Process for moving to Ecuador, getting married, becoming a resident and visitng the US. WOW!

[themudd 0]

Hi everyone! My name is Lee and I am totally new to visajourney. And what a crazy journey this has become!

I went down for a visit to Cuenca, Ecuador in Sept 08. Needless to say, I am getting married to Diana, the most amazing woman Ive ever met, 17 Abril in Cuenca. Things are going GREAT, but it is def more complicated than if she lived around the corner from me here in the US. There are alot of knowledgeable people out there who have a TON of experience and id love some help. I apologize if this information is out there, but every situation is different, so i'd love some personal help. THANKS!

1) I will be moving to Ecuador on 7 April, which is just about 1 month away. I have been told that I need to obtain a 12-9 to Ecuador and that going just on my passport would not be sufficient. Is that correct? Do I need to do anything special for this other than going to the Consulate in NYC with the correct documents?

2) Our wedding date is 17 April. As a citizen from the US and marrying a Ecuadorian in Ecuador, do I need to do anything special? Do I need any special documents or forms? If so, can I take care of this here in US or is that something that must be done in Ecuador?

3) I am going to become a resident of Ecuador after we get married. As the Spouse of an Ecuadorian, is this pretty much a guarantee that I will get my residency as long as I have the needed documents and sufficient money. Any surprises with this?

4) We then will want to come back and visit the US fairly soon after the wedding. She only had an opportunity to meet my parents and I would like her to meet the rest of the family and know the US for a visit (maybe about 2-3 months?) If I am a resident and I show that this is not a marriage of convenience and that we have a house and I am a resident of Ecuador, do you think this will increase my chances of her getting a Visa to visit? Would this be a Spouse Visa? Any tips with that? Or is her getting residence in the US our only option?

This site is amazing and I appreciate any info and the experience of others out there in my situation.

Thank you SO much!

Lee

[Mononoke28 135]

Hi Lee,

You're asking this in the wrong site since Visa Journey is only for people who want to come live to the US and not in any other country.

But here is my 2 cents:

1. I'm pretty sure that you will not be able to stay longer than 180 days in Ecuador (maybe less) if you only use your passport. You will need some sort of visa but you will have to contact an Ecuadorian consulate here in the US to find out.

2. For your marriage, you will need to find out directly from them to find out what documents you will need. Each country is different and they all request different things. Also ask if they need these documents to be apostilled and translated.

3. I'm not sure about this since I'm not from Ecuador and not familiar with their residency laws, but it would be a good thing if your fiancé starts asking around to see what you will need and what the chances are of obtaining residency.

4. This is a tricky one. She has a 50/50 chance of getting a tourist visa, especially if she's married to a US citizen. You may be denied, you may be approved, who knows but it's definitely not certain. Also a spousal visa either a CR1 or K3 does not apply to you since they're only for people who use it to come live in the US, not for visits.

Good luck with everything!

Diana

Edited March 5, 2009 by Mononoke28

[VivaBaños 2]

I married an Ecuadorian in Ecuador and I can say Diana is right across the board.

1. You'll get no special treatment for being the spouse of an Ecuadorian. You can apply for the spousal residency but as I experienced it, it's a long drawn out process which includes having your finger prints mailed to the FBI ($80 at the Embassy) and waiting for that to come back as clear. I started the process and know that I spent several hundred dollars only to realize that it was going to take more time than I had available to finish the process since I was ultimately planning to return to the US to finish my degree and apply for the US spousal visa for my husband. There are not THAT many options to enter the country and I'm assume unless you are a student, missionary or a businessperson, you'll likely just enter on your passport and that will give you only a certain number of days. At one point you could easily extend the tourist visa, but I believe those rules have changed (or are changing). Back to the spousal residency visa in Ecuador--you can access those forms on the Ecuadorian embassy's site to find out what all you need (shots, FBI background check with fingerprints, lots of things notarized that I don't quite remember off the top of my head.)

Como dicen allá--qué relajo!

2. I had to get a letter from the Embassy in Quito that stated that I was qualified to marry. This did not take very long. The qualified means that I was not currently married or had I been divorced that all of that had been settled. If you have been divorced you'll need proof of that to take to your visit to the Embassy. You have to fill out a form that is available online and take that with you to get the printed letter from the Embassy "allowing" you to marry in Ecuador. I had a mini-interview at that Embassy appointment. Now I'm not sure if you can take care of this while in the US, that would be something for you to investigate. I'm going to harbor a bet and say no--because the Registro Civil in Ecuador in whatever town you decide to marry is accustomed to a particular kind of form and the RC in your particular city may be particular about that. When you appear at the REgistro Civil to marry or plan for the wedding, you need your passport and multiple copies of the name page (they'll tell you all of this when you go), copies of the cedulas and voting card of the testigos for both you and your future spouse.

When you have married, be sure to have your spouse change her cedula so that it says married and with your name on it--that holds no weight here in the US, but you'll need this for your application for Ecuadorian residency.

4. Diana's absolutely right on number 4. I think it'd be tricky to get a tourist visa for your spouse. And the other visas are for residency here.

Good luck!

Hi Lee,

You're asking this in the wrong site since Visa Journey is only for people who want to come live to the US and not in any other country.

But here is my 2 cents:

1. I'm pretty sure that you will not be able to stay longer than 180 days in Ecuador (maybe less) if you only use your passport. You will need some sort of visa but you will have to contact an Ecuadorian consulate here in the US to find out.

2. For your marriage, you will need to find out directly from them to find out what documents you will need. Each country is different and they all request different things. Also ask if they need these documents to be apostilled and translated.

3. I'm not sure about this since I'm not from Ecuador and not familiar with their residency laws, but it would be a good thing if your fiancé starts asking around to see what you will need and what the chances are of obtaining residency.

4. This is a tricky one. She has a 50/50 chance of getting a tourist visa, especially if she's married to a US citizen. You may be denied, you may be approved, who knows but it's definitely not certain. Also a spousal visa either a CR1 or K3 does not apply to you since they're only for people who use it to come live in the US, not for visits.

Good luck with everything!

Diana