Ecuadorian Cédula

The cédula is the Ecuadorian identification card. You can apply for your cédula at any time after you have received a temporary or permanent resident visa. Having a cédula is not an obligation.

Advantages

Having a cédula has several advantages:

• You can travel in Ecuador with your cédula instead of your passport.
• You can open a bank account.
• You can get an IESS health insurance.
• You can apply for VAT refunds (if applicable)

There are no real disadvantages but it takes some efforts to obtain a cédula.

Procedure to obtain a cédula

The procedure to obtain a cédula for the first time consists of two steps. You first need to apply for an orden de cedulación from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then, with this orden the cedulación, you can apply for the actual cédula at the Civil Registry.

Validity

If you have a temporary resident visa, your cédula will have a validity of 24 or less months. If you have a permanent resident visa, your cédula will have a validity of 10 years.

Renewing your cédula after expiration

See How to renew your Ecuadorian cédula for more information.

Renewing your cédula after losing your cédula

When you want to renew your cédula after having lost your cédula, you first need to obtain a Formulario de Constancia. You can create this document on this webpage: Sistema de Documentos Extraviados - Formulario de Constancia. See How to renew your Ecuadorian cédula for the next steps you will need to take.