Ecuador: Information on rights of foreigners with permanent resident status
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ECU8963 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ecuador: Information on rights of foreigners with permanent resident status, 1 July 1991, ECU8963, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac3333.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The copy of the Ecuadorean Constitution provided to you with the Response to Information Request No. 8962 defines in Title I, Section III the rights of foreigners in Ecuador. This section states that foreigners "generally enjoy the same rights as Ecuadoreans, with the limitations established in the Constitution and the law," adding that foreigners "are excluded from the exercise of political rights" (Blaustein and Flanz 1987, 13). The political rights of Ecuadorean citizens are defined in Title II, Section VI.
The Consulate of Ecuador in Washington, D.C., provided the information that follows (10 July 1991).
Foreigners who are granted residence status in Ecuador are free to travel within and outside the country. However, foreign residents can lose their status if they leave Ecuador for more than 90 days (not necessarily consecutive) during each of the first two years of being an Ecuadorean resident. That is, a person may be away from Ecuador for 89 days during the first year of residence and 89 days during the second year, without losing his or her resident status. Foreign residents may not leave Ecuador for more than 18 consecutive months within any five-year period of their residence in Ecuador.
Foreign residents must communicate to the authorities any change of address in Ecuador.
Foreign residents are not eligible for election to public office. They may work with any employer and in any place within Ecuador as long as the work performed is in compliance with the residence visa they were granted. To work in an employment sector not authorized by their visa, foreign residents must ask for the corresponding authorization by authorities.
Foreigners may reside in Ecuador under different categories. For example, a person holding an investor's visa would be required to invest in Ecuador, while a retired person from a developed country would not be allowed to work because he or she would have obtained the visa under the presumption that their pension would constitute a sufficient income. Again, persons in these or other categories who wish to work must obtain previous authorization for a change in their status.
Foreign residents are allowed to assemble peacefully and form associations. The source pointed out that there are numerous associations of foreigners in Ecuador.
Foreign residents can be extradited, deported or expelled from the country. The source stated that this is considered a sovereign right of the country. The source added that deportation, extradition and expulsion are carried out only under very special and compelling circumstances, and are a very rare occurrence.
A foreigner must legally reside in Ecuador for five years to be eligible to apply for Ecuadorean nationality.
Additional and/or corroborating information on the subject could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
Bibliography
Blaustein, Albert P. and Hellmuth Hecker, eds. 1987."Ecuador" in Constitutions of the Countries of the World. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications.
Consulate of Ecuador, Washington, D.C.. 10 July 1991. Telephone Interview with Representative.
