Digital nomad visa in Ecuador

• The category is for foreigners who own a company, or work for one or more companies or people domiciled abroad, doing professional or service work remotely, digitally or by telework, as a freelancer or as an employee. Owning a company registered and domiciled abroad also qualifies.
• The official page says nationals of the countries on a Ministry of Tourism list may apply, and records that list as all countries (letters of 24 February and 14 March 2022). The ecuador.travel page still says the list is to be drawn up, so confirm with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that your passport qualifies.
• The category covers work for employers, clients or companies domiciled abroad. A job with an Ecuadorian employer belongs in the separate work category, which asks for a registered employment contract. The page sets no minimum age.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador (ecuador.travel, the official international promotion site). Checked 17 October 2026.

• The income test is foreign-source income of at least three unified basic salaries a month for the three months before you apply, or 36 salaries for each year. The 2026 basic salary is US$482, so the test is about US$1,400 a month, or about US$17,400 a year. To be safe, have more than US$1,500 a month, or more than US$18,000 a year. You prove it with copies of your international bank statements.
• You must hold health insurance, local or foreign, valid for the same period as the visa; a foreign policy must state that it covers you in Ecuador. To cover other people on your visa you must show about US$300 a month more income for each person covered; to be safe, have more than US$300 a month more for each.
• Bank statements issued abroad with an electronic signature need no apostille; statements without one must be notarised and then apostilled or legalised. The page asks for income only and states no minimum savings balance and no deposit.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH). Checked 17 October 2026.

• You need a recent colour photo (JPG, up to 1 MB, 5 x 5 cm, white background) and a passport valid for at least six months. You also attach documents showing that you work or provide services for an employer, client or company domiciled abroad, or own a company registered and domiciled abroad.
• You need an original criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or from any country where you lived in the last five years, translated and apostilled or legalised. It counts as valid for 180 days from its issue date to your last entry into Ecuador, and is asked only of people over 18. Federal certificates are accepted if they cover criminal records at national level, which the October 2025 reform makes the general rule.
• The reform also asks for a migratory record certificate under the conditions the regulation sets, which the sources we read do not yet describe. After the electronic visa is issued, the regulation says to send the original supporting documents to the issuing office within one month, or the visa can be cancelled; how that works with online filing is unconfirmed.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), Asamblea Nacional / Registro Oficial. Checked 17 October 2026.

• You apply online only, through the Ministry's e-VISAS platform: register with an email address, a verification code and a password, then submit the passport details, photo and supporting documents. If you are already in Ecuador, you must show regular status, meaning a tourist authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior or a valid visa.
• Right after registering the request you must make the first payment, online or by deposit at Banco del Pacífico. Card payments are accepted until 23:55 Ecuador time that day, bank deposits only in the bank's hours of 08:30 to 16:00, and an unpaid request is deleted.
• The page gives no processing time, so how long a decision takes is unknown. A tourist stay is up to 90 days in the year counted from your first entry, extendable once by up to 90 continuous days, and tourists may not work.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), Asamblea Nacional / Registro Oficial. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The government fee is US$50 when you submit the application and US$270 when the visa is granted, with no VAT. People aged 65 or over pay half, and people with a disability of 30% or more are exempt.
• A spouse, registered partner or child who joins you on a dependant (amparo) visa pays US$50 to apply and US$200 when it is granted. The page lists no figures for translations, apostilles or the insurance policy.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH). Checked 17 October 2026.

• The visa is valid for up to two years. The 2021 text of the Law says temporary residence is renewable on multiple occasions; we found no change to that in the October 2025 reform and the page lists no renewal documents for this category, so the renewal steps are unknown.
• The Law says temporary residence allows multiple entries and exits and does not limit time spent outside Ecuador. A dependant's visa lasts as long as yours has left, and renews with it.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador (ecuador.travel, the official international promotion site), Asamblea Nacional / Registro Oficial. Checked 17 October 2026.

• After 21 continuous months of temporary residence you can apply for permanent residence, which has no end date, before the temporary visa ends. The regulation allows no more than 90 days away from Ecuador in total across the temporary visa.
• The permanent visa costs US$50 to apply and US$225 when granted, and asks for an Ecuadorian criminal record certificate. The ministry asks for proof of income of at least one basic salary a month over the last three months, about US$500 in 2026; to be safe, show more than US$500 a month.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH). Checked 17 October 2026.

• You are an Ecuadorian tax resident for a year if you spend 183 days or more in Ecuador in it, absences included, or 183 days or more in any 12 months spanning two tax years unless you prove tax residence elsewhere and that your main economic interests are there. Residents are taxed on worldwide income, with a credit up to the Ecuadorian tax for tax paid abroad.
• Income from work done in Ecuador is Ecuadorian-source. Nothing we read settles whether pay from a foreign employer or clients for work done while living in Ecuador counts as Ecuadorian-source, so ask an Ecuadorian adviser before you arrive.
• Someone never before an Ecuadorian tax resident can choose a five-year temporary tax residence, taxed only on Ecuadorian-source income. It needs an investment of about US$150,000 held for five years (to be safe, more than US$160,000), or proof of income from outside Ecuador of about US$2,500 a month (to be safe, more than US$2,600), plus social security affiliation, and 183 days or more in Ecuador in each tax year.

Sources: Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI). Checked 15 October 2026.

• Retirement visa in Ecuador
• Work permit in Ecuador
• Family visa in Ecuador
• Investor visa in Ecuador

• Visas in Ecuador
• Ecuador

1. List of countries whose nationals need a visa to enter Ecuador, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), Ecuador. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. The page carries a 2020 date in its address but lists China, Chad and other countries added since, so it has been updated; it shows no date of its own. Australia is not on the list.
2. Residence for remote workers (rentista for remote work, "Visa Nómada"): requirements, procedure and fees, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), on the government procedures portal gob.ec; Internet Archive copy. Checked 17 October 2026. Internet Archive capture, opened 17 October 2026; gob.ec does not connect from our network, so it was not compared with the live page. The page shows a last update of 31 December 2024. Capture of 11 October 2026. Foreign-source income of at least three unified basic salaries a month for the three previous months (US$1,446 a month in 2026) or 36 a year (US$17,352); health insurance; US$250 a month more for each person covered; US$50 plus US$270; valid up to 2 years; online only.
3. Identity History Summary Checks (FBI criminal record check), Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 6 October 2026, read on 15 October 2026. Gives the US$18 fee and says the FBI does not forward requests to the State Department for the apostille, so the apostille is a separate step.
4. US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
5. Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026. Page reviewed 14 March 2026; tax year 2026 figure.
6. Foreign earned income exclusion: physical presence test, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
7. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 15 October 2026.
8. United States income tax treaties, A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026; Ecuador is not listed.
9. US international Social Security agreements, US Social Security Administration; Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 4 October 2026, read on 15 October 2026. Ecuador is not on the list of agreements in force.
10. Ecuador travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026. Written for Canadian travellers; last updated 14 October 2026, read on 15 October 2026. Used for safety, the state of exception, power outages, the rainy season and El Nino, which apply to any foreign resident.
11. Criminal record checks: where to go, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Checked 15 October 2026. Date modified 6 August 2024. Certified criminal record check with fingerprints, through a local police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company.
12. Authentication of documents: frequently asked questions, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. States that the Apostille Convention entered into force in Canada on 11 January 2024.
13. Authentication of documents: processing time, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026: requests received about 25 business days ago, plus 5 to 10 business days of mailing; no expedited service.
14. Embassy of Ecuador in Australia (Canberra) and its consular section, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), Ecuador. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026; undated. Gives the embassy and the consular section at 6 Pindari Crescent, O’Malley ACT, with a telephone number. It does not list visa requirements for Australians; the residence visa is filed online (V1).
15. Apply for a National Police Certificate, Australian Federal Police (AFP). Checked 15 October 2026. No date shown; read on 15 October 2026. A$57 online (a digital certificate, with a hard copy on request) or A$114 with fingerprints, which must be posted and take 15 to 30 business days. The certificate lists disclosable court outcomes from all Australian police services, subject to spent-conviction laws.
16. Notarial services and fees (fee schedule from 1 January 2026), Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 7 October 2026, read on 15 October 2026 (the page was updated on 30 September 2026): apostille A$105 per document; payment in Australia by card only.
17. Income tax treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026. Table last updated 24 March 2026, read on 15 October 2026; Ecuador is not listed.
18. International social security agreements, Australian Government, Department of Social Services, Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 9 September 2026, read on 15 October 2026. Lists agreements with 32 countries (Chile is the only one in South America) and five under negotiation; Ecuador is not listed.
19. Get your own criminal record, Ministry of Justice (New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026. Page last updated 18 December 2025, read on 15 October 2026. It is free to request a copy of your own record; the Ministry aims to answer within 20 working days (around 90% in under a week). If another country asks for it to be authenticated or apostilled, send the record to the Department of Internal Affairs. It does not say whether Ecuador accepts the record as issued.
20. Use your NZ documents overseas: apostille and authentication, Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), on govt.nz. Checked 15 October 2026. Page last updated 15 September 2026, read on 15 October 2026. Apostille NZ$37 a certificate (paper or electronic); processed within 15 working days; urgent service within 5 working days for NZ$120 more, not available if the document needs translating; courier extra (NZ$62 to the rest of the world). Own translations must be notarised by a New Zealand notary public, not a justice of the peace or solicitor. The page does not say whether Ecuador accepts an electronic apostille.
21. Tax treaties: double tax agreements and tax information exchange agreements, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026; the page shows no update date. 41 double tax agreements in force, plus agreements signed and under negotiation; Ecuador is in none of the lists, nor among the tax information exchange agreements.
22. Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026. Updated 25 August 2026, read on 15 October 2026. Eleven agreements listed (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom); Ecuador is not one of them.
23. Regulation to the Organic Law of Human Mobility (Executive Decree 354, Official Register 3rd Supplement 18, 10 March 2022): articles 61 to 67, 79, 83 to 87, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), copy of the Official Register text. Checked 17 October 2026. Opened on 17 October 2026; the copy dates from 2022 and may not include later changes. Art. 61: work under an employment relationship; art. 63: rentista and art. 64: remote work (three salaries a month, US$1,446 in 2026, or 36 a year, US$17,352); art. 65: retiree (three salaries); art. 66: investor (100 salaries, US$48,200); art. 79: dependants; arts. 83 to 87: permanent residence.
24. Nomad Visa, Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador (ecuador.travel, the official international promotion site). Checked 15 October 2026. Two years of legal residency while working remotely; foreign-source income of at least 3 unified basic salaries a month for the 3 months before applying, or 36 a year; proof of remote work for a company or person abroad.
25. Temporary residence for work under an employment relationship (relación de dependencia): requirements and fees, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), on the government procedures portal gob.ec; Internet Archive copy. Checked 17 October 2026. Internet Archive capture, opened 17 October 2026; gob.ec does not connect from our network, so it was not compared with the live page. The page shows a last update of 31 December 2024. Capture of 28 January 2026. Employment contract or personnel action, contract registration, employer certificate of no pending obligations; US$50 plus US$270; valid 2 years; filing in person or online.
26. Ministerial Agreement 70 of 28 June 2024 on lawful means of living for visa applications: articles 16 to 24, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH). Checked 17 October 2026. Opened on 17 October 2026 (a scanned PDF, read with text recognition). Article 19 accepts, for the temporary residence categories and for dependants, a registered employment contract paying at least one unified basic salary (US$482 in 2026), bank statements showing income of at least one salary, or pension and rent documents; article 22 asks for one salary a month over the last three months for permanent residence after 21 months; article 24 on foreign electronic-signed statements.
27. Organic Reform Law to the Organic Law of Human Mobility (Official Register 7th Supplement 151, 24 October 2025): articles 15, 17, 21 and 22, Asamblea Nacional / Registro Oficial. Checked 17 October 2026. Opened on 17 October 2026 (an image-only PDF, read with text recognition). Art. 15: tourist stay up to 90 days, extendable once by up to 90; art. 17: national criminal record certificate valid 180 days and a migratory record certificate; art. 21: lawful means of living; art. 22: naturalisation by marriage now also asks for lawful means of living in Ecuador.
28. Temporary residence as a dependant (amparo), all categories: requirements and fees, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), on the government procedures portal gob.ec; Internet Archive copy. Checked 17 October 2026. Internet Archive capture, opened 17 October 2026; gob.ec does not connect from our network, so it was not compared with the live page. The page shows a last update of 31 December 2024. Capture of 28 January 2026. For children, spouse or registered partner of a temporary resident; US$50 plus US$200; valid for as long as the holder's visa has left; US$250 a month more for each adult child covered.
29. Organic Law of Human Mobility, consolidated text to 14 May 2021: articles 60, 63 to 65, 71 and 73, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), copy of the Official Register text. Checked 17 October 2026. Opened on 17 October 2026. It predates the October 2025 reform. Art. 60: temporary residence up to two years, renewable on multiple occasions, and its categories; art. 63: permanent residence; art. 65: absences; art. 71 and 73: naturalisation.
30. Permanent residence after more than 21 months of temporary residence: requirements and fees, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH), on the government procedures portal gob.ec; Internet Archive copy. Checked 17 October 2026. Internet Archive capture, opened 17 October 2026; gob.ec does not connect from our network, so it was not compared with the live page. The page shows a last update of 31 December 2024. Capture of 28 January 2026. Ecuadorian criminal record certificate, proof of 21 continuous months, application before the temporary visa ends; US$50 plus US$225; no end date.
31. Law of the Internal Tax Regime (LRTI), codification with the latest reform of 1 April 2026: articles 2, 4.1, the temporary tax residence article, 8 and 49, Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI), Ecuador tax authority. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. Article 2: income earned abroad by individuals domiciled in Ecuador is income. Article 4.1: residence tests. The article added by Law 461 of 20 December 2023: five-year temporary tax residence, taxed only on Ecuadorian-source income, for people never previously resident who invest at least US$150,000 or prove at least US$2,500 a month of non-Ecuadorian-source income and join social security, with the conditions met between day 1 and day 120 after entering. Article 8: income from work done in Ecuador is Ecuadorian-source. Article 49: credit for tax paid abroad.
32. Income tax (Impuesto a la Renta): who files, tax year and deadlines, Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI), Ecuador tax authority. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. The tax year runs 1 January to 31 December; individuals file in March, on a day set by the ninth digit of the ID or RUC number.
33. Regulation to the LRTI, latest reform 22 May 2026: temporary tax residence articles, Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI), Ecuador tax authority. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. The regime can be used once; you notify the SRI under a procedure to be set by a general resolution (we did not find that resolution); it lasts five consecutive years; you must be in Ecuador 183 days or more in each tax year or it stops applying from that year; the conditions are checked up to 120 days after entry; the monthly income must come from a source outside Ecuador and outside tax havens.