Getting your Residency in Ecuador

In all the phone calls and emails I get asking for advice about Ecuador the number one question I am asked is "how do I get my residency Visa?"  It is a very important question and also a pretty complicated one.

The truth is there are many ways you can get your Visa but most likely you will need some help from an experienced Visa Facilitator.  A Visa Facilitators responsibility is to help you learn what Visa you will need to apply for, what documents you will need to bring (or have shipped), and what will need to be Apostilled, notarized, or translated into Spanish.  Then they submit the paperwork on your behalf and follow your application through from the initial application to completion, ultimately saving you time, headache, and money.  

This can be a nightmare to do on your own ESPECIALLY if you do not know Spanish and understand the way that the Ecuadorian government works.  If you think things get done here the way they get done in America and Europe you are in for a big surprise.

With all of the other things you will need to worry about making a transition to life in Ecuador would you really want to fumble around with all the paperwork also?  This applies especially to retirees who want to come here to relax and enjoy their years here.  Processing your own Visa paperwork is hardly fun times when you have already worked for 40 plus years of your life.  Let a pro handle it for you.

If you are having problems finding this pro allow me to recommend one for you that has helped a few expats I know here get their Visa paperwork facilitated along with their Cedula.  Just email me Mike Bruner at themiddleoftheworld@gmail.com and tell me what your situation is and if it makes sense I will point you in the right direction.



   

Two words to describe Quito?

I have been thinking about this post for a while.  If I could use two words to describe Quito what would those two words be?  I drive around the city a lot and it is truly a complicated place to describe, especially with only two words. Then one day while I was dodging local drivers who treat red lights and other traffic laws more like suggestions it hit me like a bag of bricks.  Or maybe it was a bit more like a concrete slab.  Or possibly it was like a whole building being dropped on me.  Or maybe around 400 buildings, which is about how many buildings or other projects are currently being built in this city.

I then realized the best two words to describe Quito right now are "Under Construction". 

Everywhere I go in this city of progress I see a new high rise going up.  Every block is full of construction workers pile driving or laying concrete or putting the finishing touches on a beautiful new building.  It must be a sign of the economic times here because the construction business is BOOMING. 

On top of the 400 buildings going up, the new airport is finished (as you read from my previous blog).  Also a Subway system for the city is under construction, and the whole city has a big initiative to lay all of the electrical cables under ground.  Their is a park and a college being constructed where the old airport was so the land will not be wasted, and it seems like many of the home owners here are remodeling.

Something RIGHT is going on here and I don't know what it is, but I know I like it.  It is amazing to see so many projects!  I personally love architecture and even though none of these current projects are over 30 floors the artistic thought they put into the buildings here is amazing.  I look forward to seeing what Quito looks like 20 years from now.

I wouldn't be surprised if it looked something like this SkyscraperCity.com poster's post that you can view here:  http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=351025 

Mike
www.themiddleoftheworld.com

JourneymanJackInEcuador: On A Roll: Ecuador's gamble with the U.S. Dollar

JourneymanJackInEcuador: On A Roll: Ecuador's gamble with the U.S. Dollar: On A Roll: Ecuador's gamble with the U.S. Dollar   From Today in Ecuador - Miami Herald QUITO – Ecuador’s Law of Economic Transfor...