Immigration: Ecuador

General information, not legal advice. Data as of October 14, 2026

Visa line

Ecuador does not have its own column. If you were born in Ecuador, you use the rest-of-the-world column ("All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed").

Family (Final Action Date / Date for Filing):

Employment: EB-1 C / C; EB-2 01APR25 / 15MAR26; EB-3 15JUN24 / 01AUG24; other workers 01JUN22 / 01JUL22; EB-4 and religious workers 15DEC22 / 01JAN25, but the part for religious workers who are not ministers expires December 11, 2026 unless Congress extends it.

If you and your spouse immigrate together (cross-chargeability):

• If your spouse was born in a country with a longer line (for example, Mexico in the family categories), your spouse can use the Ecuador column. For that, you both must get the green card in the same case, as the principal applicant and the accompanying spouse.
• It does not apply if you are already a citizen or resident and you petition for your spouse: in that case, your spouse's country of birth counts.

Ecuador is not in Proclamation 10998 or 10949 (visa suspension for certain countries). It is also not on the list of countries that must pay a bond for a tourist visa, or in the USCIS pause for people from certain countries. It was also not on the list of 75 countries in the January 2026 pause on immigrant visas; the State Department says that pause no longer applies as of August 21, 2026, because of a court order.

Which chart USCIS uses: in November 2026, USCIS says to use the "Dates for Filing" chart for family and employment cases if you apply for a green card inside the U.S. This changes every month.

Careful: a current date does not mean you can apply for a green card inside the country. Talk to a lawyer or accredited representative.

Official sources: State Dept. · Visa Bulletin Nov. 2026 ↗ · Federal Register · Proclamation 10998 ↗ · State Dept. · B-1/B-2 visa bonds ↗ · State Dept. · 75-country visa pause ↗ · USCIS · Hold policies and court orders ↗ · USCIS · Visa Bulletin filing charts ↗ · State Dept. · 9 FAM 503.2 ↗

TPS

Ecuador does not have TPS. It is not on the USCIS list of countries with TPS or on the list of countries that had it before. Do not trust anyone who offers "TPS for Ecuadorians."

Official sources: USCIS · TPS countries ↗

DACA

The rules are the same for Ecuadorians as for any other country.

• USCIS still renews DACA and its work permits.
• It accepts new requests but does not process them. Paying for one today does not give you DACA.
• Your current DACA and work permit stay valid until they expire.
• Renew 120 to 150 days before it expires. Cost: $85 (I-821D) + $470 online or $520 on paper (I-765) = $555 or $605. There is no fee waiver. Only very limited fee exemptions exist, and USCIS must approve them before you file; see uscis.gov/DACA.
• There may be changes in Texas; check the USCIS page (uscis.gov/DACA).

Official sources: USCIS · DACA (renewals) ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 fees (G-1055) ↗ · USCIS · Form I-821D fees (G-1055) ↗

Consulates and appointments

• Ecuador has 12 consular offices in the U.S.: consulates in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Haven (Connecticut), Newark (New Jersey), New York, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. (in the Embassy building), and a consular agency in Queens (Long Island City, New York). There is no office in Puerto Rico.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) also lists an honorary consulate in Boston: (617) 755-2070. Massachusetts is in the area served by the New Haven consulate.
• Find your consulate at cancilleria.gob.ec, on the "Estados Unidos" page of its map of offices. It shows each office's address, phone numbers and the states it serves.
• Appointments are booked online in the Ministry's appointment system (citas.cancilleria.gob.ec).
• The appointment is personal: each person, including each family member, needs their own appointment and their own email address.
• The New York consulate says booking an appointment is free and that it does not serve anyone without one. Do not pay anyone to get you an appointment.
• Each consulate has its own payment methods. In New York, you can only pay by debit or credit card, or by bank deposit. Before you go, check your consulate's page.

Official sources: Ecuador MFA · Consulates in the U.S. ↗ · Ecuador MFA · Appointment system ↗ · New York Consulate · Appointments, payments ↗ · Ecuador MFA · 2026 consular contacts ↗ · Ecuador MFA · Consular offices ↗

If a relative is detained

• Look for them at ice.gov/locator with their A-number and country of birth (Ecuador), or with their name and country of birth.
• If they do not show up, ICE says to call the appropriate local ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) field office.
• Your relative can ask that their consulate be notified. Ecuador is not on the State Department's list of countries that must always be notified.
• Call your consulate's emergency line. These are the ones the Ministry publishes: New York (718) 517-1571; Queens (929) 328-9451; New Jersey (551) 344-1166; Atlanta (404) 706-3123; Chicago (312) 978-0641; Houston (713) 572-8731, ext. 4; Los Angeles (323) 943-3303; Miami (305) 394-0221; Minneapolis (612) 478-0388; Phoenix (480) 851-3587; Washington (202) 631-9617.
• In New Haven, call the general number: (203) 752-1947.
• The Ministry says it gives free assistance to Ecuadorians detained abroad: support, monitoring of due process and of detention conditions, and information and support for the family. It does not intervene in U.S. court proceedings.
• The Phoenix consulate explains that, if a close relative (father, mother, siblings or spouse) asks by email, the consulate asks U.S. authorities whether the person is in custody.
• The consulate does not provide your relative's legal defense. A lawyer does that.
• Look for a lawyer or an accredited representative soon. On uscis.gov there is a list of accredited representatives and free or low-cost legal services.

Official sources: Ecuador MFA · Emergency lines ↗ · Ecuador MFA (gob.ec) · Help for detainees ↗ · ICE · Locating a detained person ↗ · State Dept. · Mandatory consular notification ↗ · Phoenix Consulate · People in custody ↗ · New Haven Consulate · Contact ↗

Passport and cédula

• You apply for the passport in person at the consulate, with an appointment. Bring your cédula (national ID card) and your old passport. If you lost it, bring the loss report.
• Cost: $90 (first time or renewal). Older adults pay half ($45). People with a disability of 30% or more do not pay.
• The passport is valid for 10 years. The consulate tells you when it will be ready.
• Minors: both parents must go. If one cannot go, that parent must give a special power of attorney (poder especial).
• Emergency passport: it is for urgent cases, for example if your passport was lost or stolen and you need to travel soon. It is free and valid for 3 months. You request it in person at the consulate, with the police report or a sworn statement about the loss.
• Cédula: according to the official procedures guide (gob.ec), it can be renewed at the consulates in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Queens. It costs $16. You go in person, and the consulate calls you in 15 to 20 days to pick it up.
• The Washington consulate also lists cédula renewal, for $21 by money order. Confirm the price with your consulate before you pay.
• A first-time cédula is only issued by the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) in Ecuador. It is not done at the consulate.
• Apostille for an Ecuadorian document: it costs $30. If it is an electronic document with an electronic signature (for example, Civil Registry records or the criminal record certificate), you request it online at serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec and it arrives by email. Other documents are apostilled in person, at the consulate or at a Ministry office in Ecuador.
• Neither the passport nor the cédula gives you immigration status or a work permit in the U.S.

Official sources: gob.ec · Passport abroad ↗ · gob.ec · Cédula renewal abroad ↗ · gob.ec · Emergency passport ↗ · gob.ec · Apostille and legalization ↗ · Washington Consulate · Cédula ($21) ↗

Children born in the U.S. and nationality

• Ecuador's Constitution (article 7) says that people born in another country to a mother or father born in Ecuador are Ecuadorian by birth, as are their descendants up to the third degree.
• The Constitution (article 6) says that Ecuadorian nationality is not lost by having another one (dual nationality). Under the Constitution, becoming a U.S. citizen does not take away your Ecuadorian nationality.
• To register your child, make an appointment at the consulate. According to gob.ec, you need:
• the U.S. birth certificate, apostilled (the Secretary of State of the state where your child was born issues the apostille) and translated into Spanish;
• the cédula or passport of the Ecuadorian father or mother.
• Cost according to gob.ec: $50 plus a $5 Civil Registry service fee.
• The New York consulate lists $56.29 plus certifications, card only. It says this registration is only for children of a father or mother who is Ecuadorian by birth, and it also asks for the translation to be notarized and apostilled.
• gob.ec also has a registration that uses the certificate from the doctor or health professional who attended the birth. It is only for children under 18 (after that, registration must go through the courts). gob.ec says it is free, but confirm with your consulate. Ask your consulate which process applies to you.
• Each consulate may ask for something else. Check its page before you go.

Official sources: National Assembly · 2008 Constitution ↗ · gob.ec · Registering a birth abroad ↗ · New York Consulate · Child registration ↗ · gob.ec · Birth registration (health record) ↗

Voting from the U.S.

• If you live abroad, voting is voluntary.
• Under the electoral law (Código de la Democracia, article 13), from abroad you elect the president and vice president, national and overseas Assembly members, Andean Parliament members and members of the CPCCS (Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control).
• Next vote: Sunday, November 29, 2026 (2027 Local and CPCCS Elections). That day, local officials (prefects, mayors, council members and rural parish board members) and 7 CPCCS members are elected.
• CPCCS members are elected in a single district that includes the overseas district. Local officials are not on the list of what is elected from abroad.
• Abroad, voting is from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., local time. Bring your original cédula, passport or consular ID document.
• To vote from the U.S., your electoral address must be abroad. The voter registry for this vote closed on July 2, 2026: if you change your address now, the change counts for future elections.
• You can change your electoral address at a consulate, at the consulates' mobile outreach events (brigadas móviles) or online on the CNE website. You can use your passport, cédula or consular ID, even if they are expired. Check your electoral address at votoenelexterior.cne.gob.ec.

Official sources: CNE · November 29, 2026 election ↗ · CNE · What you vote for from abroad ↗ · CNE · Changing your electoral address ↗

If you return to Ecuador

• The Organic Law on Human Mobility (Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana) gives benefits to Ecuadorians who return to live in Ecuador. It applies if you lived abroad for more than 2 years (voluntary or forced return) or if you are in a situation of vulnerability recognized by the Ministry or a consulate. It also applies to Ecuadorians born abroad who move to Ecuador.
• First, request the Returning Migrant Certificate (Certificado de Migrante Retornado): it is free and you request it online at migranteretornado.cancilleria.gob.ec. You need your cédula, a sworn statement and an email address. The Ministry aims to issue it in 3 to 5 business days.
• Deported people in a vulnerable situation can get the certificate even if they did not live abroad for 2 years.
• Household goods and work equipment: you do not pay import taxes (for household goods you do pay customs service fees). Work equipment has a limit of 160 basic salaries. A vehicle (up to 80 basic salaries) or a motorcycle (up to 25) can also enter without import taxes, generally if the model year is from the last 5 years, paying customs service fees.
• Customs (SENAE) requires that you did not spend more than 180 days in Ecuador during the 2 years before you return.
• Deadline: according to the law and Customs (SENAE), you can request these benefits up to 60 months (5 years) after you return, and only once every 10 years. One gob.ec page mentions 36 months: do not wait until the end and confirm with the Ministry or SENAE.
• The U.S. government has the CBP Home app for people without legal status who decide to leave. DHS says it gives a free trip, an exit bonus once you confirm in the app that you arrived, and forgiveness of certain fines for not leaving. DHS has changed the bonus amount several times: check dhs.gov/cbphome. The app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
• If you have a pending asylum application and you leave the U.S. without travel permission (advance parole), the federal rule (8 CFR 208.8) presumes you abandoned your application. And if you leave with travel permission but go to Ecuador, the country you say you fled, the same rule also presumes you abandoned it, unless you show compelling reasons for that trip. Talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative before using the app.
• If you are also a U.S. citizen and were born in Ecuador: the State Department says you must show your Ecuadorian passport or cédula when you enter and leave Ecuador.
• Minors with dual nationality: if they leave Ecuador without one of their parents, the State Department says a birth certificate and a notarized consent letter from the parent who is not traveling are required, no matter how long the trip is.
• The State Department travel advisory for Ecuador is Level 2 ("exercise increased caution"), with some areas at Level 4 ("do not travel"), such as parts of Guayaquil, Durán and the city of Esmeraldas.

Official sources: SENAE · Human Mobility Law (LOMH) ↗ · gob.ec · Returning Migrant Certificate ↗ · SENAE · Benefits for returning migrants ↗ · State Dept. · Ecuador travel advisory ↗ · DHS · CBP Home app ↗ · eCFR · 8 CFR 208.8 (asylum and travel) ↗

Sources: travel.state.gov, fam.state.gov, federalregister.gov, uscis.gov, ecfr.gov (8 CFR), dhs.gov, ice.gov, ec.usembassy.gov, cancilleria.gob.ec and gob.ec (Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility and its consulates), asambleanacional.gob.ec (2008 Constitution), cne.gob.ec and votoenelexterior.cne.gob.ec (National Electoral Council), aduana.gob.ec (SENAE and the Organic Law on Human Mobility). Always check the official source before you start a process.

Consulates in the U.S.