@smitty88
American expat in Ecuador
Forum
59 posts
About me
American
Lives in Otavalo
Registration: 30 August 2013
Activity
Ecuador's Pending New Immigration Law by Andrew242
Some noteworthy changes are the extension of the visitor permit from 90 to 180 days, simplification of the immigrant/non-immigrant visas and application processes most likely, also foreigners will be required to have health insurance for the ...
Thank you all but this is getting more and more complex and confusing. Which 60 month period? Starting when I return to Ecuador next month and going back five years? Starting now I will likely not live 5 more years. So if I returned to Ecuador July ... Read More
Ecuador's Pending New Immigration Law by Andrew242
Some noteworthy changes are the extension of the visitor permit from 90 to 180 days, simplification of the immigrant/non-immigrant visas and application processes most likely, also foreigners will be required to have health insurance for the ...
Looking at my passport, I cannot tell whether or not I may have been out of the country more than 90 days for either of the first two years after my 9-I was issued May 24th, 2009. I thought that I could presume that I had complied because I have ... Read More
Ecuador's Pending New Immigration Law by Andrew242
Some noteworthy changes are the extension of the visitor permit from 90 to 180 days, simplification of the immigrant/non-immigrant visas and application processes most likely, also foreigners will be required to have health insurance for the ...
I have US Kaiser HMO health insurance, which covers me anywhere, at least for emergency needs, but have found that my Kaiser co-pay is often about what I pay my Ecuadorian ophthalmologist and neurologist and is more than I pay my Ecuadorian GP, with ... Read More
Visas in Ecuador by James Caj
I do not know how the other Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices are working, but at least in Azogues all the processes are terribly slow and complicated!!! Big lines to get a ticket to submit your paperwork, I do not know why Cuenca office is not ...
This is either mistaken or misleading. I, as a California attorney could notarize your signature if we are both in Berkeley or in Quito, but what is noteworthy is that in the US all I am doing is certifying that you are the person who signed. It has ... Read More
Visas in Ecuador by James Caj
I do not know how the other Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices are working, but at least in Azogues all the processes are terribly slow and complicated!!! Big lines to get a ticket to submit your paperwork, I do not know why Cuenca office is not ...
I got my 9-I visa in 2009 although spending most of my time in Ecuador I've been coming and going with no thought about how long and where. A couple of months ago on leaving UIO immigration delayed me for some time, seemingly, but not clearly, ... Read More
Bank fund by samialqsaimi
Gentlemen, Currently I and my wife living in Kuwait and we're thinking to move to Ecuador. The question is if I put in the bank 100,000$, how much the fund is? I want to open small business like mini market or tourism office, is it ...
At Banco Internacional today I noticed that you can get 5-6% on US$100K, depending on the term, from 3 mos to a year. I did not know about the $33,000 limit on insurance or, for that matter, what it is worth at all. I am too chicken to deposit much ... Read More
Purchasing a Home by joelrobin
We are purchasing a home we found though friends in Ecuador. We are buying the home while in the USA and the Ecuadorian owner also lives in the USA. We have an Ecuadorian price on a well built home in the Vilcabamba area. The owner has requested ...
Well put, but it is also important not to forget that Ecuador is still, in many ways, a third world country. Official record keeping and processes are better than in many other countries but can still be a mess. For you possible amusement I will ... Read More
Wow! Quito in expensive. And know Spanish. by amerexpatteacher
We all hear and read about how inexpensive Ecuador is to live as a retiree. "It's much, much cheaper than in the United States." That's really great marketing. I live in Quito. I carefully look at the prices. Wow! Look at the ...
This post is replete with bad information, as I am sure anyone familiar with Ecuador can tell you. Does the poster have some agenda discouraging people from coming here? Or are they just incompetent? You can get a nice 3 bedroom apt in a decent area ... Read More
Buying paintings at Ejido park by vsimple
Anyone have any experience purchasing paintings from artists at Parque Ejido. Any information to give me an idea or to gauge prices would be helpful. I’ve seen similar art on Mercado Libre for around $125 for an abstract piece that is about ...
You can buy "Sunflowers" for maybe $US50 million and a "good copy" for maybe $20. Read More
Purchasing a Home by joelrobin
We are purchasing a home we found though friends in Ecuador. We are buying the home while in the USA and the Ecuadorian owner also lives in the USA. We have an Ecuadorian price on a well built home in the Vilcabamba area. The owner has requested ...
This has potential to become one big mess, but lacking details and time I cannot comment a lot. For one thing, I have been involved in several house sales here, none of which levied a 14% "IVA" tax. Also, a .8% lawyer fee could be a good ... Read More
GETTING A DRIVERS LICENSE IN ECUADOR 2016 (updated information) by EcuaAssist
Getting a Drivers License in Ecuador The topic of drivers licenses has been a recurrent topic in the last months. Since January 11th, 2016, the requisite of having to assist to driving lessons for three weeks, and approved it through theoretical ...
In Otavalo my mate went to take the written test. The examiner gave her all the answers then the clerk praised her for getting 100%. heh heh Read More
GETTING A DRIVERS LICENSE IN ECUADOR 2016 (updated information) by EcuaAssist
Getting a Drivers License in Ecuador The topic of drivers licenses has been a recurrent topic in the last months. Since January 11th, 2016, the requisite of having to assist to driving lessons for three weeks, and approved it through theoretical ...
I took my notarized documents to the county clerk in Alameda Count, Oakland, California where they apostilled the lot. They told me it was just to verify that the notarizing was legitimate. The whole system seems weird to me but it was easy enough ... Read More
GETTING A DRIVERS LICENSE IN ECUADOR 2016 (updated information) by EcuaAssist
Getting a Drivers License in Ecuador The topic of drivers licenses has been a recurrent topic in the last months. Since January 11th, 2016, the requisite of having to assist to driving lessons for three weeks, and approved it through theoretical ...
My Spanish is very poor and limited but I took the sample test in Spanish online a year or two ago now and passed it easily. Check it out. Read More
Cost of Living (Supermarket Prices) 2016 by vsimple
Below are supermarket prices from Supermaxi and Megamaxi in Quito for 2016. Almost all products are locally produced or made and the few that aren’t are mainly made in Colombia. This list should help give anyone interested in cost of living ...
Thanks. Interesting site, although often very inaccurate. For example, gasoline has been about $1.45/US gallon (diesel is $1.04/US gallon) everywhere since I moved there in 2008. I buy a big hand of bananas (over 2 lbs) for 50 cents and pay 90 ... Read More
Cost of Living (Supermarket Prices) 2016 by vsimple
Below are supermarket prices from Supermaxi and Megamaxi in Quito for 2016. Almost all products are locally produced or made and the few that aren’t are mainly made in Colombia. This list should help give anyone interested in cost of living ...
Supermarkets, especially in Ecuador, are for people who don't care about prices, except for items they find necessary and cannot find elsewhere. Prices at local open markets are generally orders of magnitude less. I will try to include photos of ... Read More