Proof of pension- certify by consulate or apostille?

The writer here is confusing things. An apostille is a guarantee of the validity of a signature. In California it can be done by county clerks. (see: http://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/authentication/).
A proof of pension is usually from Social Security office. However, other documents can be accepted. For example, my SS was too small so I got the CEO of a small limited partnership I have some small shares in to write up a fancy letter telling how much guaranteed income I got from them. We got the signature notarized, affixed a fancy stamp and it was accepted like that. As a bonus I also wrote up a certification, in Spanish, that all of the cited documents were true and accurate, had it notarized and stamped and included it. It seemed like a silly thing to do but we have found that having lots of official-looking documents with fancy stamps and certifications makes things easier.

Latin cultures love their paperwork the more the better. It is interesting that an Apostille does not guarantee the validity of the document, only that the person signing the apostille is qualified to do so. Furthermore, notaries in Norte Americana notarize only signatures, but in Latin countries it is the document that is notarized. In Ecuador, you have to be a lawyer first and go back to school for one year to qualify to apply to be a notary. I was a notary in Pennsylvania for 20 years and you can get your license from a cereal box.

An educated crook!! Fancy is a reason for fraud!!??? It takes all types I guess!!

Nothing is confused. An apostille is indeed a certification that the notary was in fact licensed. A consulate legalization is quite different. But none the less both are required in Ecuador. At least the local office! Good day.

In Ecuador you also have to be appointed by the Supreme court as well as the other you mentioned.

Better yet see the Hague convention of 1986,. That will tell you what an apostille really is!

That is true, you just cannot hang out your shingle.

I have been working with attorney Sara Chaca of Ecuador Visas. So far all of her advice and recommendations have been spot on. This is what she advised me to do for my Social Security Income verification:

"- For a Pensioner Visa qualification to be met, you need to obtain a "Social Security Benefits Letter" by visiting your local office of the Social Security Administration or Military or other Government office which issues your federal Pension, and this be stamped, signed and name printed LEGIBLY of that local office’s Office Manager or other Office Representative at your local office of Social Security Administration, and then you order an Apostille on this letter from the Department of State in your nation’s capitol (i.e. in Washington DC) in the country of issue."

She added that she has seen SS Benefits Letters turned down by La Republica because they were ordered online and lacked the signature and printed name of the person in the local SS Office. Just a word of caution if you are using an online version to maybe back it up with a visit to your local SS office.

The folks who are handing my Apostilles in the US confirmed that there was no need to obtain any "verifications" from the Ecuadorian Embassy because, as a member of the Hauge Convention, that requirement is waived.

No heresay or Facebook speculation, but I will discover in three weeks when I arrive if everyone has been telling the straight story.

I am skeptical of this advice. I used a "Social Security Benefits Verification Letter' that I got directly from SS with no problem. Also, it is NOT just the federal government that apostilles documents/signatures. I had mine done at the Alameda County courthouse in Oakland, California. And I did not use a lawyer at all. I was just accompanied by a fluent English/Spanish speaker friend. This was my real experience in getting a retiree (9-I) permanent residency visa, not hearsay.

There are only a few states that will not apostille the SS letter and the states that will are not fussy about the seal or signature. You can download a benefit letter and have it apostilled in probably 46 of the 50 states. As long as it is apostilled, Ecuadorian immigration does not care.

Due to the discrepancies among posters, it would be helpful to state where and when you obtained your residency visa under such-and-such conditions.

For example... I received my investment visa in Quito in February of 2014, etc.

cccmedia in Quito

I got my apostilled social security benefits letters back from the state department today.
I had ordered the letters online from social security; that took about 2 weeks. The letters are just printed on letterhead, no signature, but have a bar code printed on them. I was a little skeptical that they would go through, but after talking to social security, they told me that's all there is, so I sent them off. It costs $8 per document. They say it takes 5-7 business days. I got it back 8 days after they received it, so that's pretty accurate. Next step is to get them legalized by the consulate in Los Angeles. I have found a flight that will allow me to get it done and return in one day. I'm thinking I may opt to send it by priority mail instead, though.,
Bit by bit, I'm getting everything together, but still have the background checks to get done. It's sill early for that, since we're not leaving until September.
I'll post step by step as I get things done; this is a learning experience for me and I may as well share it.
John

You no longer need to get the SS document legalized by an Ecuadorian Consulate. Ecuador discovered that by requiring that they were violation of the Hague Treaty, so they rescinded that requirement some months ago.

I’ve seen this mentioned several places online. 

But without attribution.

Folks might appreciate a verifiable online source stating the Hague exception and the fact that consulate endorsement is not necessary.

Thank you for being one of the very few who spelled Hague correctly.

cccmedia

The language in The Hague convention says basically that if a document is apostilled, member countries cannot ask for further legalization or certification.

Actually the Hague convention for apostille was signed in 1961 and effective in 1965. Ecuador did enter to agreement on April 2nd 2005. Legally (according to the convention) the apostille should be valid without the need to legalize in an EC embassy. I see that someone says they have changed the requirement. I am not sure. The online visa  requirements in regard to the SS letter say "either certified in the country of origin or authenticated by the EC embassy". So the apostille should be sufficient!

Have a nice day.

CCC Media here is the web site for validation you asked for sir..  http://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/annuitant … 2/?lang=en

Thanks for the link Cuenca boy, it looks like the posters above are right, if the document has been apostilled it doesn't need to be 'legalized' by a consulate -

- "3. Updated criminal record certificate issued in the foreign country or the country where he/she has lived for the last five years, duly apostilled  OR  legalized at the Consulate of Ecuador in the country granting it"

I think that the authentication is not officially required, but the consulate in Los Angeles still thinks it is, and who knows what happens when you get to Ecuador. I think I'll go the belt and suspenders route and get it authentication, just in case

Yes, your welcome. It also applies to the SS letter or other proof of pension income. Depending on which city you are in the rules may be a bit different for visas. Thats just the way they are here. You may not get things when you want or expect but it seems like they always come through sooner or later. Nice place to live. We have been here 5 years.

Good idea. Better safe than sorry. You cant have to much paperwork!! The rules really dont change here but different ":supervisors" in the various office may have different ideas of what is needed, If they say you need it there is no arguing. I have personally experienced that myself. Also with others I used to help through the process. I found it was a thankless job because of no gringo patience at first. It took me about a year to perfect it myself but I did and live much happier now! You can not fight the system just roll with the flow and enjoy our new hosts country in their much slower easy way of life.
"Remember" tomorrow may be "next week"