Visa Application Successful!

Happy day!!!

My Visa application was accepted without question. That means all my paperwork was in order. Now, I have to wait (I was told) for 1.5 - 2 months after or during which I will receive an email letting me know that I can go and pick up my Visa.

Now that my application has been submitted my 90-day Visa (that was basically a stamp in my passport) is no longer in effect. The receipt I obtained from applying for my Visa acts like an indefinite extension. So, even if it takes Immigrations 5 months to process my application I am still legally allowed to stay in the country.

My paperwork was accepted on my first try. From what I have heard this is not common. There was a couple at Immigrations, today, that told me this was there third attempt. But this time it was successful for them. This is not the first time I had of this.

A few complications that people run into are:

1. Not having their documents Apostilled (required if you are US resident) or Authenticated (required if you are a Canadian).
2. Not having an Apostilled copy of your Social Security card (US citizen) or an Authenticated copy of your SIN card (Canadian citizen) . Required when applying for a Retirement Visa (9-I). You don't need this if you are applying for an Investment Visa (9-II).  UPDATE:  I was never asked to show this card. My passport was enough.
3. Having documents where your name is spelled differently on some documents. Your name must be exactly the same on all documents (no exceptions).

One of the documents I had to get once I had arrived in Ecuador was a Certificado de Movemiento. This documents is issued by a specific office here in Cuenca and is required for any Visa application. It basically states your movements based on your passport records.

The document was very easy to get and costs $5.00 US. However, when I got mine (the first time) they had my name as Michael Bluett on the document. Having previous knowledge about the names having to be the same on all documents, I questioned this and was told "No, it's OK. It will be accepted." Since my Spanish was not very good I was not in a position to argue the point. So, I took the document and left.

A few days later I returned to the office and told them Immigrations would not accept it. This was not true as I had not been to Immigrations yet, however, I was pretty sure Immigrations would not accept it. 

I had to fill out a form which basically stated my request for a change and the reason for the change. The attendant said I could write the explanation in English. Then I was told to come back in two days.

Two days later I returned to the office and they re-issued the Certifcado, this time with my full name: Michael George Bluett (which matched all my other documents). They charged me another $5.00. Since it was their mistake to begin with, I think they should have given me the replacement for free. Again, my poor Spanish was not up to making a case out of the situation. So, instead of costing me $5.00 (US) it cost me $10.00 (US).

I am adding this information so that it might be helpful to someone else who might experience the same problem.

Along with your application it is necessary to supply a letter stating that you wish to stay in Ecuador and that is why you are applying for a Visa. Basically it's an introductory letter. An example of the letter I used is here. This was written by Nieve (my Chonida (Ecuadorian) girlfriend) and was based on a document that Malcolm (the proprietor of Casa de Cuenca) has used. Nieve did not like the letter Malcolm was using.