Ecuador

These are the documents the authorities expect for the lead route. This is a reference list, not an eligibility check: whether any one item is met depends on your own situation. Items marked for apostille must be legalized before they will be accepted.

Ecuador has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 2 April 2005, so foreign public documents (criminal record, marriage/birth certificates, contracts) need only an apostille from the issuing country plus a certified Spanish translation; documents from non-Hague countries must be legalized through the Ecuadorian consulate instead.

The recorded process folds into stages, each listing the real steps it covers. Timing depends on your consulate and is not fixed, so no week estimates are shown here.

For most remote workers, the route that matters is the Ecuador Digital Nomad / Rentista Visa, and the bar is a monthly income of at least USD 1,446, that's three times the country's Unified Basic Salary. It gives you an initial two-year stay and a reported path to permanent residency after about 21 months of continuous presence, though sources differ on that timeline. The paperwork is worth it if you clear that income threshold comfortably, but the permanent-residency detail is not officially confirmed, so treat it as a promising possibility rather than a guarantee.