Expat Community > Ecuador

jedard
Joined 2010
Posts: 104

UPDATE ON VISA, BIRBES, 90 DAYS ETC

12 years ago

As you know I have been writing here in this blog for some time .Asking questions about bribes, the 90 day limit per year, 6 month exemption and visas, size of TV one can bring into this wonderful 3rd world country.
I met with representatives of the local government and National .
FYI.
This is what I learned. This information was not free and took considerable time.

Bribes:
I was advised not to pay any bribes and to get the name of anyone representing the government, and their badge number .I was advises that I should not have any fear about repercussions. President Correa has taken action against those who would indulge in this practice and will continue to do so.

90 day departure:
The clock starts from the day you receive your permanent residency in your passport.
Not the Cedular as some have alluded to. . The Cedular is only an ID card. However it has been reported that some Immigration Police have been using the Cedular date as the time frame. This is wrong and can be corrected.

6 Month duty free extension:
Here the clock starts from the moment you receive your visa stamped into your passport.
This permits you to bring in all your personal effects duty free via a container and/or a shipment on any airline. Shipping by airline must be done in he same manner as a container, duly manifested and handled by a professional customs broker, and finally inspected and cleared in Ecuador.
Notre: this can include 2 TVs. of any size. The new regulation for 19 inch pertains to travelers not permanent residents using this 6 month window.

And finally , for those who give out info, laymen and lawyers, much of what you say may be right at the moment you write it , but keep in mind the laws change daily, weekly and monthly.
And keep in mind that even some of those who work at the visa office are not up to par on what the legal interpretation of these laws are.
The worst are the Immigration Police who are the last to know what has changed.
Keep your cool and be respectful at all times.

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