Ecuador Tourist Visa — The 90-Day Visa for Visa-Required Nationalities

Ecuador's Tourist Visa — formally the Visa de Visitante Temporal Turista — is a 90-day, single-purpose visa for tourism, recreation, and family visits. It is the legal entry permit for nationals of roughly 45 countries that are not on Ecuador's visa-free entry list. If your passport doesn't qualify for the standard 90-day visa-free stay (which Ecuador grants to most Western and Latin American nationals on arrival), this is the visa you apply for before traveling.

What the Tourist Visa is for: - Tourism — visiting the Galápagos, the Amazon, the Andes, the coast, colonial Quito and Cuenca - Recreation and leisure - Visiting family or friends already in Ecuador - Short-term cultural experiences, language immersion programs (informal, non-credit), volunteer travel that doesn't constitute employment

What the Tourist Visa is NOT for: - Working in Ecuador — paid or unpaid employment, freelance contracts performed inside Ecuador, or any income-generating activity is not permitted on this visa - Formal study — accredited university enrollment, professional certification programs, or anything requiring a Student Visa - Business activity — sales meetings, signing commercial contracts, conducting trade, or anything else covered by Ecuador's Commercial Visa (Visa de Negocios) - Applying for residency from inside Ecuador — the Tourist Visa is not a stepping stone to a Pensioner, Rentista, Investor, or Professional residency visa; in most cases you must leave Ecuador and apply for the appropriate residency category from your country of origin or a third country

The single-entry, single-purpose rule: This is a single-purpose visa, meaning it authorizes tourism and nothing else. Engaging in restricted activities on a Tourist Visa can result in fines, deportation, and future entry bans. If your trip combines tourism with anything else — paid speaking gigs, contract work, real estate due-diligence, or business meetings — speak to an Ecuadorian immigration advisor about the right visa category before you travel.

Duration and entry rules: The Tourist Visa authorizes a stay of up to 90 days from the date of entry into Ecuador. The visa itself has a validity window during which you must enter Ecuador (typically a few months from issuance), but the 90-day clock starts on the day you cross the border. The visa can be extended once in-country at the Cancillería for an additional 90 days, for a maximum total stay of 180 days — and then you must leave Ecuador. There is no second extension.

For the vast majority of travelers from visa-required countries, the Tourist Visa is the correct and only legal way to visit Ecuador for short-term tourism. It is also the most common visa EcuaGo files on behalf of applicants from India, China, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the other nationalities listed in the next section.

Ecuador grants visa-free entry of up to 90 days to nationals of most Western European, North American, and Latin American countries — Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans, French, Italians, Mexicans, Argentines, Brazilians, and most other passports in this group simply show up at the airport with a return ticket and get stamped in.

If your passport is from a country NOT on the visa-free list, you need the Tourist Visa before traveling. Approximately 45 nationalities fall into this category. The most common applicants EcuaGo sees are from:

• India — the largest single source of Tourist Visa applicants, driven by Ecuador's growing reputation as a long-haul leisure destination and the strong Indian diaspora interest in the Galápagos and Amazon
• China — both Mainland China (PRC) nationals and a steady flow of Chinese travelers via Hong Kong and other transit hubs
• Nigeria — a growing market for Ecuadorian tourism among Nigerian professionals and families
• Philippines — Filipino tourists and visiting-family applicants
• Cuba — particularly families with relatives already settled in Ecuador
• Venezuela — though Venezuelan nationals have specific additional regulations and should verify current requirements; many Venezuelans pursue residency rather than tourism

Other visa-required nationalities include:

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen.

The list changes periodically. Ecuador's visa-required list is updated by ministerial resolution from time to time — countries are added, removed, or shifted between requirement categories. The canonical authority is the Cancillería del Ecuador (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility) and its official visa requirement listings. If you are uncertain whether your nationality requires this visa, the safest move is to verify directly via the Cancillería or via EcuaGo's intake form — we check current eligibility before any application is filed.

Dual nationals: If you hold a second passport from a visa-free country (e.g., an Indian national who also holds a Canadian passport), you can typically enter Ecuador on the visa-free passport and skip the Tourist Visa entirely. Bring both passports to the airport — Ecuadorian border officers will sometimes ask to see the entry passport throughout your stay.

Stateless travelers, refugees, and asylum-seekers have separate legal pathways outside the Tourist Visa framework and should consult an Ecuadorian immigration attorney rather than applying as a tourist.

US citizens: US passport holders enter Ecuador visa-free for 90 days. The Tourist Visa is generally not relevant to Americans. The rare exception would be a US national applying for some unusual reason — in that case, the requirements include both an FBI federal background check and a state-level background check from any US state where the applicant has lived for 5 or more years.

The Tourist Visa file is lighter than residency visa files — there's no proof of pension, no investment certificate, no SENESCYT registration. But each document still has to meet Ecuador's exact specifications, and the most common rejections come from formatting issues on these basic items.

1. Valid passport - Must have at least 6 months of remaining validity from your intended date of entry into Ecuador - Must have at least 2 blank visa pages for stamping - Damaged, water-affected, or partially detached passports will be rejected — replace your passport before applying if there are issues - Submit a high-resolution scan of the biographical (photo) page, plus any pages with prior visas or stamps if the consulate requests them

2. Recent color passport photo - 5×5 cm, white background, taken within the last 6 months - JPG format, typically ≤1MB - Face must fill 70–80% of the frame, neutral expression, no glasses, no head covering except for religious reasons - Most photo studios in major cities know the "Ecuador visa photo" spec — ask for it explicitly

3. Criminal background check from country of origin - Issued by the highest national authority in your country (FBI for the US, ACRO for the UK, RCMP for Canada, PCC for India, NBI for the Philippines, federal certificate from China's Ministry of Public Security, NPF for Nigeria, etc.) - Issued within 180 days of the visa application — anything older is rejected - Apostilled if your country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention - Legalized through Ecuadorian consular channels if your country is not a Hague party - Translated to Spanish by a judiciary-certified translator. EcuadorTranslations.com is the cross-border-recognized translation service for this and other Ecuadorian government filings - US citizens applying for any reason need BOTH an FBI federal check AND state-level checks from every US state lived in for 5+ years

4. Flight itinerary (entry AND exit within 90 days) - This is the requirement unique to the Tourist Visa and gets its own section below — it's the single most common point of rejection - Must show entry to Ecuador AND a confirmed exit ticket within 90 days of entry - Ticket reservation (with airline confirmation number visible) — not a search result, not a screenshot of a flight comparison site, not a quote

5. Proof of accommodation in Ecuador - Hotel reservations with confirmation numbers covering your stay (or the bulk of it) - Airbnb confirmations with property address and check-in/check-out dates - A combination of accommodation reservations for multi-stop itineraries (e.g., 5 nights in Quito, 7 nights in Galápagos, 4 nights in Cuenca) - OR a letter of invitation from an Ecuador-resident host that includes: - The host's full name, Ecuadorian cédula, and address - A copy of the host's cédula (both sides) - Proof of the host's address (recent utility bill, rental contract, or property deed) - The host's relationship to you and the dates of your intended stay - The host's signature

6. Proof of economic means for the trip - Bank statements showing 3–6 months of activity and sufficient available funds for the duration of your trip — Ecuador's informal guideline is that travelers should be able to demonstrate at least roughly $50–$100 per day of intended stay, though the consulate has discretion - Credit card statements showing available credit and recent activity - OR a sponsorship letter from a host or relative who will financially support you in Ecuador, accompanied by the sponsor's own bank statements and an Ecuadorian-recognized commitment of support

7. Travel insurance (recommended; sometimes required) - Policy covering medical emergencies, hospitalization, and emergency evacuation in Ecuador for the full duration of your trip - Some consulates formally require it; others strongly recommend it; either way, traveling without it is a poor decision in a country with significant altitude (Quito sits at ~2,850 m) and remote regions (Amazon, Galápagos) where medical evacuation can be expensive - Coverage of at least $30,000–$50,000 USD is a reasonable baseline

Document quality matters. Scans should be in color, full-page, with no shadows or cropped edges, and saved as PDF or JPG. Photos of documents taken with a phone camera are routinely rejected — invest in a proper scan or use a scanning app that flattens and color-corrects. EcuaGo's AI validation catches most of these issues in 24 hours so you can fix them before the file goes to the e-VISAS portal.

The flight itinerary is the requirement that distinguishes the Tourist Visa from residency visas, and it's where the largest share of applications stumble. Ecuador wants to see, in advance, that you have a definite plan to enter and leave the country within 90 days. Vague or open-ended travel plans don't satisfy this requirement.

What Ecuador wants to see:

• A confirmed round-trip itinerary from your country of origin (or wherever you're traveling from) into Ecuador, with a defined return flight
• OR a confirmed onward-travel itinerary if your trip is part of a multi-country tour — you fly into Ecuador and then fly out to a different country (e.g., Bogotá, Lima, Madrid) within 90 days, with that onward flight booked
• Airline confirmation numbers must be visible on the itinerary document — this is what proves the reservation is real and not just a search result
• The arrival date and departure date must both fall within the visa's intended validity window and within the 90-day stay limit

What Ecuador does NOT accept:

• A flight search result (the comparison page from a travel site showing prices)
• A screenshot of "flights I'm considering"
• A quote from a travel agent
• A pure intention statement ("I plan to leave by [date]")
• An open-jaw ticket with no return or onward leg
• A standby ticket without a confirmed seat

The cash flow problem and how to solve it. Many applicants resist booking real tickets before their visa is approved — what if the visa is denied and the tickets are non-refundable? This is a fair concern. Here are the standard workarounds:

Option 1 — Hold reservations. Most major airlines and online travel agencies allow temporary holds of 24–72 hours, sometimes with a small fee for longer holds. Some applicants book "hold" reservations long enough to file the visa application, then convert to a full ticket after approval. Verify the airline's hold policy carefully — a hold that expires before the consulate reviews your file is useless.

Option 2 — Refundable tickets. Fully refundable fares are more expensive, but they provide real reservation documents that satisfy the requirement and can be cancelled with a full refund if the visa is denied. For applicants from high-fare origins (India, China, Nigeria), the extra cost can be justified as visa insurance.

Option 3 — Specialized visa-itinerary services. Several online services issue verifiable, real airline-system reservations (with PNR/confirmation numbers) valid for a short window — typically 1–2 weeks — specifically for visa-application purposes. The reservation is real enough to verify on the airline's site but is automatically cancelled if not paid. Use a reputable provider; some lower-tier services issue "dummy" PDFs that don't trace to a real PNR and are detected as fraudulent during consulate verification.

Option 4 — Book a full ticket on a flexible-change carrier. Some carriers (often in the Middle East or Asia) offer change-friendly tickets with low penalties. Book the actual flight, file the visa, and adjust if needed.

A note on Galápagos travel. If your Ecuador trip includes the Galápagos Islands, you'll need separate domestic flights (Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra or San Cristóbal) plus the Galápagos National Park entrance fee (currently $200 for most international visitors), the INGALA transit card ($20 at the airport before boarding), and you must clear an agricultural inspection. These are travel logistics rather than visa requirements, but plan for them.

Multi-stop itineraries. If you're entering through Quito and leaving through Guayaquil (or vice versa), or making multiple Ecuador entries from a regional base, document the full sequence clearly. The reviewer wants to see one coherent travel plan, not a confusing list of disconnected reservations.

Common rejection trigger: A return flight that falls 92 days after entry instead of within 90 days. Count carefully — Ecuador strictly enforces the 90-day limit, and "close enough" doesn't qualify.

The total cost of a Tourist Visa through EcuaGo is $134, broken into three clear line items.

Official government fees ($85 total): - Application fee: $53 USD — paid to the Cancillería at submission - Issuance / approval fee: $32 USD — paid upon approval, before the visa is stamped/issued

These fees go directly to the Ecuadorian government and are non-refundable in the standard case (some refund provisions exist if the application is withdrawn before processing, but plan as if they are non-refundable).

EcuaGo service fee: $49 USD

For $49, EcuaGo provides: - AI-driven document validation in approximately 24 hours — catches photo specification errors, expired background checks, illegible scans, and apostille issues before the file goes to the consulate - Filing on your behalf through Cancillería's e-VISAS portal - Real-time application status tracking - Resubmission support if any document is returned for correction by the reviewer — we handle the back-and-forth with the portal so you don't have to navigate it in Spanish - Multi-locale interface in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified) for applicants from major source markets

Total: $49 + $85 = $134

Discounts available:

• 50% off government fees for applicants aged 65 or older. For seniors, the government portion drops by half, bringing the total visa cost (with EcuaGo's $49 service fee) to roughly $91.50. While this discount is most relevant to retirement-visa applicants, it does apply on the Tourist Visa as well.
• 100% off government fees for applicants with a 30%+ certified disability (Ecuador CONADIS carnet). This discount almost never applies to tourists (the carnet is issued by Ecuadorian authorities after extended in-country evaluation), so practically speaking it's a residency-tier benefit rather than a tourist benefit — mentioned here for completeness.

Costs NOT included in the $134:

• Country-of-origin background check fee — varies widely (FBI: $18 for an electronic ID History Summary; PCC India: ~$15–20; NBI Philippines: ~$3–5; Chinese Ministry of Public Security certificate: varies by province)
• Apostille or legalization fee — typically $5–$25 per document depending on country
• Spanish translation — EcuadorTranslations.com charges roughly $40–$60 per page for judiciary-certified translation of background checks and supporting documents
• Passport photos — $3–$10 at a local photo studio
• Flight reservations — variable, but plan for at least one refundable or holdable round-trip booking
• Travel insurance — typically $30–$80 for a 90-day trip depending on coverage and age
• Accommodation deposits — often refundable hotel/Airbnb reservations don't require upfront payment, but some do

Realistic total cost for most applicants from India, the Philippines, or another major source market, including all collateral document costs and a refundable round-trip ticket: $300–$500 in total out-of-pocket expense for the Tourist Visa application package. The visa itself is the cheapest part — the documentation around it is where most of the real spending happens.

When budgeting, treat $134 as the absolute floor and $400–$500 as a realistic ceiling for a well-prepared application.

All Ecuadorian non-immigrant and immigrant visas — including the Tourist Visa — are filed through the Cancillería's e-VISAS portal at serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec. The portal is the single official channel; applications are no longer accepted at most consulates as paper files, and any third-party service that tells you otherwise is operating outside official process.

The e-VISAS portal is Spanish-language by default with limited English support, has its own document-format quirks, and changes its UI periodically. EcuaGo navigates the portal on your behalf — but if you choose to file directly, this is the path.

Step 1 — Account creation (Cancillería) Create an account on the e-VISAS portal using your full legal name as it appears in your passport, a valid email address, and a strong password. You'll need access to this email throughout the process; portal notifications and decision letters are sent here.

Step 2 — Select the visa category From the visa catalog, select Visa de Visitante Temporal — Turista. The portal will display the document checklist for this specific category. Confirm that the checklist matches what you've prepared.

Step 3 — Upload documents Upload each document in the required format: - Passport biographical page: color PDF or JPG, full-page, both edges visible - Passport photo: JPG, 5×5cm dimensions, typically ≤1MB - Background check (apostilled and translated): PDF, full document including apostille seal - Flight itinerary: PDF showing entry and exit reservations with confirmation numbers - Accommodation proof: PDF of hotel/Airbnb reservations or a scanned letter of invitation with the host's cédula - Bank statements / proof of economic means: PDF, recent 3–6 months - Travel insurance certificate (if applicable): PDF

File sizes are typically capped at 5–10 MB per document. Use a PDF compressor if needed, but do not over-compress to the point of illegibility.

Step 4 — Pay the application fee ($53) The portal accepts payment by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, sometimes American Express) directly within the application flow. Some applicants have reported issues with foreign-issued cards being declined; if that happens, contact the consulate or use an alternative payment route. The $53 application fee is non-refundable if the application is rejected on substantive grounds, but it may be refundable if you withdraw before formal review begins.

Step 5 — Submit and wait Once submitted, the application enters Cancillería review. You'll receive an email confirmation with a tracking reference. Use this reference to check status on the portal at any time.

Step 6 — Respond to any document requests If the reviewer needs additional information or rejects a document, you'll receive a notification via the portal and email. You typically have 15 business days (sometimes longer at the reviewer's discretion) to respond. Late responses can result in application closure — at which point you'd have to refile from scratch.

Step 7 — Pay the issuance fee ($32) upon approval When the visa is approved, you'll be notified to pay the $32 issuance/approval fee. Once paid, the visa is issued.

Step 8 — Receive the digital visa Ecuadorian Tourist Visas are increasingly issued as digital visas — a digitally-signed document with a unique authentication code that is accepted at all Ecuador border crossings without requiring a physical passport stamp at the issuing consulate. Print a copy and save a digital copy on your phone and email. Some applicants opt for or are required to have a physical passport stamp from a consulate; this is communicated case-by-case in the approval notification.

How EcuaGo simplifies this: All seven steps above are handled by EcuaGo on your behalf. You upload to a simple, English-language (or Spanish, or Chinese) interface, our system validates everything in 24 hours, we file via e-VISAS, and we monitor for any document requests. If something is rejected, we coordinate the resubmission with you — you don't have to log into the Spanish-language portal or respond to portal notifications yourself. The $49 fee is largely the cost of not navigating the e-VISAS UX directly.

Standard processing time: Most Tourist Visas are approved in 4 to 8 weeks from the date of complete filing. "Complete" means all documents passed initial review and no resubmissions were required. Applications that require document corrections, additional verification, or background-check re-runs can take longer — sometimes 10–12 weeks.

What affects processing speed:

• Nationality and risk profile — applications from countries that the Cancillería processes in higher volume (India, China, the Philippines) tend to move through the standard timeline. Applications from countries with smaller annual volumes can sometimes take longer due to additional scrutiny
• Document completeness — applications submitted with EcuaGo's pre-validation typically clear the first review without resubmission requests, which shaves weeks off the timeline compared to direct filings that bounce back for corrections
• Consulate workload — Ecuadorian consulates and the central Cancillería office have peak periods (typically late spring and pre-summer for tourism applications). Filing 8–12 weeks before intended travel is the safest move
• Holiday closures — Ecuadorian public holidays, Catholic religious observances, and presidential or ministerial declarations can pause processing for days or weeks at a time

Plan for at least 8 weeks of buffer time between filing and your intended date of departure. Filing the visa application 8–12 weeks before your trip is standard practice; filing 3 weeks before is asking for trouble.

What happens upon approval:

1. You receive an approval notification via the e-VISAS portal and email
2. You pay the $32 issuance fee
3. You receive your digital visa (in most cases) — a digitally-signed document with an authentication code that is recognized at all Ecuador border crossings
4. You print a copy of the digital visa and save digital backups
5. You can now travel to Ecuador — present the digital visa, your passport, and your return ticket at Ecuadorian immigration

At the Ecuadorian border:

• Have your digital visa printout, passport, return or onward flight ticket, accommodation confirmation, and proof of economic means ready
• The immigration officer scans your visa, stamps your passport with an entry stamp showing the date of entry, and you're admitted for up to 90 days
• The 90-day clock starts on the day of entry — track this carefully if you intend to stay close to the limit

Extending the Tourist Visa in-country:

The Tourist Visa can be extended once, for an additional 90 days, while you are inside Ecuador. The extension is requested at the Cancillería or a Dirección Zonal office (Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca regional centers).

Extension requirements: - Apply before your initial 90-day period expires - Pay the extension fee (currently a modest government fee in the same range as the original visa) - Demonstrate continued economic means and a reason for the extended stay - Provide updated accommodation proof for the extension period - Update your onward-travel itinerary to reflect the new (later) departure date

The extension brings your total maximum stay to 180 days in a 12-month period. After that, you must leave Ecuador. There is no second extension.

Overstay consequences:

Overstaying your Tourist Visa is treated seriously under Ecuadorian immigration law. Consequences can include: - Fines (often calculated daily, accruing for each day of overstay) - Deportation - Multi-year entry bans (commonly 1–2 years, sometimes longer) - Future visa applications (including residency applications) flagged for additional scrutiny

If you realize you are close to overstaying, apply for the extension immediately or arrange to leave Ecuador before the deadline. Do not assume the rule will be flexibly enforced — Ecuadorian migration officers do check entry stamps against current dates at departure.

Can the Tourist Visa convert to a residency visa from inside Ecuador?

In most cases, no. The Tourist Visa is a non-immigrant, single-purpose visa. To apply for a temporary residency visa (Pensioner, Rentista, Investor, Professional, etc.), the applicant typically must leave Ecuador and apply from their country of origin or a third country through the appropriate consular or e-VISAS channel for the residency category.

There are narrow exceptions — for example, a tourist who marries an Ecuadorian citizen during their stay may have a path to the Marriage-based Permanent Residency Visa from inside Ecuador. These exceptions are case-specific. Consult an Ecuadorian immigration attorney if you're considering converting status from inside the country.

Many travelers researching the Tourist Visa are actually in one of three different situations, and only one of them genuinely needs this visa. Here's how to figure out which case applies to you.

Case 1 — Your country has visa-free entry to Ecuador.

If your passport is from the US, Canada, the UK, most EU countries, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and most other Western and Latin American nations: you do not need this visa. You simply travel to Ecuador with a valid passport (6+ months remaining) and a return or onward ticket. Ecuadorian immigration stamps you in for up to 90 days at the border — no advance application, no fees, no paperwork.

The only reasons a visa-free national would apply for a Tourist Visa are unusual edge cases (e.g., you were previously denied visa-free entry and want to pre-clear; you're traveling with documents the airline won't carry without a pre-issued visa). For 99% of visa-free nationals, applying for a Tourist Visa is unnecessary effort.

Case 2 — Your country requires a visa AND you're staying ≤90 days for tourism.

This is the core Tourist Visa case. If you're from India, China, Nigeria, the Philippines, or another of the ~45 visa-required nationalities, and your trip is for tourism, family visits, or recreation: the Tourist Visa is the right and only legal visa for you. That's what this guide is for. File via EcuaGo for the $134 total, plan 8–12 weeks of lead time, and enjoy Ecuador.

Case 3 — You want to live or work in Ecuador long-term.

If your goal is to relocate to Ecuador for the long term — to retire, to invest, to work professionally, or to live on independent passive income — the Tourist Visa is not your visa. It does not authorize work, does not lead to residency, and does not give you legal standing to live in Ecuador beyond 180 days.

Look instead at:

• Pensioner Visa (Visa de Jubilado) — if you have a stable lifetime pension of at least 3 SBU (~$1,446/month as of the current Salario Básico Unificado), this is the standard retirement visa. 2-year initial residency, leads to permanent residency at 21 months
• Rentista Visa — if you have at least 3 SBU/month in passive income from rentals, dividends, royalties, or investments (NOT salary or pension), this is the residency path for financially independent applicants under retirement age
• Investor Visa (Inversionista) — if you can make a qualifying investment of approximately 100 SBU (~$48,200) in Ecuadorian real estate, certificates of deposit, business shares, or state contracts. Speak with EcuaGo before committing to investment numbers — investor visa thresholds and qualifying-investment definitions are nuanced
• Professional Visa — if you hold a foreign university degree, apostilled, and registered with Ecuador's SENESCYT, plus a stable monthly income of approximately $482 per month or the equivalent
• Commercial Visa (Visa de Negocios) — if you're entering Ecuador for business activity rather than tourism, this 180-day visa with broader rights for trade and commerce is the correct category instead of the Tourist Visa
• Mercosur Visa — if you're a national of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, or Peru, the Mercosur Visa is a streamlined 2-year temporary residency option at lower cost
• Student Visa — for accredited Ecuadorian university enrollment or formal professional certification programs

The strategic decision:

If you're a visa-required national and you're not sure whether your trip is short-term tourism or the beginning of a longer relocation, don't try to use the Tourist Visa as a foot in the door for residency. It doesn't convert. You'd be paying $134 for a visa that gives you 90 days (extendable to 180), at which point you have to leave Ecuador anyway to apply for residency from abroad — which means you've paid twice and wasted months.

If relocation is your goal, apply for the appropriate residency visa from the start. EcuaGo files all of Ecuador's residency visa categories in addition to the Tourist Visa — and the underlying file work and document validation process is the same, so the cost of a single residency filing (around the same order of magnitude as a Tourist Visa application package) covers you for the long term.

Use the Tourist Visa when it's actually right for you — short-term, well-defined leisure travel from a visa-required nationality. For everything else, the right visa category exists, and using the wrong one creates more problems than it solves.