The ever changing and fluid regulations of Ecuador.
As of 2 weeks ago, you do not need your birth or marriage certificate for your visa. Many married women have a different name on their passport, so they eliminated it. Your birth certificate is just redundant, as your birth date is on your passport.
Answer to the FBI vs State Back Ground Check
There has been much discussion regarding this question. Here is the skinny as of today.
IF you apply in Cuenca, the FBI check is required.
IF you apply in Quito, the State Check suffices.
Same country, different requirements, welcome to Ecuador. As they say, it is what it is.
My Irish luck puts me in Cuenca, with a state check, so I'm off to Quito sometime coming up. It will take my attorney's until Wed. to do my translations and file all the documents. They are hoping to sneak it through here w/ the state police report, but don't hold out much hope. Did I mention the ( non ) Luck O' The Irish. Grrrrrrr!!! So, a round trip flight that I should be able to accomplish in a day. All for a half hours business.
The attorneys told me the process takes one month in Quito, and two plus months in Cuenca.
My condo is waaaaay behind schedule. Such is life
Enjoy the journey
Good News/Bad News
"My condo is waaaaay behind schedule. Such is life"
Today, I noticed your building has some new signage on the side of the building that faces Columbia ave.
There is a discussion going at yahoo.com where some guy is looking for advice on getting his FBI background. I think he has a local police report so he doesnŽt even have the option of going to Quito.
Anyway, nothing new to share regarding that discussion but I had to laugh when the groupŽs administrator just left her advise:
Hi everyone, my understanding is that the criminal background check must be from your local (local to the US/No America) last or current residence. Not necessarily FBI or even State police agency. Rather your local PD.
P.S.
Some sage cat left some pretty good advise on this forum back on March 18th:
The state police report was good enough for me for my Visa. I had requested the FBI report as a backup. However, if someone credible gave you the impression that it may change soon, then I would take the steps to prepare for that possibility. At a minimum, I suggest you bring a pair of completed fingerprint cards with you, in case you have to request the letter from the FBI from Cuenca. While I got fingerprints taken here in Cuenca, it is best to avoid.
As I said before: Welcome home !!!! and get a ton of patience.
Thank you Vinny for the welcome. I must admit, back in The States I would have been pissed and out of sorts. Today.... I took a deep breath, and just told myself it's all part of the journey. Does that qualify me as a Cuencano? I think I have a ways to go, but really, I'm trying to adopt the mind set of being in Ecuador, and going with the new flow. When I really stop and assess the situation, I have to ask myself, what's the big deal, it's not like I'm gonna miss a day of work!! Bwahahahhaa!!!!
I'll pm you my phone number on Claro.
Stay Well,
Neil
Ps. made my first venture to SuperMaxi ( by the soccer stadium ) and actually did all right. Great store!
That " new signage "... it wasn't a cap on me was it? Damn, that didn't take long, there goes the neighborhood. Irish Trash on board!
What happened to our new friends post on the greatest new site on the web regarding Ecuador? It held such great possibilities too. Bummer!!
Some sage cat said....
Okay, I get it, it's all coming back to me now, I finally followed that link. And that Sir is why you am, The Grand Poobah of all things Ecuador. I'd bow but I'm too old and fat. You only have so many " bend overs " in this life.
Neil
Ps. I wish you didn't have a photographic memory and total re call.
No Cap. I was on the bus today and when we passed your building on Columbia, I noticed there was a brand new sign hanging which names the building.
Thanks for the update Zen. Keep letting us know how the process is going.
Good job so far!
Thanks Gardener,
It's really hard for most N Americans to fathom how totally bizarre ( in our experiences ) that these enforcements and interpretations of the laws are. We're pretty much used to black and white, whereas in S America, it almost seems whimsical.
Every one has a different experience. Guess it keeps the world spinning.
Stay Well,
Neil
ZenSpike,
Hello. If you are coming to Quito I would like to have a coffee or a beer with you. Can you message me your contact info? I will do the same.
Mike
Neil, let me know if you do schedule a trip to Quito. I'll join you and Mike for coffee. I'll also go to the immigration office with you to provide moral support.
Frank,
You're the best. I meet with the atty's on,the 4th,so I should have some idea of the time frame after that. I don't want to infringe on your tee times, but I would love to hook up.
I can certainly use some hand holding.
Stay Well,
Neil
Ahhhhhh you guys are sooooooo cute I nearly cried.....lol....Happy you are home Neil...thanks for the updates on the residency process..un abrazo
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