Car and driving licence in Ecuador: your car is not household goods, you exchange your licence at the ANT
A foreigner may not bring a car or motorcycle into Ecuador as part of the exempt household goods; only a returning Ecuadorian may. According to NederlandWereldwijd you may drive on your Dutch licence for 30 days. Anyone who lives there exchanges it at the ANT, the transit agency, for 142 dollars, with proof of blood group and a statement about your licence with an apostille.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Bringing your car as part of your move is not possible in Ecuador. Customs, the SENAE, admits household goods free of import duties, but article 4 of its rules says that a foreigner may not import a car or motorcycle as part of them. That exception exists only for Ecuadorians who return. According to NederlandWereldwijd you may drive on your Dutch licence for 30 days. Anyone who lives in Ecuador exchanges it at the ANT, the Agencia Nacional de Tránsito, for 142 dollars.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Car or motorcycle in your household goods | not allowed for foreigners | SENAE, art. 4 |
| Used car as an ordinary import | not allowed: only new, of the model year of import or the year after | COMEX resolution 51, art. 1 a |
| Car as a tourist | temporary, with a declaration at customs on entry | SENAE |
| Bpm refund on export | only on registration in another EU country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway | Dutch Tax Administration |
| Dutch licence | valid for 30 days, then an international driving permit | NederlandWereldwijd |
| Exchange | at the ANT, 142 dollars, you must be able to read and write Spanish | ANT |
| Ecuadorian licence | valid for five years, or shorter if your visa runs shorter | ANT |
Why may your car not come along?
The SENAE's household goods scheme, a resolution from 2024, also applies to foreigners with a residence visa. It is generous: new and used items may come, free of all import duties. But article 4 excludes one thing: a foreigner may not import a car or motorcycle as part of the household goods. The SENAE's page on gob.ec says the same: a vehicle only counts as household goods for Ecuadorians. What may come is in household goods to Ecuador.
Outside the household goods a car falls under an ordinary import. An ordinary import is only possible for a new car of the model year of import or the year after (COMEX resolution 51, article 1 a). So your used car cannot enter the country. If you still want to import a new car, ask an agente de aduana, a licensed customs broker, what that costs before you ship anything.
Do not ship a car in your container in the hope that it will clear customs as household goods. What does not fall under the scheme is set aside and, under the same rules, must be shipped out again.
As a tourist you can drive your own vehicle temporarily. You arrange this at customs on entry, with your passport with entry stamp, your licence and the registration certificate. That is a temporary admission, not an import.
What do you do with your car in the Netherlands?
Selling is the most obvious choice. If you export it anyway, watch the bpm. The Dutch Tax Administration only refunds bpm if the car is permanently registered in another EU country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. For Ecuador you get no bpm back.
How long may you drive on your Dutch licence?
According to NederlandWereldwijd's travel advice 30 days. If you stay longer, you need an international driving permit. The RDW says for anyone going to live outside the EU: ask the authority in your new country whether you may keep driving on your Dutch licence. In Ecuador that is the ANT.
How do you exchange your licence?
At a provincial ANT office. You bring:
- your identity document, after registration the cédula; see registration and numbers;
- proof of your blood group from the Ecuadorian Red Cross;
- your valid Dutch driving licence;
- a statement about your licence from your embassy or from your country's transit authority, with an apostille, and a translation certified by a notary in Ecuador;
- the certificate of your migration movements, which costs 8 dollars and is valid for 30 days;
- the proof of payment.
You first pay through the ANT's website, then hand everything in and receive the Ecuadorian licence. The ANT adds that you must be able to read and write Spanish.
In the Netherlands the RDW issues a certificate of authenticity, a stamped document in English about your entry in the driving licence register. It costs €5.10 and the RDW also sends it to an address abroad. Ask the ANT beforehand whether that certificate is sufficient, and have it apostilled before you leave.
How long is the Ecuadorian licence valid?
Five years. If your visa or permitted stay runs shorter, the ANT issues the licence for that shorter period. When you renew your visa, think of your licence too. Where this falls in the order of departure and arrival is in the route to Ecuador.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Ecuador or go straight to step 4.3 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- SENAE — resolution on household goods, article 4, consolidated to May 2026 (foreigners no car or motorcycle) — aduana.gob.ec
- COMEX — resolution 51, article 1 a, only new vehicles of the model year of import or the year after — gob.ec
- SENAE (gob.ec) — household goods, with the car only for Ecuadorians — gob.ec
- SENAE (gob.ec) — temporary admission of a tourist's vehicle — gob.ec
- Dutch Tax Administration — bpm refund on export of a used car, only to the EU and the EEA — belastingdienst.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice Ecuador, the Dutch licence valid for 30 days — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- ANT (gob.ec) — exchanging a foreign driving licence, with requirements and cost — gob.ec
- RDW — the Dutch driving licence if you go to live outside the EU — rdw.nl
- RDW — the certificate of authenticity of your licence, in English — rdw.nl
- Ministerio del Interior (gob.ec) — the certificate of migration movements — gob.ec
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