1. Passport Photograph
- Requirement: MANDATORY
- Applies To: All applicants
- File Format: JPG
- Max File Size: 1 MB
- Dimensions: 5 x 5 cm / 2 x 2 inches
- Background: White
- Expression: Neutral (preferred) or natural smile; both eyes open
2. Valid Passport
- Requirement: MANDATORY
- Applies To: All applicants
- File Format: PDF
- Validity Rule: ≥ 6 months remaining
3. Criminal Record Certificate(s)
- Requirement: MANDATORY for adult applicants
- Sources Required: The required national-level certificate from the country of origin or relevant prior residence. If you lived in several countries in the previous five years, confirm the required country coverage with CESDI before ordering.
- File Format: PDF
- Authentication: Apostilled or legalized
- Translation: Spanish
- Validity: 180 days from issuance
- Coverage: Use a national-level record. A state or local police check alone does not meet the national-coverage standard.
4. Proof of Lawful Means of Subsistence
- Requirement: MANDATORY
- Legal Basis: Ministerial Agreement No. 0000070 (June 28, 2024)
- Acceptable Documents (choose an applicable alternative):
- Bank certificate or transaction record from an Ecuadorian or foreign institution showing income of at least one monthly SBU ($482 in 2026).
- Evidence of lawful resources, rent, pension or other income meeting the applicable one-SBU rule.
- Fixed-deposit evidence showing at least one SBU in monthly interest.
- Proof of urban or rural property-tax payment for the year before applying.
- Foreign Private Bank Evidence: Electronically signed bank statements or certificates are exempt from apostille or legalization. Other foreign private livelihood documents must be materialized before a notary and apostilled or legalized. A downloaded PDF is not necessarily electronically signed. Spanish translation is required when needed.
- Separate Evidence: Prepare investment evidence and lawful-support evidence. A deposit principal alone does not prove the monthly-interest alternative.
- File Format: PDF
5. Investment Documentation (Choose One Option)
Option A: Certificate of Deposit (CD)
- Requirement: MANDATORY (if selecting this option)
- Minimum Term: 730 days (2 years)
- Minimum Amount: 100 SBU = USD $48,200
- Institution: Credit institution recognized by Superintendencia de Bancos or Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria
- Documents Required:
- Title, policy, or certificate of deposit
- Required custody or registration evidence; confirm the regulated institution's securities-dematerialization agreement with Banco Central del Ecuador before funding
- Maintenance: Keep the qualifying investment in place throughout the visa, even if a deposit opened before filing matures earlier. Maturity alone does not authorize release.
Option B: Real Estate Acquisition
- Requirement: MANDATORY (if selecting this option)
- Minimum Qualifying Ownership: Your documented share must meet 100 SBU = USD $48,200 in 2026
- Documents Required:
- Public purchase deed (Escritura de compraventa)
- Property Registry registration proof (Registro de la Propiedad)
- Before Issuance: Follow the ministry's instruction for the visa-related registry annotation and obtain the updated certificate showing the restriction on sale during the investor visa.
Option C: Corporate Shares or Company Participations
- Requirement: MANDATORY (if selecting this option)
- Minimum Value: 100 SBU = USD $48,200
- Documents Required:
- Official documentation proving ownership of shares or equity participations
- Registration under Superintendencia de Compañías, Valores y Seguros
- Before Issuance: Complete the required visa-related registry instruction and retain the final certificate.
Option D: Government Investment Contracts
- Requirement: MANDATORY (if selecting this option)
- Documents Required:
- Copy of public deed for valid investment contract with Ecuadorian State, OR
- Copy of valid delegated management deed with government entities, OR
- Signed administrative contract with the State
6. Certified Translations & Notarizations
- Requirement: CONDITIONAL
- Translation: Use an authorized professional for documents not in Spanish, including their authentication attachments. Keep the original, apostille/legalization and translation together.
- Formalities: Before commissioning the translation, confirm with CESDI the evidence of translator authorization and signature authentication it accepts for a translation made abroad or in Ecuador. Current public investor materials do not establish one universal visa-stage method.
7. Immigration Status & Registration
- In Ecuador: Apply while your immigration status is regular and prepare the current visa or authorized-stay evidence.
- Migration Registration: The October 2025 law adds a certificado de registro migratorio. The public investor checklist and 2026 e-VISAS booklet do not explain a general issuance/upload process. Ask CESDI how it is supplied in your case. Do not assume an entry stamp or movement report is interchangeable.
- CESDI Application Guidance: consejeria@cancilleria.gob.ec
Official Sources & Verification
Facts checked 9 October 2026. The newer law's 180-day period runs from certificate issuance, rather than the arrival-based wording on older pages.
- MREMH investor-visa checklist and fees
- October 2025 law reform: criminal certificates and migration registration, Article 17
- Digital-services rules: lawful-support alternatives and foreign private documents, Articles 19 and 24
- Mobility regulation: document preparation and investor evidence, Articles 58 and 66
- Ministry e-VISAS guide, March 2026