How to get a Ecuador visa from Nigeria

• A visitor’s visa is required for tourist visits to Ecuador.
• The first step to securing your tourist visa is preparing your visa application and submitting to the Ecuador Embassy/High Commission nearest to you.
• Your visa application will take roughly one to two weeks to be processed.
• The process of securing a residence permit (for travelers intending to stay permanently in Ecuador) is harder and takes longer. You might need to hire an Ecuadorian immigration attorney to help you navigate the process.
• When you first enter Ecuador, you will receive a T-3 tourist stamp in your passport, allowing you to stay in the country for 90 days.
• If you wish to stay more than 90 days within a year, you will have to go to an Ecuador consulate in your home country and apply for the 12-IX visa.
• Often referred to as the Tourist, Commercial or Sports Visa, this allows you to stay in the country for up to 180 days in a year.
• Even if you are planning to apply for permanent residence, you are required to have the 12-IX visa when you file your application.
• While both non-resident and tourist visas can keep you in the country for a while, only the resident visa will allow importation of your goods duty free.
• Also, the tourist visas given upon entry have cumulative time limits per calendar year that cannot be reset by leaving and entering the country.
• Resident visas can be obtained while in Ecuador on a tourist visa, but the process can be much simpler at consulate back home if you’re doing it yourself.
• If you’re using an attorney, the process is even easier, and they can deliver your visa to you here in Ecuador, or have it sent to you in your home country (via the consulate) before you depart.
• The resident visa grants permanent residence. That means you’ll be allowed to come and go from Ecuador as you wish.
• However, you can’t be absent from the country for more than 90 days per year during the first two years of your residence, nor more than 18 consecutive months after your second year of residence.

• Nigerians traveling to Ecuador for business must first secure a business visa.
• All documents submitted for the process of securing this visa must be originals or certified (notarized) copies.
• Documents provided by the applicant must be obtained only from accredited sources and departments.
• Some documents may need to be legally translated into Spanish, if not already in Spanish.
• All applications for business visas require the following to be submitted:
• Original and signed passport valid for 6 months beyond stay in Ecuador, and with at least two blank passport pages available for Ecuador visa stamp(s).
• Confirmed round-trip or onward airline ticket or cruise passage ticket.
• Valid health/accidental insurance with full international coverage.
• Sufficient funds for the duration of stay in Ecuador.
• A completed form ” Solicitud de visa de inmigrante” for the appropriate visa type.
• A completed form ” hoja de datos para la cédula” (a data sheet, subsequently used for your identity card).
• Two current passport size photos, in color with white backdrop.
• Visa and Application fees, totaling about $350.
• A child (under 18) who is not traveling with both parents or a legal guardian must be ready to present a notarized parental letter of consent, a notarized copy of their birth certificate and notarized copies of parents' passports upon arrival.

• For stays longer than 90 days, students studying in Ecuador will need a Study Visa.
• This applies to students of any level coming to study in Ecuador, as well as extending to their family members (married partner and any children).
• To obtain one, you’ll need proof of entry into your educational institution and that you have at least 1000 US dollars in existing funds (plus an additional 500 dollars per dependent, if you have any).
• The Ecuadorian student visa is designated as Visa 12:V.
• There are two main categories for long-term visas in Ecuador: non-resident and resident.
• Both student visas (12-V) and work visas (12-VI) fall under the non-resident visa category.
• You’ll need the following documents to apply for a student visa:
• A passport with remaining validity of at least 6 months beyond the travel dates.
• A police certificate with criminal record from the applicant’s state of residence.
• A medical certificate confirming applicant is of sound health.
• A return/onward ticket.
• Two passport sized photographs.
• A duly completed application form. You download the form here >>> http://www.mmrree.gob.ec/eng/services/solicitud_visa.pdf
• Certificate of course registration in an educational institution in Ecuador.
• Certificate of financial solvency (either a bank deposit of a reasonable amount to cover expenses –please inquire at the Consulate of your jurisdiction- with a letter stating the intention of the bank of forwarding to the student 10% of that amount per month;
• OR a document signed by a relative stating that the student is supported by his/her family;
• OR a legal and duly notarized document indicating the student receives some other type of pension).
• The Ecuadorian student visa is valid for a minimum of 6 months and needs to be renewed after a year.
• At the time of writing this article, it costs $130 plus an extra $50 per dependent to process this visa.

On January 9, President Jamil Mahuad announced that the US dollar would be adopted as Ecuador's official currency.

Ecuador is located in South America. It is surrounded by Peru to the South and East and Colombia to the North.

Ecuador is a poor country. Thirty-five percent of its population lived in poverty in 1994 and an additional seventeen percent were highly vulnerable to poverty.

Many tourists travel to Ecuador without any incident each year. It is recommended still that travelers always apply common sense while in the country.

The capital city of Ecuador is Quito. It was formerly called the San Francisco de Quito. Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador after Guayaquil.