Urban legend #1: To obtain full citizenship after being an official resident in Ecuador for three years, you must successfully sing the Spanish-language national anthem.
Nards found a Q-and-A somewhere on the Internet appearing to state this is so. Despite being a declarative sentence, that actually was the Q. As of today, there was no A.
I looked for but did not find corroboration of this urban legend on the Web. The Pro Ecuador blog has translated the citizenship requirements posted at the EC foreign ministry pages, and singing the national anthem is not listed.
Urban legend #2: Taxis with white license plates are not legal.
I read this in so many places I believed it was true. For months, I did not accept a ride in a white-plated taxi.
Then I discussed it this week with a group of police officers.
They said the white plates are fine, the color difference is just to distinguish fleet taxis from independents.
I apologize for repeating this urban legend earlier, on another thread.
cccmedia in Quito
Urban Legends of Ecuador
A poster on the Citizenship thread challenged the urban-legend status of the anthem singing (alleged) requirement. Posting from northern California, USA, she said she knows of some recent EC citizenship applicants who were required to sing, or else.
If you challenge it here, kindly provide more than anecdotal 'evidence' of what others told you about their citizenship test...namely, a link to a government website that states such a requirement or other reliable, checkable proof.
Of course, if you personally sang the Ecuadorian national anthem in front of a citizenship panel, we would love to read every detail of that experience.
cccmedia in Quito
cccmedia wrote:Of course, if you personally sang the Ecuadorian national anthem in front of a citizenship panel, we would love to read every detail of that experience.
cccmedia in Quito
The clincher would be if someone could record their effort on one of the increasingly popular cell phones manufactured in Ecuador and post it for all of us.
cccmedia wrote:cccmedia wrote:A poster on the Citizenship thread challenged the urban-legend status of the anthem singing (alleged) requirement. Posting from northern California, USA, she said she knows of some recent EC citizenship applicants who were required to sing, or else.
If you challenge it here, kindly provide more than anecdotal 'evidence' of what others told you about their citizenship test...
The man who wrote the book on this subject, Dom Buonamici of the Ecuador Real Estate website, has put this urban legend to rest.
Singing the national anthem or hymn of Ecuador is not an official requirement for Ecuadorian citizenship.
In an email today to me, Nards and probably thousands of his other subscribers, Dom writes:
"You will have to sing the Ecuadorian hymn, but that is when you already have been accepted, and you won't be by yourself (but) with everyone else sworn in that day...."
When I say Dom wrote the book on this, I am referring to The 2015 Citizenship and Second Passport Test Cheat Sheet which he just published.
source: Dom's e-newsletter and www.ecuadorrealestate.org
Kudos to eagle-eyed VIP member Nards Barley for spotting this in said newsletter and bringing it to our attention on the Ecuador forum. 
cccmedia in Quito
Agreed, you do not need to sing the anthem (from recent personal experience)
Vaya con Dios
Articles to help you in your expat project in Ecuador
You have made it to Ecuador, now what is there to do in your free time? A lifetime in Ecuador isn't enough time to ...
Las Cajas parque nacional is located about a half hours drive (or hour bus ride) to the west of Cuenca, along the ...
Ecuador is famous as a retirement haven. But you might not want to wait until retirement age to move there and ...
What kind of food will you find in restaurants, cafes, and private homes in Ecuador? Many restaurants in Ecuador ...
Family is everything to an Ecuadorian. The extended family unit is the most important aspect of life in Ecuador ...
Ecuador, as a fast-developing nation, has laws that are constantly evolving, but one thing is certain: the ongoing ...
