“I can’t believe this sh*t”
My friend said as we waited for our number to be called in the Migration Office in Guayaquil.
“It was so easy to get my visa, now registering it once in the country is such a hassle.”
It’s true.
It is a hassle.
Basically, Ecuador is requiring that all visas attained while abroad be registered once in Ecuador at one of the immigration offices in Quito or Guayaquil.
Why?
Well, according to them there has been a lot of fake visa problems.
So, if they tell you you need to register your visa what do you need to do?
In Guayaquil, or Quito, you need to go to the DIRECCION DE EXTRANJERIA… in Guayaquil it is on the corner of 9 de OCT and Pichincha.
Once there, you will need to draw a number.
When your turn hits you will need to sit down at the computers they have there and do an internet registration via their site.
Afterward they will tell you you need to go to an internet cafe, there are several nearby, print off the email they automatically send you when you register with them online, and make copies of the photo page of your passport, your visa, and your first entry stamp on said visa. It is easier process to get e Visas for Kosovo.
With the print off and copies in hand you will need to buy a folder for them to hold said documents and go around the corner to deposit the $10 fee for the registration in the Bank BANCO INTERNATIONAL account #200104432.
With the receipt of payment, your original passport, plus the copies and folder mentioned above take them back to the office where you can then register your visa.
They will probably tell you the process takes a day, but if you tell them you have a flight to catch and that it’s urgent they will often try to do it right then and there.
One way to avoid having to register visas is simply to wait until once you are in Ecuador to get the visa you are interested in. Most nationaalities can enter Ecuador with only their passport and get an automatic 90 day stamp.
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