Ecuador digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)
Digital nomad visa in Ecuador: dedicated visa.
Ecuador operates a dedicated 'Visa de Residencia Temporal Rentista para Trabajo Remoto', commonly called the Visa Nómada, introduced in 2022 and updated by Ministerial Agreement 0000070 in June 2024. It grants a two-year renewable temporary residence permit to foreign nationals who work remotely for employers or clients domiciled abroad. After 21 months of qualifying residency, holders may apply for permanent residence, creating a clear long-term pathway.
Legal framework
Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (2017); Acuerdo Ministerial No. 0000070 (June 2024), issued by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (Cancillería del Ecuador)
Key points: digital nomad & residency in Ecuador
Dedicated Visa Nómada category
The 'Visa de Residencia Temporal Rentista para Trabajo Remoto' is a named, official category listed in Ecuador's government services portal (gob.ec). It covers remote employees, freelancers, and business owners whose income source is entirely foreign. Applications are processed exclusively through the Cancillería's e-VISAS online platform.
Income threshold (2025)
Applicants must demonstrate at least three times Ecuador's unified basic monthly salary (~USD 1,410/month for 2025) from foreign sources, evidenced by bank statements covering the three months prior to application. An additional USD 250/month is required per dependent included in the application.
Duration, cost, and renewal
The visa is valid for two years and may be renewed in two-year increments as long as income requirements continue to be met. The application fee is USD 50; if approved, the visa issuance fee is USD 400. Processing typically takes two to four months.
Path to permanent residency and citizenship
After 21 months of continuous temporary residence (with absences not exceeding 90 days in that period), Visa Nómada holders may apply for permanent residency under the Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana. Citizenship by naturalization is available after three years of holding permanent residence.
Tax treatment of foreign income
Income earned from sources outside Ecuador is not subject to Ecuadorian income tax for Visa Nómada holders. Ecuador is a dollarized economy (USD), eliminating currency exchange risk for dollar-denominated remote income.
Other residency routes (investment / professional)
Ecuador also offers a 'Visa de Residencia Temporal de Trabajo Autónomo' for self-employed professionals with a SENESCYT-registered degree, and investment-based residency for those making qualifying economic investments in Ecuador, both governed by the same Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana framework.
Timeline of decisions
- LawLOMH Security Reform Enacted: 40-Year Deportation Ban, Mandatory Criminal Checks, Permanent Residency Revocation Rule
President Noboa signed a sweeping reform to the Organic Law on Human Mobility (LOMH), effective October 24, 2025. The law mandates criminal background certificates for all arrivals (not just visa applicants), introduces expedited deportation with a 40-year re-entry ban, expands deportation grounds to include document falsification and criminal recidivism, and automatically revokes permanent residency after two consecutive years outside Ecuador — directly impacting long-term foreign residents.
Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor
- Decision · officialMinistry of Foreign Affairs Launches Portal eVISAS — Fully Online Visa Applications Worldwide
Ecuador's Cancillería launched the Portal eVISAS (serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec), enabling applicants anywhere in the world to apply for all visa categories — including the Nomad Visa — without visiting an Ecuadorian consulate. This eliminated a major logistical barrier for prospective remote-worker residents, particularly in countries without an Ecuadorian diplomatic post.
Cancillería del Ecuador (cancilleria.gob.ec)
- Law · officialRevised LOMH Implementing Regulation (Reglamento 2023) Published
Ecuador published an updated Reglamento to the LOMH in May 2023, consolidating all amendments since 2022 — including the Visa Nómada procedural rules of Article 64 — and reducing the nominal application fee. This became the operative procedural rulebook for digital nomad applicants through the 2025 reform cycle.
Ecuador Guía Oficial de Trámites y Servicios (gob.ec)
- Law · officialExecutive Decree 354: Implementing Regulations Formally Create Visa Nómada (Tercer Suplemento RO No. 18)
President Guillermo Lasso signed Executive Decree 354, publishing the full LOMH Implementing Regulation in the Tercer Suplemento del Registro Oficial No. 18. Article 64 formally defined the 'Visa de Residencia Temporal Rentista para Trabajo Remoto' (Visa Nómada), setting the income floor at 3× the Unified Basic Salary (SBU) in foreign-source income, requiring private health insurance with Ecuador coverage, and granting a 2-year renewable stay (extendable once for a total of 4 years). This was the operative launch of Ecuador's digital nomad visa.
Cancillería del Ecuador — Tercer Suplemento RO No. 18 (10 March 2022)
- LawLOMH Reform Adds Remote-Work Rentista Category — Legislative Foundation for Nomad Visa (RO Supplement No. 386)
Ecuador's National Assembly passed a reform to the LOMH published in Registro Oficial Supplement No. 386 (February 5, 2021), explicitly adding remote work (trabajo remoto/telework) as a qualifying activity under the rentista temporary residence category. This created the legislative authority for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to later issue the Visa Nómada through implementing regulations.
Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor
- Guidance · officialOfficial Nomad Visa Procedure Listed on gob.ec — Ministry Accepts Applications
Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility formally listed the 'Concesión de Visa de Residencia Temporal Rentista para Trabajo Remoto (Visa Nómada)' on the official government services portal (gob.ec), confirming acceptance of applications and detailing the documentary requirements, making Ecuador one of the first Andean nations to offer a dedicated remote-worker residency path.
Ecuador Guía Oficial de Trámites y Servicios (gob.ec)
- LawFirst Reglamento to the LOMH Signed by President Lenin Moreno
President Moreno signed the inaugural Implementing Regulation (Reglamento) to the 2017 LOMH, operationalizing visa categories, income documentation rules, stay limits, and paths to permanent residency (21 months of continuous temporary residence). This regulation established the procedural architecture that would later be adapted to accommodate remote workers.
EcuaAssist
- Law · officialLey Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (LOMH) Enacted — Ecuador's Foundational Immigration Framework
President Rafael Correa enacted the Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (Registro Oficial Supplement No. 938, February 6, 2017), replacing fragmented colonial-era immigration rules with a single 171-article framework. The law created unified visa categories (rentista, inversor, profesional, jubilado, etc.) and established the 2-year renewable temporary residence path and the 21-month qualifying period for permanent residency that continue to underpin today's digital nomad visa structure.
ACNUR / Registro Oficial Supplement No. 938 (6 Feb 2017)
Sources
- gob.ec/mremh/tramites/concesion-visa-residencia-temporal-rentista-trabajo-re
- cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/0000070.pdf
- cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/acuerdo_0000070_20240839024001736872743.pd
- cancilleria.gob.ec/visa-/
- serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec/
- acnur.org/fileadmin/Documentos/BDL/2017/10973.pdf
- gob.ec/mremh/tramites/concesion-visa-residencia-temporal-trabajo-autonomo-se
Next for Ecuador: Internet & Online SafetyPartial
Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026