Yesterday there was a slight change in plans for when I would be leaving for Otavalo. Although I was expecting to leave in the morning, the taxista bailed on my host family and myself because he heard wind of the Pan-American highway being exceptionally congested with traffic due to holiday travelers on Easter sunday. Although I was disappointed and feeling somewhat desperate to get to Otavalo, I decided that rather than rush to take a taxi from Quito to Otavalo, I’d spend a bit more time in the capitol and run errands, such as register my visa and check into getting a cell phone. As it turns out, I’ll be getting to Otavalo on Thursday, since once you register the visa, the Extranjería office holds onto your passport for “processing” for a couple days (even if you already got the visa ahead of time!). You’re supposed to keep identification on you, and although I have plenty of passport photocopies, I figured it would be best to wait in Quito until I have my passport in hand.
In regards to the visa, I have to say that on the whole, I’ve been lucky that the process for arranging an Ecuadorian visa has been generally pain free and quick. Compared to other countries (U.S., India, Brazil, etc.), I feel like it’s quite reasonable; however, you run into problems with changing policies, updated systems, and lack of communication, especially having one central place/page that provides you with all of the information you need. Even after reading several websites, calling the Ecuadorian consulate in L.A. 4 times, and speaking with friends who recently received/registered their visas, things had still changed and I ran into a few surprises that significantly extended my time queuing in offices.
This is going to be a long post, but hopefully, it will save a lot of you out there from a few extra hours of running around, some stress, and perhaps a few bucks!
Beginning the Visa Process at Home
For starters, these are the links I visited to get the basic information about what type of visa I was looking for and the necessary documentation for the application:
http://www.ecuador.org/nuevosite/serviciosconsulares_visas_12IX_e.php
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1106.html
http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/eng/services/visa12ix.asp
I called the consulate with a couple questions here and there. Basically, I was praying that I could get one of the cheaper and longer visas, like a cultural exchange one, but that would have made me reliant on a lot of other people and made me obligated to other responsibilities/volunteer work during my time in Ecuador, detracting from my time doing fieldwork and possibly risking not having the visa approved in time for travel.
Paperwork
When I finally went to the Ecuadorian Consulate in Los Angeles, my packet of papers included the following:
• Certificado de Visación ($200)
• MRE version of Formulario de Solicitud de Visa de No Inmigrante ($30)
• Solicitud de Visa (a less fancy version, and I’m assuming older version, of the above form…I filled it out just in case)
• B/W copy of my passport photo ID page (just make several copies and make sure others have it at home and abroad, just in case!)
• A statement of good health and that I am free of communicable diseases (a specific lab test reporting that I do not have HIV or AIDS was required, as well as my blood type) (free doctor’s visit and tests with my healthcare plan)
• A police statement confirming that I do not have a criminal record in their jurisdiction (provided by University Police) ($25)
• A bank statement detailing the amount of money I have in my accounts and assuring that I am financially secure enough to support myself in Ecuador ($10)
• A print out of my itinerary with my final return flight purchased (or at least one far enough in the future, as of 2012 you are still allowed multiple entries for the visa).
• Passport
• 3 passport sized photos of myself (~$.20) (pack the extras with you just in case)
Now, to save $$ with the passport photo, I took a quick picture of myself against a white wall with my iPhone (you could do this with any other webcam or point and shoot).
Next, I went to this site here: http://travel.state.gov/passport/pptphotoreq/pptphotoreq_5333.html
From the site, I downloaded the cropped and properly sized image (2×2 with face properly centered), opened up a program that would make a 4×6 document (like photoshop or powerpoint) and copy and pasted two rows of three copies of my lovely face. Then I saved this to a flash drive and printed it for dirt cheap at CVS. Voila!
The surprise, however, came when I was at the window in the Consulate and I was told that all of the documents had to be notarized! This wasn’t posted anywhere on the above websites! @$*#(%!
Luckily, there was a notary public who was in the building, but this also meant that I had to race outside and down the road to the nearest bank, spend $4 to withdraw the extra cash ($25) to pay him (since I only went with the $230 in cash), and race back up, hoping that he would finish in time so that I could get back to the Consulate and have enough time for them to finish before the office closed.
All in all, this took about two weeks to complete everything. Make sure you make the doctor’s appointments early enough to get your results back in time to get the documentation in hand and notarized. Once I had everything ready in the office though, it literally took 10 minutes.
Subtotal of the visa: $284.20
Registering the Visa
Once you get to Ecuador with any visa other than a 12-X (which you don’t apply for, it’s a standard tourist visa for less than 90 days), you must go to the Dirección General de la Extranjería office in Quito to register (about as dismal as your average U.S. DMV). http://www.ministeriodelinterior.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125&Itemid=134
Located at Av. 6 de Diciembre and c/Orellana, Ecovía bus stop: Orellana, and taxi directions: Av. 6 de Dic and c/La Niña
This website (http://www.igougo.com/story-s1310635-Ecuador-A_Complicated_Process_-_Visa_Registration_in_Ecuador.html) had some helpful information, but lacked a few of the specifics I’ll outline below.
Back home, the Consulate or Embassy should have given you completed, signed, and stamped copies of the Certificado de Visación and the Solicitud de Visa, both with your photos attached. If they were super nice, they would have given you these papers in a large envelope. If not, buy one and keep your documents in it. You’ll need it later.
The basic steps you need to do next are:
(1) Register online
(2) Make a deposit at the Banco Internacional (on c/ La Niña, just off Orellana on the same side of the street as the office)
(3) Head to the Extranjería office with all of your documentation.
It should take between 1.5 to 3 hours to finish registering the visa at the office.
Your packet of paperwork for a 12-IX visa should contain:
• Certificado de Visación (signed and stamped)
• Solicitud de Visa (signed and stamped)
• Another copy of your passport photo ID page ($.05)
• A copy of the passport page with your Ecuadorian visa ($.05)
• A copy of the passport page with your latest entry stamp from customs ($.05)
• Your receipt for making the fee deposit at a bank ($10.05)
• A large envelope and a folder (carpeta) with a center fastener (**having these is not listed anywhere as a requirement but you must provide your own envelope and folder! If not, you’ll be told to leave and go buy one and return for a new place in line. Don’t waste the extra hour or two waiting in line again!**)
To register online: This step was not advertised anywhere, nor was I told personally to do this by anyone, since it is a relatively new step. Do this close to the time that you’ll be going to the office in person. Even a few hours or the night before could work fine, though it seems as if they are prepping the system to give people specific appointment times/days in the future…for now sometime right before should suffice:
(1) Go to: www.ministeriodelinterior.gob.ec
(2) Click on Servicios > en línea > Sistema de Gestión de Visa > Regístrese aquí
(3) Fill out the form
*Make sure you read the directions carefully when finishing the online form and write down your password and NUT number. I encountered some technical weirdness and was never shown the NUT number. One of the workers had to help me by just clicking around and somehow pulling up a screen with the number, but double-registering me at the same time. Your email confirmation should also give you your NUT number (3 letters followed by 7 numbers), but it may take up to 20 minutes for it to arrive to your inbox.
(4) Print the email and attached pdf
If you do have to register online at the office, wait for the email but also download the pdf version if you have the NUT number handy (“Descargar Solicitud” option on the same screen as “Regístrese aquí”). Email the solicitud to yourself or put it on a flash drive.
Then head out to the Multinet/Western Union internet café a block and a half away at Av. 6 de Dic and c/Orellana. Sign online ($.50), print the paperwork and the email confirmation ($.15).
Depositing Fee in Banco Internacional Account
The next step after registering online is to head to the Banco Internacional on c/La Niña. Get in the second line to your left that is for “no titulares de cuenta” (someone who doesn’t hold an account with the bank). Tell the employee that you’re making the deposit for the visa and if you couldn’t find deposit slips in the lobby, s/he’ll fill one out for you. Pay them in cash (most fees are between $10-$25, except the $175 change of activity fee). Get your receipt. Go back to the Multinet place and make a photocopy for yourself. Turn back around and head over to the Extranjería office.
CONGRATULATIONS! You should now be ready with all the paperwork/envelope/folder/receipt necessary to register your visa!!!!
Heading back to the Dirección General de la Extranjería
Go back to the office, stand in the line to your right that goes to an information/reception type of desk. You should be given a number that is E### (emisión de visa, or handing the visa in). Sit. Wait. Have a book to read. Don’t use your cell phone. Pay attention and be ready a couple numbers ahead of time. Try not to leave the room within 10 numbers ahead of you because they will quickly pass your number if you don’t get to the window you were called to within ~30 seconds.
It shouldn’t take too long for them to process everything if you have it all set and do not have any individual issues or problems you’re trying to resolve. In the end, they will hold on to your passport and you will be required to return in 2-3 days to pick it up. You will be given a green sheet of paper that is proof the office has your passport. This combined with a photocopy of the passport should suffice as legal identification until you get your passport back.
Total cost of Visa: ~ $300+ (ouch!! factor in another $.50 if you take the Ecovía bus r/t or several dollars if you taxi it there, and also a few more cents here and there if you make a few photo copies of the documents for your own records…highly recommended!)
And there you have it! I still have to pick my passport up in a couple days, but I’ll be sure to update this entry if there are any special directions to follow. Good luck and best of travels to anyone applying for a visa!!
UPDATE:
Picking up the visa: Nothing special to report for this part. I went back, told them I needed to pick up my passport, got an ET### ticket, and was called up pretty quickly. The only issue was that they put a date of expiration on the visa page that was earlier than mine was going to expire (due to me having to leave the country later). I double-checked with a few of the employees who assured me that the date is only if I were to stay straight through and that this will not cause a problem later on once I’m leaving the country after the printed date.
Registering for the censo card:
Go to:
Oficina de la Policiá Nacional de Migración (Quito Office)
Av. Amazonas & República
( across the street/in front of the El Jardin Shopping Center)
This cost me $4. Be sure to get there and get a ticket BEFORE 1 or 2pm, otherwise they’ll want you to come back the next morning. Make sure you have the following on you and ready to turn in:
– some extra passport size/quality photos with you (print at home for the $.25 or so at a CVS…they overcharge at the photo place nearby!)
– an envelope for your paperwork
– your passport
– photo copies of your passport photo page, last entry page, visa stamp from home, and the recent stamped page from the Direccion de Extranjeria.
They laminated my ID card at the desk after printing it. Also, make sure you have an address of a place you are staying (or of a friend or hotel if you’re living in a rural place that doesn’t have an address!), and an Ecuadorian phone number (either of where you are staying, or your own phone if you decide to get a cell phone. I’m glad I got mine right away!)
Voila! Finally done!! 🙂
PS:
This may also be of interest for some of you who want to extend your 12-X visa to a 12-IX visa once you’re already in Ecuador:
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ladyandtramp/2/1270411383/tpod.html
Ethnomusi-Tía 
oh honey, $300 is nothing, my UK visa cost £594, which roughly equals $900!
Ack! In comparison though, a Cultural Exchange visa for Ecuador is something like $80 and is good for 365 days, but it requires all sorts of other people involved vouching for you and representing you. I’m guessing the application process for you had more steps to it? Did you find the expectations laid out clearly? Or was it a lot of digging and asking around?
Hola prima. Me da mucho gusto en saber que estos ultimos dias te ha salido muy bien con todo lo que tuviste que hacer. Y me encanta leer los detalles del escenario. Es algo muy curioso e interesante.
Gracias primo! Sé que te encanta viajar 🙂 A ver cuando me visitas en Ecuador. Sigue informándome de cosas familiares de Sacramento! Les extraño!
And just a quick update regarding multiple entries: I was speaking with a new friend (U.S. citizen) who recently went back to the States. She, like many others, assumed that the old rules were still in place for leaving and coming back to the country (stay 90 days, go to Colombia/Peru or elsewhere, come back and stay 90 more days on the 12-X visa, etc.). Honestly, one of the men at the desk at the Dirección General de la Extranjería told me that that was also possible; however, it turns out that the ladies at the SoCal Consulate were right: You have 90 days total (no more, not even 91!) for the 12-X visa within a year starting from your trip, and 180 days total within the year starting with your visa/trip for the 12-IX visa. My friend stayed something like 95 days, overstaying the 12-X visa. Luckily she wasn’t fined, but she must stay out of Ecuador for minimum 9 months.
And yet another update. When I was heading out in October, I had issues getting through the airport security line. One of the women mistakenly thought that I had overstayed my visit and that I was only allowed a period of six months in total and that it didn’t matter if I left the country or not.
Having a hunch that they were going to give me a hard time based on all the disorganization (or reorganization) I experienced before, I studied my passport before getting up to the window, so as to know exactly which stamps and information related to the visa were on which pages. The less fumbling around looking for that while trying to make my point, the better.
I stood my ground, stayed calm and polite, but firm, and stuck to the fact that everyone at all the consulates and offices assured me that I would have 180 days total within a year’s span and that multiple entries were allowed. After taking my passport and making me wait a bit while she checked with someone else, she returned and let me go without a problem.
Lesson of all of this is that a lot of the government officials I encountered in the visa process didn’t seem too brushed up on their rules. Get triple affirmations, dot your i’s and t’s and have a great trip!
THanks for posting this information about your experience. I found it immensely helpful and it made the registration process for my own visa go much more smoothly! I just wanted to chime in with a few more updated details on the registration process since it appears things have changed somewhat since you made this post.
It appears the biggest change that has been made is that you do not have to pre-register your visa online before going to the Dirección General de la Extranjería office. In fact, this function does not exist anymore on the Government website. All i did was go to the office with my Certificado de Visación and Solicitud de Visa and a large manila envelope. There is a line to the right when you first enter into the office. I showed my 2 documents with my passport to the receptionist and she gave me a number. I waited for about 20min and then my number was called. I then walked up to the counter and showed my materials to the representative. They then told me to walk just a few steps over to the cashier to pay a small processing few of $4 USD. 30 seconds later I walked back to the counter to the representative that I was dealing with and they told me to come back 3 days later to collect my passport. They then gave me a receipt and I was on m way!
There was no walking to a bank outside of the Dirección General de la Extranjería office or filling out any forms at a internet cafe nearby (I read this piece of info on another blog). It was easy and painless!! When I picked my passport 3 days later, the experience was equally easy.
Thanks again for the post as I could not find any information on the registration process as detailed as yours. I am happy to report that the process have gotten easier. Also the Dirección General de la Extranjería office is open from 8:30am-4pm.