Tourist visa and tourist visa extension, Ecuador.
As you know, Ecuador gives 90 days of tourist visa, for a lot of countries.
Venezuela, Africa countries and more, are excluded of this benefit, but, North America countries and Europe are into this benefit. So, let’s suppose this. Our friend Joe, from USA-Canadá-Europe, arrives into Ecuador for first time in his life, and he arrives on June 23, 2023. At the immigration point in Guayaquil or Quito airport, the Immigration Police check his passport and after creating him into the data base, receive 90 tourist visa days…
Option 1: After some days or weeks, Joe decide to leave the country and just leave as any other traveler, and he thinks that maybe he will never return.
Option 2: Joe decides to go out to Colombia or Perú or any other country, into the first 90 tourist visa days, the moment he leaves, the “90 tourist visa days” clock stops and, let’s imagine that he leaves in the day 85, so, he is saving 5 days, to return into Ecuador, in any date into his first year since he arrive into Ecuador.
Option 3: Joe decides to stay more than the 90 tourist visa days, and, in a quick visit to the nearest Immigration police office, he found that, in order to do an extension for 90 days more, the first 90 days have to ends and, he will have 19 days, included weekends and holidays to pay for the extension, but, those 19 days are not “free.” Those 19 days are included into the next 90 days.
Then, Joe decides to leave Ecuador in the day 156, in this case is different, because, the 90 tourist visa days extension, when you leave Ecuador, the clock doesn’t stop and continues “clicking”. Joe stayed in Ecuador, from his first arrival in June 23, until October 17th (more or less) and leaves… so, if he doesn’t return, he will lose 34 days and will be able to return to Ecaudor, the next year, in June 24th, when the Immigration Police system, automatically, will give him brand new 90 days, even if he doesn’t return in that date and will continue in this way, year after year.
But our friend Joe, decides to so something more interesting, knowing in advance how the tourist visa days works, he decides to do this:
He will stay from June 23, 2023… until august 23… and leave Ecuador…
Then, he decides to return to Ecuador, on March 01, 2024, and use the rest of his first tourist visa days… until April 01… then in April 02 (if this day is weekend or holiday he can apply for the tourist visa extension the next working day), he pay for the extra 90 tourist visa days, that will run until July 01… but, here comes the Immigration police system and, on June 23, 2024, the system automatically will delete the extra tourist visa days that Joe have and give “brand new” tourist visa days to Joe, from June 23, 2024, until September 24, 2024 and then in September 25, Joe decide to apply for extra 90 tourist visa days, that will run until December 25, in 2024. Joe decides to leave Ecuador on December 20, and maybe return in June 24, 2025, when the Immigration Police system, will grant to Joe, new tourist visa days.
So, this is why some friends and clients of mine, when we go to the immigration police, find that they have more days, or less than what they are expecting. The tourist visa days, works with the date of your first arrival to Ecuador, not with a calendar year, that’s why it is always convenient to ask, when you arrive into Ecuador, to the immigration police officer, how many days you still have as a tourist, or… pay a quick visit to the nearest immigration police office and check this about your tourist visa days available.
Right now, this is how the tourist visa and the tourist visa extension works and the fee is $150. This $150 is for 90 days or one day, and if you decide to overstay, even one day, not doing the tourist visa extension, at the moment you will leave, you will receive the “overstay fee” that at the moment is $225.