Autonomous Work Visa

1. Residence permit24 months
2. Renew24 months at a time
3. Permanent residencyafter 2 years
4. Citizenshipafter 3 years

• Permanent residency 2 years
• Citizenship 3 years
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship Spanish, spoken and written

Country

Ecuador

Program

Autonomous Work Visa

Local name

Visa de residencia temporal de trabajo autónomo, servicios profesionales, civiles, de consultoría o por carta de auspicio

Type

Freelancer

Status

Active

Initial duration

24 months

Renewable

Yes (24 mo)

Temporary residence for self-employment, a professional or consulting contract, or a foreign employer's sponsorship letter for specialised work at an Ecuadorian subsidiary. The category does not publish an income floor. A local employment contract is a different visa.

Tax regime

Worldwide

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online

Apply from abroad

Yes

The applicant shows the activity in one of three ways: a notarised professional, civil or consulting contract; a municipal operating permit; or, only when already a resident and changing category, an Ecuadorian tax number. A self-employed applicant also files a sworn statement with photographs of the activity, or proof that the premises are owned or that the lease is registered. A worker of a foreign company that is domiciled in Ecuador can instead file a legalised sponsorship letter for temporary specialised work at a local subsidiary. The letter must say the parent pays the salary and social security, and that there is no employment relationship with the Ecuadorian company. A tourist in Ecuador cannot start the work until the category changes. Filing from abroad does not require a prior visa. Filing inside Ecuador requires a tourist stay, an existing residence, or a commercial-acts visa, and regular status. The government fee is USD 50 to file and USD 270 to issue, with no VAT. Applicants aged 65 or older pay half. A disability of 30 percent or more, with the health-ministry card, pays nothing. A sponsored relative files a separate amparo visa at USD 50 plus USD 200. Each grant is up to two years, with multiple entries, and temporary residence can be renewed more than once. The temporary visa does not limit time abroad. Permanent residence needs 21 continuous months as a resident, requested before the temporary visa expires, and absences during the whole temporary visa cannot exceed 90 days. Naturalisation needs three years of permanent residence, Spanish, and an interview. A spouse or legally recognised partner, and children of any age, can be included. Parents cannot. This checklist does not add USD 250 of income per dependent. Local employment under an Ecuadorian contract is the separate trabajo visa, not this one. The checklist does not ask for a health policy. The mobility law still says a resident needs public or private insurance. This is not a territorial tax visa. Tax residence is generally 183 days, and residents are taxed on worldwide income. Work performed in Ecuador can be Ecuador-source income even when a foreign company pays it. Remote work for a foreign employer is the separate nomad visa, not this category. Apply only on e-VISAS and pay the same day, by 23:55 Ecuador time, or the draft is deleted. Language: Must speak and write Spanish; no CEFR level stated.

• Digital Nomad Visa (Visa Nómada)digital nomad visa

1. Oct 10, 2026

   Added

   created from the Gob.ec autonomous-work procedure and reglamento art. 62. Up to two years, USD 50 plus USD 270, no published income floor, self-employment rather than a local employment contract (https://www.gob.ec/mremh/tramites/concesion-visa-residencia-temporal-trabajo-autonomo-servicios-profesionales-civiles-consultoria-carta-auspicio).