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Ecuador marriage
Dec
11
2011
What should it cost and how long should it take for a U.S. Citizen man without Ecuadorian residency to marry an Ecuadorian resident woman without U.S. residency?
Answer #2
Agree with Dom, it´s not too painful. Just remember to get all your papers in order if she wants to get a U.S. visa: take plenty of pics (as proof) and get a hand-written certificado, not a generic computer-generated one. Also checkout visajourney.com (again , if she wants a U.S. visa).
- married an Ecuatoriana 3 years ago
Answer #3
Oh, and you might need a ¨declaracion¨ from the embassy – this says that you are in fact single. I needed one 3 years back.
Answer #4
In our case it took us a few months to get all the papers in to finally get married. We got married in 2004, so 7 years ago, in Guayaquil. I should mention that back then the old Registro Civil was in operation which was a mess to say the least, the new one is much better so I hear.
First of all, I had to translate all non-spanish documents to Spanish.
The requested paperwork I needed to present in Ecuador in order for the judge to perform the civil marriage:
1. Certificado de Solteria (this is the declaration that you are single). The Ecuadorians made me get it from the municipality where I resided in my home country (in my case Germany), but it had to be legalized with a stamp at the German embassy in Ecuador in order for Ecuadorian authorities to accept it as a legal document. They actually gave me the option to legalize it at the Ecuadorian embassy in Germany or the German embassy in Ecuador. The point being that a foreign document was not valid per se unless confirmed by a diplomatic entity linking the two countries.
2. Birth Certificate, same procedure as above. My parents’ names were by the way also included in the Marriage Act (Acta del Matromonio).
3. Copy of my passport.
4. Less important, but nevertheless, Ecuadorians include your profession in the Acta del Matromonio (it also goes on the cedula and some other places). For example, if you graduated from university say in Computer Science (Ingenieria en Sistemas) you are considered “Ingeniero en Sistemas” for life. Your profession is even asked on the immigration papers every time you enter Ecuador as a tourist. So, to have the correct profession inscribed in the Acta del Matromonio I also presented my university degree, but I did not have to legalize it by any government entity.
In any case, go to the Registro Civil of the town or city in Ecuador you want to get married in and they will give you the information first hand.
Answer #5
I forgot to add the cost. Cost for government services varied wildly by day depending on how staff felt that day, but I understand the government is cracking down on that now. Government services in Ecuador should not cost more than a few dollars a pop. In any case my total expenses were around US$4000 (four thousand). This included:
1. All the paperwork beforehand.
2. Marriage Ceremony in a chapel where we had the judge (juez) from the Registro Civil come in to perform the civil marriage. Yes, for a fee they will marry you at the premises of your choice.
3. Wedding reception for 100 people with a dinner plate, unlimited soft drinks, lots of booze, and a big cake. This included the premises.
4. Decorations for both of the above.
5. Invitations for all of the people.
6. Recuerdos (ask your Ecuadorian bride, this is part of their culture)
7. Rental limo to drive us around (we went through a McDonalds drive in with that thing to the astonishment of everyone).
8. My flight ticket from Europe to Ecuador.
In the US this would have rather been a $30 000 dollar wedding, but remember that it was 7 years ago.
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Answer #1
In Ecuador its quick, just a quick few hour stop at the Registro Civil office. Thats it. good luck, you may need it! Dom