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Jubilado Visa

Temporary residence for retirees receiving a foreign pension — commonly called the pensioner visa or retirement visa.

Overview

The Jubilado visa is a temporary residence visa for foreign retirees who receive a pension from abroad. It is one of the most popular visa categories for expats in Ecuador. The visa grants residence for up to two years, renewable, and can eventually lead to permanent residence.

Requirements

  • Passport — valid with at least 6 months remaining.
  • Passport photo — 5×5 cm (2×2 inches), white background, JPG, max 1 MB. See the Passport Photo Guide.
  • Pension letter — official document proving pensioner status from the competent institution abroad, certifying monthly pension payment of at least 3 SBU. See Social Security Letter or VA Benefits Letter below.
  • Criminal background check — from country of origin and any country where you resided in the last 5 years, translated and apostilled, valid 180 days. See FBI Background Check and State Background Check.
  • Health insurance — valid health insurance with coverage in Ecuador for the duration of the visa.
  • Payment — application fee ($50) and issuance fee ($270).

Income Requirement

You must demonstrate a monthly pension of at least three Salarios Básicos Unificados (SBU). In 2026, the SBU is approximately $482 per month, so the minimum pension is about $1,446 per month.

Bank statements are not required for the Jubilado visa. The pension letter itself serves as proof of income. If you have additional income sources, they can be documented separately, but the pension letter is the primary document.

Social Security Letter

For US applicants receiving Social Security, you will need your Social Security awards letter (also called the benefits letter or award letter). This letter must be apostilled. See the Social Security Benefits Letter Guide for details.

Workaround for federal apostille issues: Some applicants have difficulty getting the Social Security letter apostilled at the federal level. A reliable workaround is to get the letter notarized in the state it originated in and then apostilled in that state. This has been accepted in practice.

VA Benefits Letter

If you receive permanent VA disability or pension income, you can use your VA benefits letter as proof of income. Same process: get it notarized in the state where it originated, apostilled in that state, then certified translated into Spanish by a translator licensed by Ecuador's judiciary (e.g., EcuadorTranslations.com), and the translation notarized. See the VA Benefits Letter Guide.

Background Checks

Two background checks are required:

  • FBI background check — national-level check. See the FBI Background Check Guide.
  • State background check — from the state corresponding to the address you use on your visa application. Ecuador will not mail you anything, so you can use any address (e.g., a family member's address). Some states do not offer state-level background checks; in that case, obtain a clearance letter from your local police department, notarized and apostilled. See the State Background Check Guide.

If any background check shows a record — even a dropped charge — you will need a court disposition explaining the outcome.

Health Insurance

You need valid health insurance with coverage in Ecuador for the duration of the visa. If the policy or contract is from a foreign company, it must explicitly state that it provides coverage in Ecuador.

We recommend EcuaInsure.com for Ecuadorian health insurance policies that meet visa requirements.

Costs

  • Application fee: $50 USD
  • Visa issuance fee: $270 USD
  • Senior discount (65+): 50% off both fees
  • Disability discount (30%+): 100% off

Dependents

To include dependents (spouse, children) under the Jubilado visa, you must show an additional $250 per month per dependent on top of the 3 SBU requirement. It is strongly recommended to have bank statements in the dependent's name as well — see the Means of Livelihood guide for details.

How to Apply

  1. Register at the eVISA portal and verify your email.
  2. Select Visas → Nuevo Trámite → Visas Ordinarias y diplomáticas → Nueva Visa.
  3. Identify yourself as Titular/Beneficiario.
  4. Choose Residente Temporal as the migratory category.
  5. Select Jubilado as the visa type.
  6. Complete the application form and upload all documents.
  7. Pay the fees before 23:55 Ecuador time the same day. See the Same-Day Deletion Rule.

See the eVISA Portal Guide for a full walkthrough with screenshots.