check (around US$38 ❓), apostilled income docsDetails ↓
💻
Month 1
Apply online on e-VISAS
Upload everything to e-VISAS and pay US$50 the same day or the application is deleted. Pay US$270 when it is granted (50% off if you are 65+). Bring health insurance valid in Ecuador.
In short: the complete reference: every step, office, fee, rule and source, labeled verified or uncertain.
Labels from our research notes: ✅ verified at the linked source · ⚠️ conflicting or needs checking · ❓ unverified, do not rely on it. Researched October 9, 2026.
Ecuador at a glance
Main route
Rentista temporary → permanent after 21 months
Money test
3 SBU = US$1,446/mo (+US$250 per dependant)
Residence before citizenship
21 months temporary + 3 yrs permanent
Realistic total (estimate)
≈ 5–5.5 yrs
Keep US citizenship?
Yes
Show the full Ecuador reference guide
Researched Oct 9, 2026. Ecuador uses the US dollar, so no exchange rate is needed. SBU (Salario Básico Unificado) 2026 = US$482/month, from Jan 1, 2026 (Acuerdo Ministerial MDT-2025-195, R.O. Supl. 187, Dec 18, 2025) ✅ (Ministerio del Trabajo). Visa income tests are written in multiples of SBU. Labels: ✅ = verified at the linked source · ⚠️ = conflicting sources or needs checking · ❓ = UNVERIFIED (could not confirm; do not publish as fact). This is general information, not legal or tax advice. See our disclaimer.
0. TL;DR
Item
Answer
Featured route
Visa de residencia temporal – rentista: personal passive income ≥ 3 SBU = US$1,446/mo (+US$250 per dependant), plus health insurance valid in Ecuador. Fees US$50 + US$270. Valid 2 years. Filed online on e-VISAS from Ecuador or a consulate ✅ (gob.ec)
Path to permanent
Residencia permanente after > 21 continuous months on temporary residence; fees US$50 + US$225; file before your temporary status expires ✅ (gob.ec)
Citizenship
Carta de naturalización after 3 years of regular, continuous domicile as a permanent resident; interview; fees US$50 + US$350 ✅ (gob.ec)
Cheapest passive route
Rentista (3 SBU). A jubilado (pension) category also exists ❓ (amount not fetched this session)
Digital nomad
A nomad category exists under the LOMH ❓ (not fetched this session)
Dual citizenship
No renunciation appears in the naturalization requirements ✅ (gob.ec list). Naturalized Ecuadorian nationality is lost only by express renunciation, and only if you hold another nationality ✅ (gob.ec). The US does not require you to renounce ✅ (travel.state.gov). See our renunciation screening
Risk rating
Medium: simple, cheap, dollarized process; security has deteriorated in parts of the country ❓ and the LOMH was re-issued in 2025
Income documents (leases, investment statements) showing ≥ $1,446/mo, apostilled ✅
Issuer + apostille
Mail
❓
❓
4
Spanish translation of the FBI record (and other docs) ✅ ("traducido")
Translator ❓ (no local-only rule stated)
—
❓
❓
5
Health insurance (Ecuadorian or foreign with coverage in Ecuador), valid for the whole visa term ✅
Insurer
Online
❓
—
6
Register on e-VISAS (serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec), upload photo (5×5 cm JPG ≤1 MB), passport (≥6 months validity), documents ✅. If in Ecuador, you must be in regular status (tourist or visa) ✅
e-VISAS
Online only
—
—
7
Pay US$50 the same day (card by 23:55 Ecuador time or Banco del Pacífico deposit) or the application is deleted ✅
e-VISAS
Online
$50
Same day
8
Pay US$270 at grant ✅. 50% off for 65+ ✅
—
Online
$270
❓
9
Register the visa and get the cédula (Registro Civil) ❓
Registro Civil
In person
❓
❓
10
After > 21 continuous months, apply for permanent residence ($50 + $225) before temporary expires ✅
e-VISAS
Online
$275
❓
2.2 Documents (rentista)
Document
Issuer
Apostille?
Translation?
Validity
Photo, passport (≥ 6 months)
—
—
—
✅
Criminal record (last 5 yrs), adults only
FBI
Yes (US DoS)
Yes
180 days to last entry ✅
Proof of lawful means of living (Acuerdo Ministerial 70, Jun 28, 2024) ✅
—
—
—
—
Rent/investment income ≥ 3 SBU
Bank/broker/lease
Yes
Yes ❓
❓
Health insurance valid in Ecuador
Insurer
—
—
Visa term ✅
2.3 Foreign-worker limits
None found for rentistas ❓.
2.4 Payroll obligations
Not applicable to the featured route ❓.
2.5 Monthly taxes and accountant
Tax residence ✅: 183 days or more (consecutive or not, sporadic absences included) in a fiscal year, or in any 12-month span across two fiscal years, or main center of economic interests in Ecuador (LRTI art. 4.1). Residents are taxed on worldwide income ✅ (SRI, LRTI; gob.ec, checked Oct 9, 2026).
Naturalization requires being current with obligations to the State ✅ — keep SRI/IESS/municipal records clean.
2.6 US tax side
FBAR if foreign accounts aggregate > US$10,000 at any time in the year; Form 8938 for filers living abroad if specified assets > US$200k at year-end or > US$300k at any time (single; US$400k/600k joint) ✅ (IRS 8938 vs FBAR, checked Oct 9, 2026). Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) ❓ applicability depends on facts. No US–Ecuador income tax treaty ✅ (IRS treaty list, checked Oct 9, 2026). No US–Ecuador totalization agreement in force ✅ (SSA agreements list, checked Oct 9, 2026).
3. Rentista details
Income must be personal rent income from abroad or in Ecuador, e.g. leases, investment securities ✅.
+US$250/month per dependant ✅.
Visa term 2 years ✅; temporary residence is renewable once under the LOMH ✅ (Asamblea Nacional).
4. Family and marriage
Permanent residence by marriage or legally recognized de facto union with an Ecuadorian ✅ (Asamblea; e-VISAS lists "Residencia Permanente por matrimonio").
Dependent minors/persons with disabilities and relatives within 2nd degree of an Ecuadorian or permanent resident qualify for permanent residence ✅ (Asamblea).
Old rule: 2-year naturalization if you have Ecuadorian children ✅ (2020 Cancillería instructions, PDF) — whether still in force ⚠️.
5. Digital nomad
❓ A "nómada digital" temporary residence exists under the LOMH reforms; income test and fees not fetched this session.
6. Naturalization
6.1 Which rule applies
LOMH arts. 70–72: foreigners holding permanent residence and domiciled regularly in Ecuador for at least 3 years at filing ✅ (gob.ec; signed procedure PDF, Sep 9, 2026).
Whether temporary-residence time counts toward the 3 years ⚠️: the gob.ec text says "ostenten visa de residencia permanente y se encuentren domiciliadas… al menos por tres años". Plan for 21 months temporary + 3 years permanent ≈ 4.75 years.
6.2 Documents (gob.ec)
Document
Issuer
Apostille / legalization
Validity
Permanent residence visa
Cancillería
—
Valid
Document showing place of birth and filiation (birth certificate)
US state
Apostille
❓
Proof of lawful means of living in Ecuador
—
—
—
Being current with obligations to the State (SRI, IESS, municipality)
Ecuadorian agencies
—
❓
Interview explaining why you want to naturalize ✅
Cancillería
—
—
Fees US$50 (application) + US$350 (grant); 50% off for seniors ✅
—
—
—
After receiving the carta: update the cédula within 45 days (stated for the refugee procedure; likely general ⚠️) ✅ (gob.ec refugees).
6.3 Exam and language
Knowledge of Spanish and of Ecuador's history, geography and culture is assessed, except for people who completed a university degree taught in Spanish ✅ (gob.ec exceptions). Format/pass mark ❓.
LOMH 2017, reformed 2023 and re-published 2025 ✅ (gob.ec). Fees from the 2023 Arancel Consular ✅.
Fully online visa process since the digital-services model ✅.
Security: state-of-emergency measures and crime in coastal areas ❓ (not sourced this session).
Rating: MEDIUM.
10. Common mistakes and tips
Letting the FBI record pass 180 days before your last entry.
Missing the same-day $50 payment; the e-VISAS application is deleted.
Spending more than 90 days a year abroad on temporary residence.
Filing for permanent residence after the temporary visa has expired. File before.
Foreign health insurance that does not state coverage in Ecuador.
12. Open questions we are still researching
Jubilado, investor, professional and digital-nomad amounts and fees
Whether temporary time counts toward the 3 years
Absence limits for permanent residents and naturalization
Cédula fee; Acuerdo Ministerial 70 details
Tax residence and SRI rules (treaty/totalization ✅ none; FBAR/8938 ✅ — Oct 9, 2026)
Translation requirements (who may translate)
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In short: a lawyer can check your case, and the free checklist keeps the steps in one place.
⚖️ Planning a move to Ecuador? Rules change fast and details matter. A licensed immigration lawyer can check your situation before you spend money. Book a consultation
A step-by-step printable checklist covering documents, apostilles, banking and taxes, plus email alerts when the countries in this guide change their residency or citizenship rules.