Looking for answers... US citizen trying to get married in ecuador

Good luck and best wishes!

When I lived in Japan I had to fly to Seoul, South Korea (as did others) to get a change of Visa.
Have you explored the option of exiting and then re-entering on a different visa?

Does your girlfriend have a family member or friend who owns a small company--then they can get you a work permit visa? Or can you enroll in a university and get a student visa?

Or look into getting married in a neighboring country? Sometimes you can do what you want but not the way you want to do it.

Yes, you will need a visa and cedula-- that could take months to get and $ (and you will now need health insurance to get the visa).

This is what I did : If you look for countries where Ecuatorians can go without visa, one of the first ones is Bahamas. And Bahamas can marry you legally if you are there 24 hours. So... We traveled to Bahamas (she went via Panama, no visa required), got there on Sunday, was married on Monday.

Now, make sure to get a marriage certificate that is APOSTILLED before you leave Bahamas. $20 for cert + $140 for apostille. I got two. You then take those to Ecuador, have them translated and apostilled (the translation), and you take that to Registro Civil with cedula, passport, etc. And you get your marriage registered in Ecuador.

Now, you are legally married in Ecuador. Next stop? Visa 9-VI for you (permanent residence) as her husband.

If you rather marry in Ecuador, you have to find a legal way to stay 90 days or more IN Ecuador all in one stay.

Hope this helps. Note the marriage in Bahamas is totally legal worldwide. It was done at the Marriage Registry in Nassau. Just remember you won't get anywhere without the Apostille'd certificate. If you request after you leave it could take weeks (8+) to get one.