Family visa in Ecuador

• Amparo is for the children, spouse or legally recognised de facto partner (unión de hecho) of a foreigner who holds a temporary residence visa in one of the Law's categories, such as work, investor, retiree or remote worker. The holder asks for it for the family member.
• The amparo visa depends on the holder. It does not cover parents, siblings or other relatives of a temporary resident, and the regulation says a person who is covered by an amparo cannot use it to cover their own relatives.
• A different route exists for families of Ecuadorians and permanent residents: a spouse or de facto partner of an Ecuadorian citizen or of a foreigner with permanent residence can apply for permanent residence directly, without a temporary visa first.
• The same permanent-residence route covers foreign children under 18 or people with a disability who depend on an Ecuadorian or a permanent resident, and relatives up to the second degree by blood or marriage of an Ecuadorian or a permanent resident.

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

• The Law requires the means of living to support the applicant and the dependent family group, and the amparo page lists proof of lawful means of living under Ministerial Agreement 70 among its mandatory requirements. The Agreement accepts a registered employment contract, bank statements or pension and rent documents showing about US$482 a month, one basic salary in 2026. To be safe, show more than US$500 a month.
• The holder must show about US$300 a month of income more for each adult child covered. To be safe, have more than US$300 a month more for each one. The page states no extra amount for a spouse, partner or minor child.
• For the permanent-residence route for relatives, the Ecuadorian or permanent-resident sponsor must show lawful means of living for first-degree minors, university students and disabled adult children, and about US$300 a month more for each other relative covered (to be safe, more than US$300).

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

• Each applicant needs a recent colour photo (JPG, up to 1 MB, 5 x 5 cm, white background) and a passport valid for at least six months. Adults also need a criminal record certificate from their country of origin or any country they lived in during the last five years, apostilled or legalised and valid 180 days from issue to the last entry.
• The special documents prove the family tie: those that show filiation, marriage or de facto partnership under Ecuador's identity law, apostilled if issued in a Hague Apostille Convention country, legalised if not, or replaced by a sworn declaration where you can show an obstacle to getting the apostille.
• For a minor, you also need a valid passport and the birth certificate, apostilled or legalised and translated into Spanish. If one parent is absent, you need a special power of attorney or authorisation from that parent, apostilled or legalised. A minor applies through a legal representative.
• A spouse of an Ecuadorian applying for permanent residence presents a marriage certificate (registered in Ecuador if the wedding was abroad) or a de facto partnership registered with the civil registry, and attends an interview. A sham marriage is penalised and the visa is revoked.

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

• A family application can be filed on the e-VISAS platform, at a zonal office in Ecuador or at an Ecuadorian consulate abroad. For minors, the legal representative or proxy files and the first online payment, which is not refundable, comes right after submitting.
• If the request is incomplete or wrong, the Ministry notifies you and you have 10 working days to fix it, and it may ask for an interview in person or online. The page gives no processing time, so how long a decision takes is unknown.
• The family member's visa is granted once the holder's temporary visa is in force, because its length depends on it.

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

• The government fee for the amparo visa is US$50 when you submit and US$200 when it is granted, with no VAT. The work visa's second payment is US$270, so the dependant's is lower.
• People aged 65 or over pay half, and people with a disability of 30% or more are exempt. The sources we read give no fee for the permanent residence route for spouses of Ecuadorians, so that fee is unknown.

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

• The amparo visa is granted for as long as the holder's temporary visa has left, and it can be renewed when the holder renews. The holder's own visa lasts up to two years and is renewable on multiple occasions.
• A dependant keeps the visa if the holder dies, or if a marriage or partnership ends for reasons attributable to the holder. The Law also keeps a permanent amparo visa if the holder becomes an Ecuadorian citizen.

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

• A spouse or partner of an Ecuadorian, or of a foreigner with permanent residence, can apply for permanent residence at once. Other family members can apply after 21 continuous months of temporary residence, before the temporary visa ends.
• The 21-month route costs US$50 to apply and US$225 when granted, and asks for an Ecuadorian criminal record certificate. You may not be away from Ecuador for more than 90 days in total during the temporary visa.
• The limits on time abroad for permanent residents apply to family members too: no more than 180 days a year in the first two years, and two continuous years away later ends the status. Naturalisation can be requested after three years of regular domicile with permanent residence.

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

• Ecuadorian tax residence turns on days spent in the country: 183 days or more in a tax year, or in any 12 months across two tax years unless you prove tax residence elsewhere. A resident family member is taxed on income earned abroad too, with a credit up to the Ecuadorian tax for tax paid abroad.
• The 2026 income tax table for individuals runs, in US dollars a year, from 0% up to 12,208 through 5% to 15,549 and 10% to 20,188 to 37% above 109,956. Income from work done in Ecuador is Ecuadorian-source.
• The sources we read do not say how the tax residence of a dependant is linked to the holder's, so whether a spouse who does not work is treated separately is unknown; ask an Ecuadorian adviser.

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

• Digital nomad visa in Ecuador
• Retirement visa in Ecuador
• Work permit 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. 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.
3. US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
4. 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.
5. United States income tax treaties, A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026; Ecuador is not listed.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Republic of Ecuador: Agreement on Social Security, Government of Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. Page details 6 October 2026: the agreement was signed on 24 June 2024 in Quito and will enter into force once both countries have completed their legal procedures.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. Income tax tables for individuals, 2026 (Resolution NAC-DGERCGC25-00000043), Servicio de Rentas Internas (SRI), Ecuador tax authority. Checked 15 October 2026. Read on 15 October 2026. 2026 table in US dollars: 0% up to 12,208; 5% to 15,549; 10% to 20,188; 12% to 26,700; 15% to 35,136; 20% to 46,575; 25% to 62,005; 30% to 82,679; 35% to 109,956; 37% above.