Navigating Your Jubilado Visa in Ecuador: An Expert's Document Checklist for Cuenca Expats

The "Jubilado" or Retiree Visa is an excellent path to legal residency, but success hinges on meticulous preparation and an insider's understanding of the bureaucratic landscape. Generic checklists often miss the critical details that can derail an application. This guide is designed to be your definitive, compliant resource, built from years of hands-on practice, focusing on the specific requirements for a Temporary Resident Visa for a Retiree (Visa de Residencia Temporal de Jubilado) and providing hyper-specific advice for applicants processing their visas in Cuenca.

Understanding the Legal Framework: Beyond the Basics

The visa you are applying for is no longer officially categorized as "9-I." Under the current Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (LOMH), this is the Visa de Residencia Temporal de Jubilado. Its legal basis is found in Artículo 60, numeral 10 of the LOMH. The primary legal test is proving you receive a stable, lifelong pension sufficient to support yourself in Ecuador.

The Definitive Document Checklist: Building a Flawless Application

Each document must be perfect. An error in one can invalidate the entire submission.

1. Formulario de Solicitud de Visa (Visa Application Form):

Description: The official application form, which you can download from the government's official procedural website. It must be completed in Spanish.
Legal Basis: This is the formal petition (petición) that initiates your visa process with the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (MREMH).
Expert Tip: Fill it out online if possible, print it, and then sign it. Do not leave any fields blank; use "N/A" where appropriate. Your signature must exactly match the one in your passport.

2. Passport:

Description: Your original passport, valid for at least six months from the date of application. You will also need a color copy of the main identification page and the page with your last entry stamp into Ecuador.
Legal Basis: A valid travel document is a non-negotiable requirement under the LOMH for any immigration process.
Hyper-Specific Detail: At the Coordinación Zonal 6 office in Cuenca (the MREMH office), officials are particularly strict about the clarity of the entry stamp copy. If it's faint, they may reject your file. It's wise to get a high-quality scan and print.

3. Certificado de Movimiento Migratorio:

Description: This is an official record of your entries into and exits from Ecuador. It is obtained in Ecuador from a Servicio de Apoyo Migratorio (SAM) office, often located near the MREMH.
Legal Basis: This document proves you entered the country legally and have not overstayed a previous tourist visa, a requirement under Artículo 49 of the LOMH.
Hyper-Specific Detail: This is the most commonly missed document by self-filing applicants. You cannot begin your application without it. The current fee for this certificate is approximately $5.20, payable at the Banco del Pacífico. You must present your original passport to request it.

4. Color Passport-Sized Photograph (Foto Tamaño Pasaporte):

Description: One recent photograph with a white background, in JPEG format, uploaded to the online system. Dimensions should be 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm. Do not wear glasses, hats, or anything that obscures your face.
Legal Basis: Standardized biometric identification for your visa and future cédula.
Expert Tip: Do not use a photo from your home country. Go to a local photo studio in Cuenca (e.g., on Calle Larga) and ask for fotos para la visa. They know the exact digital specifications required by the ministry's online portal.

5. Proof of Financial Solvency: The Pension Certificate:

Description: This is the most scrutinized document. You need an official certificate from the entity paying your pension (e.g., U.S. Social Security Administration, a corporate pension fund, a government annuity). This document must state that the pension is for life (de por vida) and specify the exact monthly amount.
Legal Basis: Artículo 55 of the Reglamento a la LOMH (Regulations to the Law) establishes the income requirements.
Hyper-Specific Detail: The minimum monthly income required is three times the current Salario Básico Unificado (SBU). For 2024, the SBU is $460, so your pension must be at least $1,380 per month. If you are including a dependent (e.g., a spouse), you must prove an additional $460 per month. The document must be apostilled in its country of origin and, if not in Spanish, translated by a court-certified translator in Ecuador.

6. Criminal Background Check (Certificado de Antecedentes Penales):

Description: A federal-level criminal background check from your country of origin and from any country where you have lived for more than 90 days in the past five years.
Legal Basis: A clean record is required to ensure public safety, as outlined in the LOMH.
Expert Tip: The FBI background check for U.S. citizens is a common example. Critically, this document is only valid for 180 days (6 months) from its date of issuance for immigration purposes. You must time its request carefully so it doesn't expire before you submit your visa application. It must be apostilled and, if in English, officially translated.

7. Proof of Health Insurance (Not always required at application, but mandatory later):

Description: While often not required for the initial visa application itself, the LOMH mandates that all temporary and permanent residents maintain public or private health insurance for the duration of their stay. You will be asked to prove this upon renewal or when applying for your cédula.
Legal Basis: Artículo 53 of the LOMH.
Expert Tip: It is wise to secure a policy from an Ecuadorian provider as soon as you arrive. This demonstrates commitment and simplifies future processes. Having this ready shows proactive compliance.

8. Visa Fees:

Description: You must pay two separate government fees.
Hyper-Specific Detail: The fees are set by Acuerdo Ministerial No. 0000034. The current fee schedule is $50 for the application (solicitud) and $400 for the visa issuance (expedición) upon approval. You pay the $50 fee first. The $400 is only paid after your visa is officially approved. Payments are made via a deposit at the Banco del Pacífico using a specific payment code (código de pago) generated by the system. Keep the deposit slip; it is part of your official file.

Post-Approval: The Mandatory Final Step in Cuenca

Receiving your electronic visa is not the end of the process. You have 30 days from the date your visa is issued to register it and obtain your cédula de identidad (national ID card).

Visa Registration: First, you must generate an orden de cedulación (order for an ID card) online through the same MREMH portal where you applied for your visa.
Obtaining Your Cédula: Take this order, your passport, and color copies of both to the main Registro Civil office in Cuenca on Av. Remigio Crespo Toral y Av. Loja.
Common Mistake: Many expats show up at the Registro Civil with only their passport and the visa printout. They are almost always sent away because they failed to generate the official orden de cedulación online first. The fee for a first-time cédula for a foreigner is $5.00.

⚠️ Legal Alert: When to Stop and Consult an Attorney.

Immediately seek professional legal counsel if:

Your pension document does not explicitly state the income is "for life" (vitalicia) or is from a complex source like a trust or multiple investment accounts.
Your criminal background check is not from the federal level (e.g., a state-level check from the U.S. is insufficient).
You have a criminal record of any kind, even a minor or old offense. This requires a specialized legal strategy.
Your foreign documents originate from a country that is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, as this involves a much more complicated chain legalization process through that country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ecuadorian consulate.
You are including dependents and need to prove your relationship with documents like birth or marriage certificates, which also require apostilles and translations.

The path to residency in Ecuador is clear, but it is not forgiving of errors. This guide aims to empower you with the precise, actionable intelligence needed to succeed.

Schedule a consultation to have your documents professionally reviewed and ensure your Jubilado visa application is secure, compliant, and successful from the very start.