Ecuador

Visa de Residencia Temporal Jubilado. Two-year temporary residence for a retiree with a foreign pension of at least 3 times Ecuador’s basic salary.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Visa de Residencia Temporal Jubilado

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

Who qualifies

Foreign pension of at least 3 SBU a month, about $1,446 at the 2026 SBU of $482, certified by the paying institution.
Ecuador Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Visa Jubilado, Requisitos
Apostilled criminal record no more than 180 days old, and health insurance valid in Ecuador.
Ecuador Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Visa Jubilado
Proof of lawful income under Acuerdo Ministerial No. 70 of June 2024.
Acuerdo Ministerial No. 70

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

3 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: Steady income each month, rising with each person who moves.
Just you$1,446
2 people$1,696
4 people$2,196
Time: 4–8 weeks through the e-VISAS portal once documents are apostilled.
Cost: $50 application, $270 issuance (half off at 65+), plus $100–300 for apostilles and translation, plus insurance.
The hard part: Getting an apostilled, dated pension certification from foreign pension agencies unfamiliar with the format.

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.

Twenty-one months with no more than 90 days abroad in total leads to permanent residence; the 3-year citizenship clock only starts then.
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, though absences over 90 days a year can affect the permanent-residence clock.
Tax: Worldwide income is taxable only once you become a tax resident at 183+ days a year; the pension is untaxed below that.

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

Start today.

File the Visa Jubilado application through the e-VISAS portal.Open gob.ec ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $1,446 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health insurance that meets the program’s rules

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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