More Visa Document Info

In a previous post I mentioned all the documents I require to obtain a Visa in Ecuador.

Some of those documents are starting to come back to me (after being authenticated and authorized). My Birth Certificates should be here on Monday. They are coming back from the Consulate of Ecuador in Ottawa. 

These Birth Certificates have a shiny surface on them (akin to our Canadian currency) and I was told by the Consulate of Ecuador in Burnaby, BC that he would not authorize these documents because the ink from his stamp would not penetrate the documents properly. So, rather than order a different type of Birth Certificate and waste the money I had already spent on acquiring the Birth Certificates ($50 - $25 per certificate) I contacted the the Consulate of Ecuador in Ottawa and they said they would do it. Go figure!

So, if you plan on using the Consulate of Ecuador in Burnaby, BC you should order a COPY of your birth certificates (not the shiny long-form type) from the province where you were born. Also, don't order a copy of the short-form birth certificate (the wallet-sized one): They won't accept it.

Also, if you are getting any documents authenticated by DFAIT (Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development) in Ottawa it will take them an entire 15 days to process your documents (which is what they say on their website and also what I heard from another Canadian expat). However, they don't charge anything for processing and they forward your documents in their diplomatic pouch for delivery to the Consulate of Ecuador in Ottawa, again, free of charge.

So, you need to begin this whole document acquisition, authentication and authorization process as far in advance of your departure date as possible. The limiter in my case was the Criminal Record Report which must be no greater than 180 days old by the time you make application for your Visa. So, you would have roughly 2 months ahead of your departure date to get all this work done. You will need the extra 1 month to have enough time to get your Visa after arriving in Ecuador. Acquiring the Visa in Ecuador can take up to 30 days (but usually less). This is assuming you apply for the Visa in Ecuador rather than doing it locally.

The Birth Certificates you can order from the province of your birth any time you like. There is no time limit on them. I ordered two of them because I need the 2nd when I apply for citizenship after 3 years of residency in Ecuador.