Ecuador business visa (temporary visitor for commerce)

Visa-exempt nationals can make short business trips within their 90-day visa-free tourist allowance. The visitor visa for commerce is designed for people who need longer or repeated stays for commercial, cultural or administrative work without being employed in Ecuador. The regulation of the Organic Law on Human Mobility lists business, events, training, sport, academic, scientific and cultural activities among those covered. The gob.ec page does not say whether visa-exempt nationals must obtain it for short trips, so it is mainly relevant when the 90-day allowance is not enough.

Applicants provide a passport valid for at least six months or a national identity document of their country, a criminal record certificate from the country of origin apostilled or legalised and translated into Spanish if needed, proof of lawful means of support under Ministerial Agreement 70 of 2024, and documents supporting the activity, such as a sponsorship letter from an Ecuadorian company or an invitation to an event. The email and phone number of the Ecuadorian sponsor or counterpart must also be given.

The request is made only online on the MREMH e-VISAS platform, which is available 24 hours a day. Upload the documents as PDFs and pay the USD 50 application fee the same day, by card until 23:55 Ecuador time or by deposit at Banco del Pacífico between 08:30 and 16:00. Unpaid applications are deleted automatically. When the visa is authorised you pay USD 125 to have it issued.

The visa does not allow employment in Ecuador. Each entry allows up to 180 days, and the visa can be renewed once. The regulation summary notes that in some cases the authority may permit only up to 30 days for these activities. For a job with an Ecuadorian employer, apply for temporary residence for work instead.

The fee pages for this visa grant a 50% discount to people aged 65 and over and a full exemption to people with a disability of 30% or more who hold the Ministry of Public Health disability card. Minors apply through their legal representative or an attorney-in-fact, and an applicant who is already in Ecuador must show regular status, either the Ministry of the Interior's tourist stay authorisation or a valid visa.