Expat Community > Ecuador

CarpeDiemTim
Joined 2015
Posts: 17

6-month Visa and/or 9-V Professional Visa

9 years ago

Hello everyone!

I've found some great information on this site, and it's nice to see people helping other people.

I'm hoping you can provide some helpful advice regarding the visa process.

Specifically, I'm planning on going to Ecuador in September, and possibly sooner, depending on my job situation. I plan to try it out for 6 months, and if I like it, stay on a more permanent basis.

That is, I've already been there earlier this year, and I liked it so much that I want to live there more permanently. But being in one place for only 2 weeks as a tourist isn't the same as being there full-time as a resident.

I should also mention that I sent these questions to Dana, whom I've seen mentioned several times in these forums, but I thought I'd also pose them to you helpful people as well.

So here's what I'm working on:

1) If I obtain a 6-month visa from the Consulate here in the U.S., stay in Ecuador for 6 months, and then decide to stay longer, can I apply for the V-9 Professional Visa from within Ecuador (without having to come back to the U.S. first)?

2) What steps do I need to take in order to obtain the 6-month visa from the Consulate? Their website didn't seem very clear on the subject.

3) Assuming I eventually apply for the V-9, are there steps that'd be easier to complete here in the U.S. as opposed to within Ecuador?

From the sounds of it, fingerprints might be one of them, and I'm unclear on the FBI background check. That is, I've read about these channelers, but I'm not clear on whether they can be used for the type of background check needed for the Visa application.

Come to think of it, there's a #4:
Would it be advisable to just start out with the V-9?

I guess I just wanted to save myself the $800 it apparently takes if you want the assistance of a lawyer.

I welcome any helpful input you may be able to provide!

Cheers,
Tim G.

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