Last checked 13 Nov 2026Written for US citizensSome rules are still being checked
In brief
Remote workers and retirees each need about $1,446 a month, and you can apply online from inside Ecuador. After 21 months on either visa you can switch to permanent residence.
Residency income fromAbout $1,446 a month
Visa-free (US)90 days a year, extendable once
CitizenshipAbout 4 years 9 months at the earliest
Tax on foreign incomeYes, once you stay 183 days a year
Temporary residence for remote workers (digital nomad visa)
(visa de residencia temporal de rentista para trabajo remoto, o Visa Nómada)
Who it's for: Remote workers and owners of a company abroad, earning from foreign employers or clients.
Money needed
About $1,446 a month of foreign income for the past 3 months, plus $250 a month per dependant
How long it lasts
Up to 2 years; renewable, but the renewal steps are Not yet verified
Leads to
Permanent residence after 21 months in a row, with no more than 90 days abroad
Apply from
Online, from abroad or inside Ecuador while your visitor stay is valid
Processing time
No official time is published; real waits Not yet verified
What you need
Passport: valid at least 6 months, plus a photo
Income proof: international bank statements showing the income
Work proof: contracts or letters from foreign employers or clients, or papers for your foreign company
Criminal record: a US federal certificate, apostilled, translated and under 180 days old
Health insurance: valid for the whole visa period and covering you in Ecuador
Fees: $50 on the day you apply, then $270; half price from age 65. Other costs Not yet verified
ID card: once granted, get your foreigner's ID (cédula) at the Civil Registry
Good to know
Remote work only: treat local jobs and Ecuadorian clients as not allowed until confirmed Not yet verified
Pay the $50 the same day: unpaid applications are deleted at 11:55 p.m.
No minimum stay, but more than 90 days abroad breaks the 21-month count toward permanent residence.
Checked against the lawCategory, length, fees and family rules, from the migration law and official procedure sheets.
Still being checkedWhether local work is allowed, the eligible-country list and the renewal steps.
Pending changeAn October 2025 law ordered new visa regulations, which may change this visa.
Sources (12)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: July 2025 Reglamento consolidation (RO 87) and any post-October-2025 reform not read; whether local employment or Ecuadorian clients are allowed; whether employer letters must be apostilled; the Ministerio de Turismo nationality list ('TODOS LOS PAÍSES'); the renewal procedure.
Money: 3 SBU a month for the 3 months before applying, or 36 SBU a year (USD 1,446 / 17,352 at SBU USD 482, MDT-2025-195), in international bank statements; plus USD 250 a month per dependant (Reglamento art 64 num 1; nomad sheet).
Law: LOMH art 60 num 2 (rentista; no separate nomad category in the law), arts 63-65; Reglamento art 64 (Decreto 354, 2023 consolidation); essentials LOMH art 64 as amended 24 Oct 2025. Fees USD 50 + 270 (Arancel Consular 2023, AM 0000026); 50% from 65, 100% for disability of 30% or more.
Pending change: Disposición Transitoria Primera of the 24 Oct 2025 reform orders a Reglamento reform within 90 days; not located. Local work outside the visa is a minor offence (fine 1 SBU; LOMH art 170 as replaced 2025).
Tax: no nomad exemption; pay for work done in Ecuador is Ecuadorian-source (LRTI art 8 num 1); resident from 183 days (art 4.1).
Who it's for: Retirees with a public or private pension paid from abroad.
Money needed
A pension of about $1,446 a month, plus $250 a month per dependant
How long it lasts
Up to 2 years; renewable, but the renewal rules are Not yet verified
Leads to
Permanent residence after 21 months in a row, with no more than 90 days abroad
Apply from
Online, from abroad or inside Ecuador while your visitor stay is valid
Processing time
No official time is published; real waits Not yet verified
What you need
Passport: valid at least 6 months, plus a photo
Pension certificate: an official letter from the payer showing the monthly amount, apostilled and translated
Criminal record: apostilled, translated and under 180 days old
Health insurance: valid for the whole visa period and covering you in Ecuador
Proof of support: evidence of lawful means, as for other temporary visas
Fees: $50 on the day you apply, then $270; half price from age 65. Other costs Not yet verified
ID card: once granted, get your cédula at the Civil Registry
Good to know
Social Security letters: whether an SSA letter counts, or several pensions can be added up, is Still being checked
Not a work visa: it covers pension income; other activities risk a fine Not yet verified
Tax: after 183 days a year you're a tax resident, and whether US pensions are exempt isn't settled.
Checked against the lawCategory, length, fees and family rules, from the migration law and the official procedure sheet.
Still being checkedThe pension amount in the newest rules, SSA letters and combined pensions.
Pending changeAn October 2025 law ordered new visa regulations, which may change this visa.
Sources (9)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: 2025 Reglamento consolidation and any post-October-2025 reform (confirm art 65 amount and wording); whether SSA benefit letters are accepted as the 'documento oficial' and whether pensions can be combined to reach 3 SBU; retiree tax at 365 days.
Money: monthly pension from abroad of at least 3 SBU (Reglamento art 65) = USD 1,446 in 2026; USD 250 a month per dependant.
Law: LOMH art 60 num 3, art 64 (as amended 24 Oct 2025); Reglamento arts 58 (apostille), 65, 84. Fees USD 50 + 270; a 67-year-old would pay USD 25 + 135 if the discount applies to the channel used.
Tax: worldwide taxation from 183 days with a credit for foreign tax (LRTI arts 2, 4.1, 49); art 9 num 7 pension exemption names IESS, Labour Code, ISSFA/ISSPOL and 'pensionistas del Estado'; residencia fiscal temporal is the alternative.
(visa de residencia permanente por tiempo de permanencia mayor a 21 meses)
Who it's for: Temporary residents with 21 months in a row in Ecuador, on any temporary visa.
Money needed
No fixed amount; you show lawful means of support Not yet verified
How long it lasts
Permanent; there's nothing to renew
Leads to
Citizenship after 3 more years
Apply from
Online, before your temporary visa expires
Processing time
No official time is published; real waits Not yet verified
What you need
21 months in a row of temporary residence, with no more than 90 days abroad
Same basis: proof that the reason for your temporary visa still applies
Criminal record: an Ecuadorian certificate now replaces the US one
Passport: valid at least 6 months, plus a photo
Fees: $50 on the day you apply, then $225; half price from age 65
New ID card at the Civil Registry
Good to know
First 2 years: at most 180 days abroad each year, or a fine of about $241.
After that: 2 years in a row abroad loses the status.
Family: your spouse, partner and dependants can apply for permanent residence too.
Checked against the lawThe 21-month rule and the absence limits, read in the migration law.
Still being checkedThe proof-of-support rules, and how the two absence rules fit together.
Sources (6)
Legal basis and exact figures
Still being checked: means-of-support evidence under Acuerdo Ministerial 70 (28 Jun 2024) not read; how LOMH art 65 (no absence limit on temporary residence) fits Reglamento art 84 (90-day limit for continuity).
Law: LOMH art 63 num 1; Reglamento arts 58, 83-84; fee AM 0000026 art 8.4.1 (USD 50 + 225). Absences: LOMH art 65 (180 days a year in the first 2 years, fine 50% of an SBU, art 170); art 68 num 5 (2 or more continuous years abroad loses the status).
Citizenship: 3 years' regular domicile on the permanent visa (LOMH art 71 num 1); at most 180 days abroad a year (Reglamento art 123).
Status chips:Checked against the law means we read the official legal text. Not yet verified and Not established yet mean it isn't confirmed at the official source yet. Still being checked marks open questions, and Pending change a rule that may change soon; each route's Sources list names them.
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