Ecuador

Visa de Residencia Temporal Inversionista. Two-year temporary residence for investing at least 100 times Ecuador’s basic salary through a bank deposit, real estate, company equity, or a state contract.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Visa de Residencia Temporal Inversionista

Two-year temporary residence, multiple entry, no minimum stay.

Who qualifies

Minimum investment of 100 SBU, about $48,200 at the 2026 SBU, through a 730-day-plus term deposit, registered real estate, equity in a registered Ecuadorian company, or a public investment contract.
Ecuador Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Visa Inversionista, Requisitos
Apostilled criminal record no more than 180 days old and proof of the lawful origin of the funds under Acuerdo Ministerial No. 70.
Ecuador Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Visa Inversionista

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

One question, from the program’s own rules.

Savings you could move or invest?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Investment: About $48,200.
Time: 6–10 weeks, longer for the real-estate option.
Cost: $50 application, $270 issuance, plus the $48,200 investment, plus $1,000–3,000 in legal, notary, and registry costs for real estate.
The hard part: The bank-deposit option locks capital for 730 days in an Ecuadorian bank; the real-estate option needs clean registered title, which is slow outside major cities.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2033.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
2 years, renewable for 2 years at a time.
2029
Permanent residence
Twenty-one months in a row as a temporary resident, applying before the temporary visa expires. For that continuity you may not be out of Ecuador for more than 90 days in total over the life of the temporary visa. Permanent residence can be cancelled after the first 2 years if you are away for 2 years in a row.
2032
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2033
Citizenship

Language: Must speak and write Spanish. Graduates of a Spanish-taught Ecuadorian university degree or postgraduate course are exempt; people over 65 still need Spanish.
Civics: An online exam on Ecuador’s history, geography, culture and current affairs, taken in Spanish; pass mark 90%, three attempts a month apart, then a one-year wait. Over-65s, minors and Ecuadorian university graduates are exempt. There is also an interview on why you want to be Ecuadorian.
Time away: Three years of regular, continuous residence holding the permanent-residence visa, counted from its issue. In those three years you may be out of Ecuador up to 180 days a year; more than that interrupts the residence and you cannot apply.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

The investment must be kept for renewals; 21 months with no more than 90 days abroad leads to permanent residence, and citizenship 3 years after that.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: None to keep the permit, though absences over 90 days a year can affect the permanent-residence clock.
Tax: Ecuador-source interest or rent is taxed regardless; worldwide income is taxed only at 183+ days.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Make the qualifying investment, then file the Inversionista application through e-VISAS.Open gob.ec ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of the funds to invest: about $48,200, and where they came from
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

The official application forms, submission and recovery specification are not complete. Postern cannot run this application yet.

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