The first weeks in Ecuador: the cédula first, and keep an eye on the clocks

The first weeks in Ecuador revolve around one document: the cédula, the identity card for foreigners. Almost everything that follows asks for it: joining the IESS, your driving licence, and identification at many institutions. The road to it has a short deadline. The Cancillería's orden de cedulación is valid for only 15 working days. Meanwhile other clocks are running, such as the six months for your household goods and the 120 days for temporary tax residence.

Clock	Deadline	What happens if you miss it
Orden de cedulación	valid for 15 working days	apply again
Collecting the cédula, if not the same day	90 days after your details are taken
Registering household goods with customs	at the latest 6 months after your entry	ordinary import, with duties
Confirming your address after release of your goods	within 3 months, with a utility bill
Temporary tax residence	conditions within 120 days of entry	no five years of tax on Ecuadorian income only
Dutch driving licence	30 days	exchange it or get an international driving permit
Certificate of migration movements	valid for 30 days	apply again, 8 dollars

What do you do at the airport?

You show your passport with visa at the Ministerio del Interior's border control. A foreign resident shows a valid passport and a valid visa, later also the cédula, and gets the registration of their entry. NederlandWereldwijd recommends making sure you get an entry stamp, to avoid problems on departure.

If your pet travels with you, you show the health certificate there; see pet to Ecuador. Declare any cash you bring; see banking and payments.

What do you arrange in the first two weeks?

The cédula. You make an appointment at a Dirección Zonal of the Cancillería for the orden de cedulación. It costs 10 dollars, and you show your passport with visa and proof that the ground for your visa still exists. With the orden you go to the Registro Civil within 15 working days. There you pay 5 dollars, show your birth certificate with apostille and translation, and your fingerprints and photo are taken. In offices with a printer you get the card the same day. Exactly how it works is in registration and numbers.

Only make the appointment for the orden once your birth certificate with apostille and translation is ready. Otherwise the 15 working days run while you are still waiting for papers.

Meanwhile you look for a home. A rental contract above 482 dollars a month must be in writing; see renting in Ecuador. Ask the landlord for a recent utility bill for the address: you need it for a bank account at BanEcuador and to confirm your address with customs.