Your cédula de identidad is Ecuador’s national ID card, and as a resident, it becomes the single most important document in your daily life—more useful than your passport on a day-to-day basis. While you can do many things with just a passport (open certain bank accounts, sign a lease, buy property), the cédula makes everything smoother—more banks will work with you, government interactions are faster, and it’s the standard ID everyone asks for. It’s what turns you from a tourist into a resident in practice.
I went through this process myself in Cuenca, and the official instructions don’t quite prepare you for what the experience is actually like. Here’s what I wish someone had told me, plus the official requirements so you have everything in one place.
How Scheduling Works After Visa Approval
Once the Cancillería approves your visa, you’ll pay the visa granting fee online. At that same time, you’re given the option to pay for your cédula order and schedule your appointment at the Registro Civil (Civil Registry).
Important: there are two separate payments. The first is the cédula order fee, which you pay through the payment link the visa ministry sends you, or at Banco Pacífico (not correspondent banks—it has to be Banco Pacífico specifically). The second is the cédula card fee itself, which you pay in cash at the Registro Civil office when you pick up your card. First-time issuance is $5 USD and renewal is $16 USD, per the official Registro Civil schedule. Bring your payment receipt—you’ll need it at your appointment.
Where to Go—And Don’t Trust the Address They Give You
This is important: the ministry may give you the wrong address for your Registro Civil appointment. Offices change locations, and the system doesn’t always keep up. When I got my cédula in Cuenca, I was directed to one office but the actual agency handling appointments was the Agencia Bellavista. I only found out by showing up and being redirected.
Before your appointment, try to verify the actual office location. You can email the Registro Civil at servicios@registrocivil.gob.ec—don’t bother calling, they generally won’t pick up. Registro Civil offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Show Up Early. Seriously.
I made the mistake of arriving at 10 AM. I waited three hours. The office was packed, the line was out the door, and there was nothing to do but sit and wait.
My advice: show up before the office opens. Doors open at 8 AM—be there before that. You want to be near the front of the line when the doors open. The people who arrive early are usually in and out within an hour. The people who arrive mid-morning wait two to three hours, sometimes longer. This isn’t an exaggeration—it’s how government offices work in Ecuador, and the Registro Civil is one of the busiest.
What to Bring
Here’s your checklist. Bring everything—if you’re missing something, you lose your place in line and come back another day.
- Your passport (the physical document, not a copy)
- Paper copies of your passport (photo page and visa stamp page)
- A printed PDF of your visa approval
- Your payment receipt (if you paid online or at a bank)
- Cash—you paid the cédula order fee separately, but you still need to pay for the cédula card itself at the office in cash. Bring at least $20 in small bills
- Water and snacks—you will be waiting, and the offices don’t always have nearby food options
If you’re replacing a lost or stolen cédula, you also need a police report (denuncia) from the Judicial Council—this can be filed physically or digitally before your visit.
What Happens at the Appointment
The process itself is straightforward. You don’t need much Spanish. The agent will:
- Verify your documents and payment receipt
- Capture your biometrics—fingerprints, photo, and digital signature
- Issue your cédula
I got my card the same day in Cuenca. Some offices have onsite printing equipment and can do this; others ask you to return within 24 to 72 hours. You have 90 days to pick up your card once it’s ready.
The Organ Donor Default—They Won’t Ask
This catches a lot of people off guard. In Ecuador, you are registered as an organ donor by default. The agent at Registro Civil will not ask you about this. If you do not want to be an organ donor, you need to tell them during your appointment. If you don’t say anything, you’ll be marked as a donor on your cédula. This is not difficult to change later, but it’s much easier to handle it at the time of issuance.
About Your Foreign Resident Cédula
Your foreign resident cédula looks different from an Ecuadorian citizen’s. It uses a number linked to your passport rather than the standard 10-digit citizen format, and it expires with your visa rather than lasting 10 years.
The cédula also functions as valid identification for domestic flights within Ecuador and may be accepted for certain cross-border purposes within Andean Community countries (Colombia, Peru, Bolivia)—though always carry your passport as backup for international trips.
What the Cédula Makes Easier
A common misconception is that you can’t do anything in Ecuador without a cédula. That’s not true. You can open a bank account with just a passport—Cooperativa JEP in Cuenca is well known for working with foreigners who don’t have a cédula yet. You can sign a lease with a passport. You can buy property with a passport. But having your cédula makes all of these things significantly easier and opens more doors.
With your cédula, you can:
- Open accounts at any Ecuadorian bank or cooperativa (not just the ones that accept passport-only)
- Enroll in IESS healthcare
- Get a postpaid phone plan (some carriers may accept passport, but cédula is standard)
- Register a vehicle
- Access the digital cédula app (QR-verifiable ID on your phone)
- Handle virtually any government interaction without extra paperwork
The cédula number becomes your identity in Ecuador. You’ll be asked for it at the bank, the pharmacy, the phone store, setting up utilities—everywhere. Memorize it quickly.
Renewing Your Cédula
Your foreign resident cédula expires when your visa expires. When you renew your visa or convert to permanent residency, you’ll get an updated cédula through the same Registro Civil process. The renewal fee is $16 USD. Permanent residents renew their cédula on a longer cycle rather than with each two-year visa renewal, which is one of the practical benefits of upgrading from temporary to permanent status.
The renewal process is identical to the initial issuance: pay online or at a bank, bring your documents and receipt to Registro Civil, and go through biometrics again. Same advice applies—show up early, bring everything, bring snacks.
Official Government Reference
For the most current requirements and fees, the official source is the Ecuadorian government’s service portal: Emisión de Cédula de Identidad — gob.ec. The page is in Spanish, but the key details:
- First-time issuance: $5.00 USD
- Renewal: $16.00 USD
- CONADIS card (30%+ disability): Free
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Valid for: 10 years (citizens) or visa duration (foreign residents)
- Contact: (02) 3731110 or servicios@registrocivil.gob.ec
Get Started
The cédula is the final step in your visa process and the first step in your actual life as an Ecuador resident. EcuaPass handles the complete visa application through cédula issuance—you’ll walk out of Registro Civil with your ID card in hand, ready to open a bank account, sign a lease, and start settling in.