Registration and numbers in Ecuador: the orden de cedulación, the cédula and the RUC
With a residence visa you get a cédula in Ecuador, the identity card. First you obtain an orden de cedulación from the Cancillería (10 dollars, valid for 15 working days), then the Registro Civil makes the card (5 dollars). You only need the RUC, the SRI's tax number, if you have an economic activity in Ecuador.
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As soon as your residence visa is in place, you apply in Ecuador for a cédula, the identity card that foreigners get too. That takes two steps at two counters. The Cancillería gives you an orden de cedulación, an instruction to the Registro Civil. With that instruction the Registro Civil makes your card. The orden costs 10 dollars and is valid for only 15 working days. You only need a tax number, the RUC, if you have income from an activity in Ecuador.
| What | Where | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orden de cedulación | Cancillería, Dirección Zonal, by appointment or online | 10 dollars | valid for 15 working days |
| Cédula, first issue | Registro Civil | 5 dollars | birth certificate with apostille and translation |
| Cédula, renewal | Registro Civil | 16 dollars | |
| RUC | SRI, online or at the counter | not stated | only for an economic activity |
| Certificate of migration movements | Ministerio del Interior | 8 dollars | valid for 30 days |
If you are 65 or older, the Cancillería gives a 50% discount on the orden.
How do you get the orden de cedulación?
You make an appointment through the Cancillería's website and go to the Dirección Zonal where you made it. You bring your passport, with the visa in it, and proof that the ground for your visa still exists, such as a recent pension statement. You pay at BanEcuador, check your details and sign the orden. There is also an online route, through the same platform on which you applied for the visa.
According to the Cancillería, documents from abroad must have an apostille and be translated into Spanish. It recommends having the translation and the translator's signature acknowledged by a notary in Ecuador.
What do you take to the Registro Civil?
The orden de cedulación and the proof of payment. The Registro Civil also asks for your birth certificate, and if you are married your marriage certificate, with apostille and translation. Having an education or profession recorded is possible with a diploma, also with apostille and translation.
Arrange the apostille on your birth and marriage certificates before you leave. For a Dutch document you get it from a court in the Netherlands. From Ecuador that becomes a detour, while your orden de cedulación expires after 15 working days.
At the counter your details are checked, your fingerprints and photo are taken and your signature is recorded. In offices with a printer you get the card the same day. Otherwise you have 90 days to collect it. Children under 15 come with a parent or legal representative.
How long is the cédula valid?
As long as your visa. Article 46 of the regulation to the Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana says that with temporary residence the cédula has the same validity as the visa. If you get a new visa, for example permanent residence, a new card follows. The Cancillería also issues the orden for a renewal, and the Registro Civil charges 16 dollars for it.
After that you identify yourself with the cédula at Ecuadorian institutions. Voluntary affiliation with the IESS, the social insurance institute, for example requires your cédula. See healthcare in Ecuador and banking and payments.
Do you need a RUC?
Only if you have an economic activity in Ecuador. The SRI, Ecuador's tax authority, describes the RUC as the number of every person who carries out economic activities in Ecuador. That includes working as a self-employed person and letting a home. If you live on a pension from the Netherlands, you do not need the RUC for that.
You register through SRI en Línea, the online portal with your own access code, through the virtual counter, which has a separate route for foreigners, or at the counter. If you stop the activity, you report it within 30 working days. Whether you have to file a return regardless is explained in AOW, pension and tax.
What other papers are often requested?
The certificate of migration movements from the Ministerio del Interior, an overview of your entries and exits. Customs asks for it with your household goods, the transit agency when you exchange your driving licence. It costs 8 dollars and is valid for 30 days. So only apply for it when you need it.
Which visa comes before the cédula is in the residence routes, and the order after arrival in the first weeks.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.1: 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 5.1 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.
- Cancillería (gob.ec) — the orden de cedulación, with the cost and the validity of 15 working days — gob.ec
- Registro Civil (gob.ec) — the cédula for foreigners, first issue and renewal — gob.ec
- Regulation to the Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana, article 46 — the cédula is valid as long as the visa — aduana.gob.ec
- SRI — the RUC for natural persons, registering and suspending — sri.gob.ec
- Ministerio del Interior (gob.ec) — the certificate of migration movements, 8 dollars and valid for 30 days — gob.ec
- NederlandWereldwijd — where to get an apostille for a Dutch document — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd — the countries party to the Apostille Convention, including Ecuador — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
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