Moving to Ecuador from the US: which visa or residence route fits

Ecuador lets US citizens visit without a visa, but living there means switching to a temporary residence visa issued by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (the foreign ministry, often called Cancillería). This guide compares the four routes most Americans look at: jubilado (retiree), rentista (passive income), the rentista visa for remote work that Ecuador calls the Visa Nómada, and inversionista (investor). Every requirement below comes from the ministry's procedure pages on gob.ec, checked on the date shown at the top of this page.

Start with the visitor rules

According to the US Embassy in Quito, US citizens can enter Ecuador as tourists without a visa for up to 90 days in a calendar year, and the passport should be valid for at least six months on arrival. Immigration officers may ask for proof of onward or return travel. Time as a visitor is useful for scouting cities and gathering documents, but it is not residence, and you should not plan to live in Ecuador on repeated tourist entries.

What every temporary residence visa requires

The four visas share a common base list on gob.ec:

• A color photo in JPG format, no larger than 1 MB, 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inches), with a white background.
• A passport valid for at least six months.
• An original criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or from any country where you lived in the last five years, translated and apostilled or legalized. Applicants under 18 do not need it.
• Payment of the fee set by the migration authority.
• Proof of lawful means of support under Acuerdo Ministerial No. 70 of June 28, 2024.
• Any other document the authority asks for in a particular case.

Two points in that list matter for Americans. First, the ministry says certificates issued by federal governments are valid as long as they cover national criminal records, which is why US applicants typically submit an FBI Identity History Summary with an apostille from the US Department of State. Second, the ministry counts a 180-day validity window running from the date the certificate was issued to your last entry into Ecuador. Order the certificate last, after your other documents are ready.

The retiree, rentista and nomad visas also require a national or foreign health insurance policy valid for the whole visa period. If the policy comes from a foreign insurer, the policy or contract has to state that it covers you in Ecuador.

The income unit: the Salario Básico Unificado

Ecuador sets its income thresholds in multiples of the Salario Básico Unificado (SBU), the general minimum wage. The Ministerio del Trabajo fixed the SBU for 2026 at US$482 per month in Acuerdo Ministerial MDT-2025-195. Ecuador uses the US dollar, so there is no currency conversion. With that figure, three SBU is US$1,446 a month and 100 SBU is US$48,200. The SBU changes every January, so recalculate with the current year's figure before you apply.

Jubilado (retiree) visa

The jubilado visa is for foreigners whose income is a pension paid by a public or private institution abroad. The special requirements are:

• An official document from the paying institution certifying a monthly pension of at least three SBU.
• That document must be apostilled (the United States is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention).
• Health insurance valid for the visa period with coverage in Ecuador.
• An additional US$250 per month of income for each dependent included on your application.

For Americans, the usual pension proof is a benefit letter from the Social Security Administration, a pension statement from a former employer, or both. The ministry's text speaks of a monthly pension payment, so savings balances or retirement account statements do not fit this category on their own.

Rentista visa

The rentista visa covers people who live on lawful personal income received each month from abroad or inside Ecuador. The gob.ec page gives examples: lease contracts, investment titles and similar documents. The special requirements are:

• Documents showing monthly income of at least three SBU, apostilled if issued in the United States.
• Health insurance valid for the visa period with coverage in Ecuador.
• US$250 a month of additional income for each dependent.

This is the route for an American who is not yet drawing a pension but has rental income from US property or regular investment distributions.

Visa Nómada (rentista for remote work)

Ecuador's digital nomad visa is a rentista category for people who work remotely for employers, clients or their own company based outside Ecuador. The special requirements are:

• Foreign-source income of at least three SBU per month for the three months before the application, or a total of 36 SBU per year, shown on copies of international bank statements.
• Documents proving that you work for, or provide services to, an employer, client or company domiciled abroad, either as an employee or as an independent professional, remotely or by telework.
• Alternatively, documents proving that you own a company registered and domiciled abroad.
• Health insurance valid for the visa period with coverage in Ecuador.

The ministry states that nationals of all countries may apply. A US employer letter plus pay statements, or client contracts plus your bank statements, are the kinds of documents that match the wording. The visa is built around income from abroad, so it does not cover taking a job with an Ecuadorian employer.

Inversionista (investor) visa

The investor visa is for foreigners who invest lawfully sourced money in productive or commercial activity in Ecuador. You need one of these:

• A term deposit certificate or policy for at least 730 days, issued by an institution recognized by the Superintendencia de Bancos or the Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria, for no less than 100 SBU.
• A registered deed showing that you own real estate in Ecuador worth at least 100 SBU.
• Proof that you own shares or participations in an Ecuadorian company worth at least 100 SBU, registered with the Superintendencia de Compañías, Valores y Seguros.
• An investment contract, delegated management deed or administrative contract signed with the Ecuadorian state.

The ministry notes that this visa has no limit on time spent outside Ecuador and allows multiple entries. It does not require the health insurance policy that the retiree, rentista and nomad pages list.

Where and how you apply

Each of the four gob.ec pages says the visa is issued by the ministry's Direcciones Zonales inside Ecuador, or by Ecuador's embassies and consulates abroad. You do not have to visit a consulate in the United States first: you can apply from the US through a consulate, or enter Ecuador as a visitor and apply there while your visitor status is still valid. The ministry also states that visa applications are filed only online, through its e-VISAS platform at serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec. You register with an email address, verify it with a code, create a password, complete your personal data, and then upload your documents and pay.

Which route fits

1. Drawing Social Security or a pension of at least three SBU a month: the jubilado visa.
2. Living on rent, dividends or similar recurring income: the rentista visa.
3. Still working for a US employer or US clients: the Visa Nómada.
4. Putting at least 100 SBU into an Ecuadorian bank deposit, property or company: the inversionista visa, which also suits people who spend long periods away.

After temporary residence

Ecuador's e-VISAS guide lists permanent residence for foreigners with 21 months of regular residence in the country, and for spouses and dependents of Ecuadorians or permanent residents. Keep copies of every document you file for the temporary visa, since you will need to show continuous lawful status when you apply.

US obligations that do not change

Moving to Ecuador does not end your US tax filing. The IRS taxes US citizens on worldwide income wherever they live,. Ecuador has its own tax authority, the Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI), and tax residence there follows its own rules, so get advice on both systems before your first full year.

Common questions

Can I apply for an Ecuadorian residence visa after arriving as a tourist? Yes. The foreign ministry issues these visas at its zonal offices inside Ecuador as well as at consulates abroad, and applications go through the online e-VISAS platform. Apply while your visitor status is still valid.

How much income do I need for the Ecuador retiree or digital nomad visa? Both require at least three Salarios Básicos Unificados a month. With the 2026 SBU of US$482, that is US$1,446. The nomad visa also accepts 36 SBU per year shown on international bank statements.

Which criminal record certificate do Americans use? The ministry accepts certificates from federal governments when they cover national records, so a nationwide FBI Identity History Summary with an apostille fits that wording. It must be within 180 days of issue at your last entry into Ecuador.

Does the investor visa limit time outside Ecuador? No. The gob.ec page for the inversionista visa says it has no limit on time spent abroad and allows multiple entries.