Ecuador: temporary investor residence from 100 basic salaries, with a clear path to permanence

Ecuador's investor visa is one of the temporary residence categories created by the Organic Law on Human Mobility (Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana, Arts. 59-60) and its implementing regulation. It is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility (Cancillería) and filed entirely online through the e-VISAS platform. The amount is expressed as 100 times the unified basic salary (SBU) for a general worker. The Ministry of Labour set the SBU at USD 482 for 2026, which places the minimum at USD 48,200; the figure moves each January with the salary, so the amount in force on the filing date applies. The investment may be a term deposit of at least 730 days with a supervised Ecuadorian bank or cooperative, registered real estate, shares in an Ecuadorian company registered with the Superintendency of Companies, or a current investment or administrative contract with the State. It must be maintained while the residence is relied upon.

The visa is valid for two years and allows multiple entries. Cancillería's official guidance for the investor category does not set a minimum stay, but the clock towards permanent residence runs on continuous temporary residence: an investor may apply for permanent residence after at least 21 continuous months, and must file before the temporary status expires. Permanent residence is of indefinite validity. Naturalisation then requires at least three years of regular residence as a permanent resident, with absences of no more than 180 days in each of those years, an assessment of spoken and written Spanish, an examination on Ecuador's history, geography and culture, and an interview. Ecuador's Constitution does not require new citizens to give up another nationality, although the investor's own country may have different rules.

Tax residence is a separate test from immigration status. Under the Internal Tax Regime Law, an individual who spends more than 183 days in Ecuador within the relevant period becomes tax resident and is taxed on worldwide income at progressive personal rates. Ecuador has no special non-domicile or flat-tax regime for new residents. Transfers of money abroad are generally subject to the 5% currency outflow tax (Impuesto a la Salida de Divisas), which matters for anyone planning to repatriate capital or income. Investors keeping a tax home elsewhere should manage their days of presence from the first year.

Family members are not added to the investor's visa as such; a spouse, de facto partner and dependent children usually apply in the dependant (amparo) category on the strength of the principal's residence, and minors' applications are filed by a parent or legal representative. Ecuador also offers income-based routes that may suit some clients better: the retiree (jubilado) temporary residence requires a foreign pension of at least three SBU per month (USD 1,446 in 2026) plus USD 250 per dependant, and a separate rentista category covers stable passive income. Ecuador does not operate a citizenship-by-investment programme.