Ecuador Pensioner Visa (Jubilado)

The Ecuador pensioner visa, officially the Visa de residencia temporal, Jubilado, is a temporary residence visa for foreign retirees whose income is a pension paid from abroad by a public or private institution (gob.ec). It was formerly known as the 9-I visa, a code from the repealed Ley de Extranjería.

• Status: active
• Pension: at least $1,446 a month, three times the unified basic salary of $482 a month
• Dependents: $250 a month more for each person covered
• Fees: $50 to apply and $270 on approval
• Stay: 2 years, renewable once

The unified basic salary is reset every January, so the dollar threshold changes each year (Contraloría 2026 salary table). The Ecuador guide compares this route with the digital nomad visa.

• Who: foreigners who plan to settle in Ecuador and receive a pension from abroad that covers their living costs.
• Pension: a monthly retirement pension paid from abroad of at least $1,446.
• Family: Yes, with an extra $250 a month for each person covered.
• Status in Ecuador: applicants already in the country must be in regular status when they file.

The official page sets no minimum age; the test is the pension itself (gob.ec).

The ministry asks for these documents on the e-VISAS platform:

• Photo: a recent color JPG of up to 1 MB, 5 x 5 cm, on a white background.
• Passport: valid for at least six months.
• Criminal record certificate: for applicants over 18, from the country of origin or any country of residence in the last five years, translated and apostilled or legalized. It counts as valid for 180 days from its issue date to the applicant's last entry into Ecuador (gob.ec).
• Health insurance: National or foreign health insurance valid for the whole visa period; a foreign policy must state it covers Ecuador.
• Fee payment and any other document the ministry asks for in a given case.
• Pension proof: an official document from the paying institution abroad certifying the monthly pension, apostilled if issued in a Hague Apostille Convention country and legalized if not.

• Application fee: $50, paid when filing (gob.ec).
• Issuance fee: $270, paid after approval. No VAT applies to either fee.
• Discounts: 50% off for applicants 65 and older, which brings the two fees to USD 160, and 100% off for people with a disability of 30% or more who present the Ministry of Public Health disability card.

Health insurance for the whole visa period, translations, apostilles and any legal help come on top and vary by provider.

1. Register and file online. Online only, on the Foreign Ministry e-VISAS platform (serviciosciudadanos.cancilleria.gob.ec); issued by zonal offices in Ecuador or consulates abroad. Applicants already in Ecuador must be in regular status, for example with a tourist permit or another visa. A legal representative files for minors.
2. Pay the same day. The $50 application fee is due right after filing, online or by deposit at Banco del Pacífico. Requests not paid by 23:55 Ecuador time that day are deleted and must be entered again.
3. Review. Once paid, the request moves to "Revisión de Información" and the ministry may ask for more documents. No official processing time is published.
4. Issue. After approval the $270 issuance fee is paid and the visa is issued by a zonal office in Ecuador or a consulate abroad.

Steps follow the official gob.ec procedure page.

• First visa: 2 years.
• Renewal: Temporary residence lasts two years and can be renewed once (Organic Law on Human Mobility, Art. 60).
• Longest stay in this status: 4 years.
• Next step: Permanent residence after at least 21 continuous months as a resident, applied for before the current residence expires.

The pensioner visa carries no tax regime of its own. Tax residence follows the general rule: a person is resident after 183 days or more in Ecuador in a fiscal year, or in a 12-month span across two fiscal years unless they prove tax residence elsewhere, or when their main economic interests are in Ecuador (SRI, Art. 4.1).

Under SRI rules, older adults deduct one extra zero-rate basic bracket from their taxable income (SRI). How a foreign pension is treated depends on the SRI's rules and any tax treaty with the paying country, so retirees should check before passing the day limit.