Common Ecuadorian Acronyms

ANT: Agencia Nacional de Tránsito del Ecuador (National Traffic Agency of Ecuador). The ANT is responsible for road signals, driver's licenses, transportation permits, etc.

CTE: Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador (Traffic Commission of Ecuador). The CTE is a national traffic police organization that is active in various provinces of Ecuador. The CTE started as the trafffic police of Guayaquil. Nowadays, it's not active in Guayaquil anymore but it still has its main premises in Guayaquil.

FGE: Fiscalía General del Estado is the public prosecutor's office. If you want to report a crime, you need to go to the FGE and not the police.

IESS: Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social (Ecuadorian Social Security Institute). The IESS offers health care insurances and pension plans. All citizens and residents can become a member of IESS.

IVA: Impuesto al Valor Agregado. The VAT or national sales tax (usually 12% but to finance the crime against drug gangs and drug cartels temporarily15%).

MSP: Ministerio de Salud Pública (Ministry of Public Health). The Ministry of Public health runs its own public hospitals.

SRI: Servicio de Rentas Internas (Internal Revenue Service).