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Pathway

Ecuador Investor Visa

Ecuador Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Ecuador’s investor residence requires an accepted investment that you document and maintain. The deposit, securities, property, and company-share options require USD $48,200 in 2026; qualifying state contracts have separate rules.

2026 threshold
USD $48,200 for deposit, securities, property, or company-share options
Other branch
Certain current contracts with the Ecuadorian state
Maintenance
The qualifying investment must remain in place while the visa is valid

Summary

If you make and maintain an accepted investment in Ecuador, you can apply for temporary investor residence. Options include certain bank deposits or securities, property, company shares, and specified contracts with the Ecuadorian state.

Deposits, securities, property, and company investments require 100 unified basic salaries—USD $48,200 in 2026, when the basic salary is USD $482. The state-contract options have different requirements; the regulation does not apply that minimum to them.

Check the investment option before committing money
  1. Choose an accepted investment Financial instruments, real estate, company equity, and state contracts have distinct evidence rules.
  2. Complete and document the investment Check the minimum for the year you apply where applicable, ownership share, term, and source of funds.
  3. Apply and maintain the investment Submit the required residence evidence and preserve the conditions of the chosen option.

The 100-basic-salary minimum does not apply uniformly to the state-contract branches. A future intention to invest is insufficient.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

For deposits, securities, property, or company shares, you generally need to document at least USD $48,200 in 2026 in one accepted form:

For a state-contract case, obtain a copy of the current signed contract and official evidence that it is one of the contract types accepted by the procedure. A private agreement with an Ecuadorian person or business is not automatically a government investment contract.

Whichever investment option you use, be ready to show:

The investment must remain in place while the investor status is valid. Selling the property, withdrawing the instrument, transferring the equity, or ending the contract can affect the residence status. Obtain advice before changing the investment.

The USD $48,200 figure is correct for a 2026 filing only. One hundred basic salaries must be recalculated when the official salary changes. An investment even slightly below the applicable threshold does not qualify merely because it is “close.”

What This Route Allows

Approval gives temporary residence in Ecuador on the investor basis. Current law generally allows temporary residence for up to two years and renewal, provided the category and required investment continue to be satisfied.

The resident can live in Ecuador, obtain the corresponding identity document, and conduct lawful activities consistent with Ecuadorian immigration, tax, company, and licensing law. Eligible dependents may use the applicable family process, with their own relationship and general evidence.

The route can later support a separate permanent-residence application if the applicant meets the law then in force. It does not create permanent residence automatically. It also does not promise a financial return, preserve the investment's value, or protect the applicant from title, bank, company, currency, tax, or contract risk.

Investment and residence can create tax and reporting consequences. Property ownership, company participation, Ecuadorian-source income, and physical presence each deserve tax review with the SRI rules in mind.

What This Route Is Not

Plans to invest later are not enough. The investment must be completed and documented in an accepted form. Assets elsewhere in the world do not qualify simply because they have the same value, and each joint owner must meet the rules for their own share.

You must show where the investment money came from and how you will support yourself. Selling or withdrawing the investment can affect your residence.

Approval does not guarantee the investment’s value or safety and does not grant citizenship. A later citizenship application has its own residence requirements.

Next Steps

  1. Choose the exact official branch before transferring money: qualifying instrument, real estate, company equity, or qualifying state contract.
  2. Recalculate 100 basic salaries for the year you apply. Use USD $48,200 only for 2026.
  3. Ask an independent Ecuadorian lawyer or notary to review title, liens, company records, contract authority, ownership percentage, and the exact visa evidence before closing.
  4. Keep a clean source-of-funds file showing how the money was earned, transferred, exchanged, and invested.
  5. For a financial instrument, confirm the institution and product qualify and the term is at least 730 days. For property or equity, confirm the record will show the applicant's qualifying share.
  6. Download the current official procedure and prepare passport, criminal-record, immigration-status, lawful-means, and insurance evidence.
  7. Apply online through the Ministry’s e-VISAS platform and retain proof that the investment remains in place.
  8. Obtain tax advice before taking ownership, receiving income, or spending enough time in Ecuador to trigger tax residence.

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Sources