“I’m such an idiot,” I thought earlier this week as I realized I lost my cedula or ID card everyone gets who is Ecuadorian or has a residency visa to live in Ecuador.
If Ecuadorians lose their cedula the process is simple and takes a few minutes to get another one, Civil Registry. $10. Done.
But when you are a FOREIGNER like me living in Ecuador, and lose your cedula, the process is WAY more difficult.
First, you have to go to your closest Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores) and get a certificate called an EMPADRONAMIENTO. Don’t ask me what the h-ll that means.
To get that you have to get a slew of documents, they asked me for…
-Copies of passport and visa page in passport.
-Proof of health insurance.
-Fill in a form found here.
-Migratory Movements certificate (Movimiento Migratorio)
-Police report of lost cedula. Which you can attain online here.
-Proof of visa, in my case was the Ecuador validated college degree.
Then, you have to make an appointment online via the following site… problem is, I was told in Quito there are NO appointments open until February! 3 months! So I made an appointment in Guayaquil for next week.
Once you attain the EMPADRONAMIENTO then you go to the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) and in a few hours you will have your new cedula with the same number as before so I’m told. Not that far yet.
For help with this process I suggest using my friend Abogado Oswaldo (TEL: 0967577326) who has an office right next to the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Quito on 6 de Diciembre and La Nina. For a few bucks he can get all mentioned documents above together in a nice folder for you to take on your appointment.