where can ecuadorians travel to?

[Chamy and Gatita 3]

posting for a friend--

we are trying to find out where an ecuadorian can travel to without a visa. we are friends with an american-ecuadorian couple who are not quite ready for marriage (as of today) but do want to maintain a relationship. the ecuadorian applied for a tourist visa, got an interview, and got denied. I mean SMUSHED- apparently the interviewer was very rude and our friends are just crushed. Anyhow, they are trying to figure out where the ecuadorian can travel without a visa. any help will be appreciated!

thanks!!

[TBoneTX 45,328]

the ecuadorian applied for a tourist visa, got an interview, and got denied. I mean SMUSHED- apparently the interviewer was very rude [...]

Welcome to the Guayaquil consulate. Can you provide more details about that interview, please?

[Chamy and Gatita 3]

I can ask my friend for more details- about anything in particular? they were all happy and geared up to see each other, thinking that getting an interview was a good sign. now they are trying to find out what countries they can both travel to.

[TBoneTX 45,328]

Wish I could help with the answer to your question, but I can't (others surely can). Please get details about what your friend was asked, how much time he was given, what he provided and whether it was looked at, the treatment he received, and (a description of) who interviewed him. You can PM me with it or post it here. Thanks.

[TBoneTX 45,328]

Someone (who should know) tells me that your friends can both travel to the Bahamas without a visa. The only catch is that the Ecuadorian would have to connect through Cuba, because to reach the Bahamas any other way, he would have to connect through the U.S. and would still need a U.S. visa. Your friends may wish to investigate this plan and determine its feasibility.

[VivaBaños 2]

Hello.

1. If it was a tourist visa where his interview and paperwork were processed would depend on what part of the country he's from. The interview may not necessarily have happened in Guayaquil; they also process the tourist visa in Quito at the embassy. However, I believe all K visas and CR-IR1 visas ARE processed in Guayaquil.

2. From what I understand Ecuatorianos can visit all of South America without a visa. They just need to show their passport upon entry. This is NOT true for the US citizen however. She'd need to investigate that. (There was talk last year of Bolivia requiring a visa for US citizens, not sure if it has taken effect.)

[TBoneTX 45,328]

The interview may not necessarily have happened in Guayaquil; they also process the tourist visa in Quito at the embassy. However, I believe all K visas and CR-IR1 visas ARE processed in Guayaquil.

Absolutely true! Thanks for the reminder/clarification.

[TE AMO ECUADOR 0]

The interview may not necessarily have happened in Guayaquil; they also process the tourist visa in Quito at the embassy. However, I believe all K visas and CR-IR1 visas ARE processed in Guayaquil.

Absolutely true! Thanks for the reminder/clarification.

A Tourist Visa is amongst the most Difficult Visas to obrtain. The Applicant must show "SUFFICIENT REASON" to return to said country. Usually they need to have a considerable amout of assests such as Property, A business, Hefty Bank Account and usually they need everyone of them to be able to even be considered for a Tourist Visa. The majority of Visa skippers that travel to the USA do so through a Tourst Visa. The part about not being ready to get married I would suggest that they never disclose. The fear is that a woman might come to the USA on a tourist visa to try to circumnavigate applying for the K-1 or CR-1. This is not just the Consulate in Ecuador, but most Embassy's throughout the world. Bogota Colombia is very liberal on the isuance of K-1 and Cr-1 Visas, but are completely the opposite on Tourist Visas and are very condisending in there Interviews.

Andy Y Fer

[Chamy and Gatita 3]

muchas gracias a todos, i will send this information to our friend. she did confirm that her boyfriend went to quito but she didnt remember if he got the interviewer's name. the interview lasted about 3-4 minutes on 7/24 (and just to restate to avoid confusion, this was an interview for a tourist visa). she will try to get more information for those who were interested.

it is nice to meet all of you who are also marrying an ecuatoriano/a!!! where do all your ecuadorian partners live? how often to you all get to visit? if anyone has more information on where ecuadorians can travel without a visa, please let me know. how about canada?

to "viva banos", that is where my fiance lives! do you or your partner live there too?

ciao,

kathie

[Arlington 5]

We looked at both Panama and Mexico, but both require a intrusive formal process not unlike an immigrant visa in the USA! (Anyone sensing the irony of Mexico being unwelcoming to foreigners?) I imagine that, like we were, your friends are looking for a place that is CLOSER to the USA than is Ecuador? That's a tough one. The travel agent my wife talked to had mentioned the Dominican Republic, but it required two different flight connections for her to get there and we lost interest.

As mentioned above, Ecuador does have an agreement within the Andean Community (CAN) that allows free travel to Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. My wife and I went to Peru once and it was very easy, but that doesn't solve the problem of being CLOSER to the USA. Venezuela used to be in the CAN but I'm not sure you want to go there these days as it has the highest murder rate in the world right now (but the gas is cheap). Colombia is an option, but it isn't that much closer. I have heard that Argentina had an open border policy (to South Americans), but again, that's twice the distance. Probably would recommend talking to an experienced travel agent in Ecuador (obviously, not a good line of business to be in!). Finally, with respect to one of the notes above, I wouldn't recommend anyone intending to come to the USA in the future to travel through Cuba as such a passport stamp would probably draw unwanted attention.

[Chamy and Gatita 3]

Thanks for the last reply! besides a travel agent in ecuador, have you been able to research any of this online, or do you have any suggestions for that?

good point on cuba. we will look into the dominican republic. im still wondering about the bahamas/bermuda/other caribbean islands. saw your timeline- congratulations!

[Arlington 5]

See examples from Mexico and Panama below. You just have to go to the government website of whichever country they are interested in. The degree of hassle depends on where in Ecuador your friend lives. If they live in Guayaquil or Quito, it won't be such a big deal because there are embassies and consulates there. But my wife lives in Machala, which is 4 hours south of Guayaquil. For her to be going back and forth to Guayaquil to deliver documents to the foreign consulates just didn't make sense for us. I tried dealing with the Panamanian Embassy here but they weren't that helpful. Just like the USA, they want to see evidence of a GOOD job in Ecuador, pay stubs, bank accounts, etc. And it's not like they just give it to you right away, I think for most they require you to wait, which makes it hard to schedule travel.

http://www.sre.gob.mx/servicios/visas/extran.htm

http://www.panamatramita.gob.pa/tramite_req.php?id_tram=2348

http://www.migracion.gob.pa/esp/servicio.php?cont=paisvisa

[paciencia y fe 2]

Howdy,

i know this thread is a year old, but it was still helpful to me a few months ago so I thought i would add some info. I can tell you that ecuadorians can travel to Jamaica with no visa, no problem. We went there in May, flying through Panama.

Karen