Moving to Ecuador from New Zealand

The Law of Human Mobility says temporary residence is renewable, but the 2021 text says on multiple occasions and the text quoted on gob.ec says once only, so the renewal limit is unconfirmed. Other temporary routes: the rentista category for rents or investment income at the same three salaries; the retiree category for a foreign pension at the same three salaries; and the investor category, which asks for at least 100 salaries (to be safe, have more than US$49,000) as a fixed-term deposit of at least 730 days, a property purchase or shares in an Ecuadorian company. After more than 21 continuous months as a resident you can apply for permanent residence before the temporary visa expires; the regulation (article 84) does not let you be away more than 90 days in total across the temporary visa, and the ministry's June 2024 means-of-living agreement asks for proof of income of at least one salary a month over the last three months. The online fee for permanent residence on gob.ec (US$50 plus US$225) comes from a 2023 page, so it may have changed.

Translation into Spanish is a further step: the Department's Translation Service lists NZ$95 for New Zealand-issued police clearance certificates, but does not say whether a Justice record counts, and an own translation must be notarised by a New Zealand notary public. Which order Ecuador wants (apostille on the translation, or on the record) and whether it accepts an electronic apostille are unconfirmed. You also need foreign bank statements showing the income, documents proving you work for a foreign employer or clients or own a foreign company, and health insurance valid for the same period as the visa that states cover in Ecuador. If you are already in Ecuador when you apply, you must be in regular status, as a tourist or on a visa. The Law now also asks for a migratory record certificate, as set out in the regulation, and we did not find what that is for a New Zealander. You apply online only, through the e-VISAS platform, so you do not need an Ecuadorian mission to lodge it. After registering the request you pay straight away, online or at Banco del Pacífico; requests not paid by 23:55 Ecuador time the same day are deleted. The fees are US$50 for the application and US$270 when the visa is granted, with no VAT, and half price from age 65 (the page was last updated on 31 December 2024). The fees on the page are the same for every nationality. After the visa is issued, the regulation says you must send the original supporting documents to the office that issued it within one month, or the visa can be cancelled; how that works with online filing is unconfirmed. Once the visa is issued, an order to get your Ecuadorian identity card follows (see the setup section). Ecuador has no embassy of its own in New Zealand: New Zealand's foreign ministry lists the Embassy of Ecuador in Canberra and a consulate in Auckland run by an honorary consul, and we did not find what the Auckland office can do for visas or documents. We found no official processing time, so it is unknown.

The tax year is the calendar year, and individuals file in March. The 2026 table for individuals taxes the first US$12,208 at 0%, then 5% to 35% in steps, and 37% above US$109,956. Residents who pay tax abroad on the same income can claim a credit up to the Ecuadorian tax on it.

Until then New Zealand taxes your worldwide income, including money you did not bring home: you file an IR3 with the IR1261 overseas income summary (due 7 July unless you have a tax agent) and can claim a credit for foreign tax you paid. If you leave permanently, Inland Revenue says you can file an IR3 or ask for an assessment, and should tell your bank or fund so the right non-resident withholding tax is deducted. Because Ecuador counts 183 days too, a year in Cuenca can leave you resident in both.

If you already get NZ Super, you can apply to keep it overseas (you must apply at least six weeks before leaving); the rate abroad depends on the months you lived in New Zealand between ages 20 and 65, out of 540. We found nothing on whether NZ Super counts as the foreign pension for Ecuador's retiree residence.

You need it to join the IESS. We could not open the Registro Civil's pages, so the fee and the appointment steps are unknown.

Before you leave New Zealand, tell Inland Revenue and your bank or fund if you become non-resident so the right withholding tax is deducted, and if you get NZ Super, contact Work and Income at least six weeks ahead.