Hobby shops

xaminer wrote:

I requested an appointment with the Consulate in Atlanta to apply for the extension as I had read on some of the expat sites that this was possible. The Consulate replied that they did not issue tourist visa extensions.

X

Clearly, you are doing a more thorough job than the average Expat in exploring your possibilities in Ecuador, Mr. X.

Historically, the Ecuadorian consulates in the U.S. have enabled applicants to obtain a 180-day non-immigrant visa to visit EC.  This is not technically an extension visa, so the information you received from Atlanta so far is probably correct.

Another possibility for you after getting the customary 90-day T-3 tourist stamp on arrival is to obtain a 180-day non-immigrant tourist-visa extension while in country.

cccmedia in Quito

xaminer wrote:

...my visa options to include the investor visa and the retirement visa.

X

The easiest visa in your case should be the pensioner visa.  You have more than twice the required monthly pension-income ... and the U.S. Social Security Administration has historically been co-operative in providing official confirmation of such.

If you were to invest into the 25K CD scenario and later cashed out to move to, say, Peru ... any money wired out of Ecuador is subject to a five percent EC tax.

cccmedia in Quito

xaminer wrote:

Are there any hobby shops in the Guayaquil area that cater to builders of model trains and aircraft?

X

Check out Hobby Shop of Guayaquil, on Avenida de las Américas -- in Edificio Montevello, near calle Miguel Heredia.  Tel. (593) 7282 8741

source... www.telefonosdelecuador.com

Thank you CCCMEDIA for your answers to my questions. I have tried to digest so much information in the past 2 plus years as to visa options and other matters associated with a move to Ecuador that I find myself missing some of the obvious answers.

It appears that I should have asked the Consulate in Atlanta about the 12-9, 180 day visa rather than an extension to the T-3. I am still seeing information that states the 12-9 has to be applied for in the country of origin. I am trying to avoid the time and travel involved with applying for the T-3 visa extension while in Ecuador being that my location will be somewhat remote and I will not immediately (if ever) have personal transportation.

The pensioner's visa is the ideal option for me in the long run. However, with the house in north Georgia still requiring some work and the unknown time involved in closing procedures if the house does sell, I do not yet want to limit my option to be out of Ecuador for only 90 days for each of the first 2 years. The investor visa was a less attractive option (costly penalties for transferring money from Ecuador) and became more so when I read that the time away from Ecuador limitation was the same as the pensioner's visa.

Anyway, the promised appointment with the Atlanta Consulate should clear up any remaining visa questions that I have. An Ecuadorian friend has promised to accompany me to the appointment in order to step in if I get that "ciervo en los faros" look.

Also, thank you for the hobby shop reference in Guayaquil. You do go the extra mile in seeking information. I had done some limited online research but became quickly frustrated as many of the references appeared to be geared toward shops for handicrafts. I have no intention of creating my first beaded handbag or knitting my first pair of mittens although I do have admiration for the masterpieces some people create in regard to those items.

X

By getting the customary T-3 stamp on arrival and the in-country 180-day extension, you can be in Ecuador up to 270 days in a year.

The process can be repeated, starting on the one-year anniversary of receiving the T-3 stamp.

cccmedia in Quito