Ecuador · Professional Visa
Ecuador's easiest door to residency
If you hold a university degree, the Professional Visa lets you live and work in Ecuador on about $482 a month.
Full working rights on a low income bar.
Why it's different
Built around your degree
Most work visas need an employer to sponsor you. This one doesn't. It's based on your degree, so as a resident you can take any job, start a business, or keep earning from abroad.
- No job offer needed
- Work, hire, or open a business
- Income from any lawful source
The numbers
$482/mo
Income you must show
any lawful source
$335
Government filing fees
plus SENESCYT and apostilles
2 years
Temporary residency
renewable
21 months
Then apply for permanent
stay in-country to qualify
The catch
Your degree has to pass SENESCYT
Here's the catch. Before you file, Ecuador's higher-education agency has to register your diploma. It must be apostilled and earned mostly in person. Fully online degrees usually get rejected.
- Apostille your diploma at home
- Mostly in-person study
- Allow 6 to 10 weeks
What you'll need
University degree
Bachelor's or higher, mostly in-person study.
SENESCYT check
Your apostilled diploma registered in Ecuador.
Health insurance
A local Ecuadorian policy once you're approved.
Clean record
An apostilled background check from home.
The long game
Temporary now, permanent later
Your first visa lasts two years. After 21 months, you can apply for permanent residency, and citizenship follows a few years later. One rule to watch: don't spend more than 90 days a year outside Ecuador in those first two years.
Scouting Trips
Before you move, see Ecuador like a future resident.
- We walk neighborhoods
- Meet local experts
- Tour healthcare facilities
- Explore housing options
- Help you understand what daily life actually feels like
You don't have to do the paperwork alone
The apostilles, the SENESCYT file, the insurance rule: it adds up. These vetted Expatsi partners handle Ecuador moves every week.
EcuaAssist
Ecuador Relocation Specialist
Cuenca-based team that handles Professional Visa filings and SENESCYT registration.
Blue Box Insurance Broker
Insurance Broker in Ecuador
Brokers who set up the Ecuadorian health coverage your residency requires.
Emily Burt
Ecuador Local Guide
A local guide for finding a home and getting your cedula.
Where to land
Four places professionals settle
Quito
High Andean capital
A colonial center on the UNESCO list, spring weather every month, and the whole of Ecuador within a short flight. It sits at 9,350 feet, so the altitude takes weeks to settle into, and petty crime means you pick your neighborhood carefully. It also runs cheaper than Cuenca, the expat favorite to the south.
Cuenca
The expat capital
A UNESCO colonial city at 8,400 feet with the largest, most settled American and Canadian community in Ecuador. Mild all year, walkable, rich in cafes and culture, and famously calm, with cheap rents and hospitals a short taxi away. The default first stop for a reason.
Salinas
Ecuador's beach resort
Ecuador's best-known beach town, a condo-lined crescent on the Santa Elena peninsula, with humpbacks passing offshore from late June into October and Guayaquil two hours inland. High season fills it and the rest of the year empties it out. A resort strip rather than an Ecuadorian town.
Manta
The Pacific coast
Ecuador's tuna-port city on the Pacific, and a real working town rather than a resort strip. Warm and dry most of the year, with wide city beaches at Murcielago and Barbasquillo and ceviche for a couple of dollars. The coast runs humid, and it takes more street smarts than the calm Andes.
Common questions
Does Ecuador really use the US dollar?
It does. Ecuador adopted the U.S. dollar in 2000, so there's no currency to convert and no exchange-rate risk on your income or savings.
How long until I get permanent residency?
You can apply after 21 months of temporary residency. Just don't spend more than 90 days a year outside Ecuador during your first two years, or you can lose the time you've built up.
Do I need a job offer in Ecuador?
No. Unlike a work visa, the Professional Visa is based on your university degree, not on an employer. You can arrive first, then decide whether to work locally, freelance, start a business, or keep earning from abroad.
Can my spouse and kids come with me?
Yes. They attach to your visa as dependents, and you show an extra $250 a month in income for each one. Your spouse doesn't need their own degree.
How much income do I have to show?
About one Ecuadorian minimum wage, which is $482 a month in 2026 (it was $470 in 2025 and rises a little each year). You prove it with three months of bank statements, and the money can come from any lawful source.
What is SENESCYT and why does it matter?
SENESCYT is Ecuador's higher-education authority. Before you file, it has to register your foreign degree. Your diploma must be apostilled, and your studies need to have been mostly in person. Fully online degrees are usually rejected, so start early.
Ready to make Ecuador home?
Speak to our advisors to find out more.
Why not you?