Stay Authorization Extension
If you’ve got a stay authorization for 90 days and you want to stay visa-free in Ecuador for longer than 90 days, you can apply for an extension of your stay authorization. The extension gives you 90 additional days to stay in Ecuador, but there is one caveat: these 90 additional days are consecutive days. Every new day, one of these 90 visa-free days is consumed, whether you are in Ecuador or not. During these 90 days you can leave and enter Ecuador as many times as you want. You will need a valid visa for the days that you want to stay in Ecuador after these 90 additional days.
If you’ve got a stay authorization for 180 days (for example because you have the Russian nationality), you cannot apply for an extension of your stay authorization.
How to apply for a stay authorization extension
You can apply for a stay authorization for tourists extension at a migration office or online.
You need to apply for the extension during the previous 10 days before you will have consumed all visa-free days (day 80 to day 89). Be aware that the migration offices are closed during weekends and national holidays. The extension days will count from day 91-180 so it makes no difference on which day you apply for the extension.
It's also possible to apply for the stay authorization extension on days 90 to 120 but in that case you must pay a fine of $225 for overstaying your stay authorization and the application fee of $150.
A: Applying at a migration office
Step 1: Download and fill out the application form.
To obtain the extension, you will first have to fill out this form (pdf): formulario de solicitud de prórroga para el permiso de permanencia autorizada.
Step 2: Visit a migration office.
The migration offices are officially called Oficinas de Servicio de Apoyo Migratorio (SAM).
All offices want to process your application within one day. Therefore, it’s best to visit a migration office somewhere in the morning. This gives you enough time to pay the fee at a local bank office and return to the migration office on the same day.
Bring with you the application form and your passport.
Step 3: Pay the fee.
A migration officer will check your passport and your migratory history. If everything is fine, the migration officer will give you a small piece of paper with payment instructions. With this paper, you need to go to a branch of Banco del Pacífico to deposit the fee of $150. The bank will charge $0.57 as transaction fee. Keep the payment receipt, because you will have to show it at the migration office.
Banco del Pacífico
You can only pay the fee at a branch of Banco del Pacífico, a modern, state-owned bank. To find the nearest office of Banco del Pacífico, you can type in Banco del Pacífico in Google Maps or a similar service.
Step 4: Receive your extension.
After paying the fee, you need to return to the immigration office. Here, you need to give the payment receipt to an immigration officer, who will grant you a 90-days extension. The extension will be sent as a pdf-document to your e-mail address.
B: Applying online
You can start your online application on this website: Emisión y registro de prórroga migratoria para permanencia en el país. At the beginning of the process you'll need to upload copy of your passport. This needs to be a real copy and not a picture taken with mobile phone. Like the applicants who go to a migration office to make their applications, you will need to go to a local Banco del Pacífico branch to pay the fee.