Beginning life in Ecuador

Beginning life in Ecuador

During one of my lower moments I lost patience and asked the official serving us, "Why does this process have to be so complicated and so disorganized?" He confidently replied, "Because that confusion gives us officials time to deal with all of the paperwork." That outrageous reply, in retrospect, seems sort of perfect to me. It brings up a few ethical questions. How does the country's citizens feel about being purposefully misguided in order for the government to organize itself? Blatant misdirection leads to disrespect and more lack of trust. Are the patient and enduring people of Guayaquil being taken advantage of here? I sort of wish the answer was more like "I'm sorry, we know it is confusing but we're trying to improve the system."

I decided to post some simple steps for those future guests that would like to avoid the confusion. Every American is allowed a tourist Visa which grants three months stay. These steps are for those that have already acquired a long term Visa and need to register it in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Step 1
Go to a building called "Dirreccion General de Extranjería" in downtown Guayaquil
-Ask for "la Autorización de Pago" (you will need this later)

Step 2
Leave the building and got to a Paper and Copy store
-Copy Passport pages (Information, Arrival Stamp, Temporary Visa)
-Copy Visa Certification sheet

Step 3
Get a friend to write a letter of recommendation with passport number, class, and type of visa included.

Step 4
Go to Banco Internacional
-Pay "la Autorización de Pago" ($10)
-Make sure you get the receipt

Step 5
Bring all paperwork back to the "Dirreccion General de Extranjería"
-Pick up passport the next day

After all this, you will then need to register for a Census, which to my understanding is a temporary ID which you can carry around instead of your passport. This process is a lot less painful.

Step 1
Copy Passport pages (Information, Arrival Stamp, Temporary Visa)
Copy an electric bill of where you are staying

Step 2
Go to a building called "Inmigración'
-Hand in paperwork