Ecuador Digital Nomad Visa | An Incomplete Guide

What is digital nomad visa? 

“Digital nomads” represent a lifestyle trend that has gained prominence in the 21st century. With the advancement of information technology, an increasing number of professionals—such as IT workers, media personnel, language teachers, and freelancers—have broken free from traditional office settings. They now have the ability to work remotely from any location worldwide with internet access. This concept of remote work gained significant traction, especially before and during the pandemic. 

Once liberated from office constraints, some remote workers choose to embrace a unique lifestyle: they carry their bags and travel to various destinations while continuing to work remotely. These individuals, known as “digital nomads,” experience a blend of exploring new cultures and working from different corners of the world. 

To attract digital nomads and promote tourism and emerging industries, governments in at least 65 countries and regions worldwide have introduced specialized digital nomad visas. These visas typically have the following characteristics: 

1. Applicants must be remote workers with stable monthly income and cannot be employed locally. 

2. Digital nomad visas are essentially extended travel visas, often valid for one year and allowing residence for up to two to four years in the destination country without the option for permanent immigration. However, in some Latin American and Southern European countries—such as Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, and Ecuador—digital nomads can eventually obtain local permanent residency or even naturalization after accumulating a certain length of stay. 

For more information on digital nomad visa programs, explore the details in our “Global Digital Nomad Visas | An Incomplete Handbook” on this websites.

Ecuador Digital Nomad Visa:

Ecuador has been offering a digital nomad visa (The Rentista for Remote Work) application channel to individuals from 183 countries and regions worldwide since July 2022. This visa allows remote workers and digital nomads with a stable income to reside in the country long-term.

Currently, the economic requirements for Ecuador’s digital nomad visa are the same as those for the non-profit visa: applicants must have an income level that is three times the official minimum income. In 2024, the specific economic requirement is a minimum monthly income of $1,380.

You can also meet the economic requirement by showing a savings deposit equivalent to one year’s income, which is $16,560.

If your spouse is accompanying you, you need to prove a monthly income of $2,550; for each additional dependent, the required monthly income increases by $250.

Additionally, applicants for this program must also meet basic conditions such as being a remote worker, being in good health, and having no criminal record.

Application Process:

The application process for Ecuador’s digital nomad visa is very straightforward and mainly includes the following steps:

1. Online Application: The applicant prepares the required documents, registers online, fills out the application form, uploads the necessary documents, and submits the application.

Required documents include:

• Identity Documents: This includes passports with a validity of more than six months for all applicants, along with copies; two passport-sized photos per person; proof of relationship for main and dependent applicants, such as marriage certificates or birth certificates.

• Application Form.Proof of Health Insurance: You need to purchase adequate health insurance covering Ecuador for each main and dependent applicant, valid for at least one year.

• Proof of Remote Work.Proof of No Criminal Record: You need to demonstrate that you have no serious criminal history and do not pose a threat to public safety in Ecuador.

• Proof of Income: The income requirements vary depending on the number of dependents. You can provide proof of stable monthly income for the three months prior to the visa application, or proof of savings equivalent to 12 months of income.

• Local Address: If you do not have an address in Ecuador, you can provide a hotel booking as a temporary address.

All documents from outside Ecuador must be notarized, and non-Spanish documents need to be translated into Spanish.

2. Payment of Initial Visa Fee: The fee for the Ecuador digital nomad visa is paid in two installments. At this stage, you need to pay $50, after which you can schedule an appointment with the embassy.

3. In-Person Interview: After submitting your application online, you need to attend an interview at a nearby Ecuadorian consulate or embassy with the paper documents at the agreed time and place.

4. Visa Issuance: The processing time for the Ecuador digital nomad visa is around seven business days. Once your visa is approved, you need to pay the second installment of $400 and submit the original application documents to the embassy within 30 days of approval. If you fail to submit the documents in time, your approved visa may still be revoked.

After obtaining the visa and entering Ecuador, if you plan to stay for more than three months, you need to apply for a residency card (Orden de Cedulacion) at the nearest police station.

Dependents:

For Ecuador’s digital nomad visa, the main applicant’s spouse and financially dependent children can relocate to the country together as dependent applicants.

Visa Validity:

Ecuador’s digital nomad visa is valid for two years and can be renewed indefinitely under the same conditions, without requiring you to actually reside in Ecuador.

However, if your goal is to obtain permanent residency in Ecuador, you need to reside in the country for 21 months from the date you receive the digital nomad visa, with no more than a total of 90 days spent outside the country during that period.

In the first two years after obtaining permanent residency, you also cannot leave Ecuador for more than 180 days.

After holding permanent residency in Ecuador for three years, foreigners can apply for citizenship.