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Hi Anemonies (love your handle!),

You need to be aware that EC law allows you to only enter with 2 pets. I have three dogs and am running into problems with it.

I also suggest you do a lot of homework about the kind of place you want to live...beach, lots of expats, few expats, altitude, weather, etc., and narrow it down that way.

I am in the process of moving to Vilcabamba in the south because it is a small town, is where there is a confluence of five rivers and the water from the tap comes from the Andes and is great. I also love gardening and the temperatures (low 60sF-high70sF) are what I prefer.

Also, to learn more about the areas you are interested in, look to YouTube for videos. That is how I was able to narrow down my decision before visiting.

Good luck!

You could consider staying at Casa de Cuenca. Malcolm allows pets.

As to your older cat:  I would  not even consider moving him as the stress might be too much for him. My cat absolutely hated the noise from the aircraft and tried to claw his way out of the carrying case several times.

In your case, you will have to transport some of your cats in cargo as the airlines only allow one pet per passenger in cabin.

Thank you very much Susan !  I really appreciate the tips as I'm just starting out on this venture.  I'll check into Vilcabamba too as that sounds a lot like what I'm looking for.

I didn't know about the 2 pet rule, though I figured there was some limit.  I couldn't leave someone behind, so I'll have to figure that out too.   I would really like to hear how things work out for you with 3 dogs.  I've seen a few other posts about pets, but nothing specifically about numbers.

Anemonies,

Do NOT fly with your pets as cargo.  Bring them as checked baggage.  If cargo, there is a lot more red tape, and no special handling.  Also check if the airline you use has a special room for the pets (air pressure and temp controlled).  LAN did, so we used them, but it also means you must arrange your trip well in advance as they can only take so many pets per trip.  Get the pets OK'd first, then get your ticket.

Just a thought - do you have a friend who would like to come down with you so you can distribute the cats between you.  Then said friend could go home from vacation (if they still want to).

Thank you Mike.  I can't see making the move with Jack either.  I love him so much that he comes first, so will make the best of the time we have left together here.  Fortunately my other fellas should still be young and healthy enough when the time comes and its good to hear from other people who have made it there with their cats.

Fantastic thoughts.  Thank you.  I do have such a friend.  In fact, she's looking into moving there too, just a few years later down the road.  No matter what, my guys come first and I will take what ever time and expense it takes to be sure they are safe.  Today, on this board, is my beginning and already I have gotten a lot of help.  It's amazing.  Thank you so much.

Hi,

My name is Pierre.

My wife and I are considering a move out of the country when we retire in about 5 years, perhaps to Ecuador.

I'm a writer by profession now, having spent over 25 years working for a government agency in New York State.

When we move, if we move, I'll be about 55 years old.  Which may not be old enough to qualify for many of the "senior benefits" I hear folks talking about.

Given that fact, we wonder if the move would still make sense.

We've also had friends tell us that Ecuador isn't necessarily a very welcoming country for US Expats, is that true?

I hope to continue writing and, perhaps, teach English when I settle there.  How feasible a plan is that?

Thanks for any help you can give,

Pierre.

Hi Anemonies

I do understand about the old/sick pets. When we came to Ecuador 1 1/2 years ago, our old dog, Pepper, was having issues and we thought he might not be around much longer.  But like you, we couldn't leave him and he wasn't ready to go to doggy heaven so we brought him.  He not old survived the trip, but has done extremely well since being here.  Still old, and getting older, and his issues are still there, but he is happy and loving life with us here.  His time is coming, but we are thankful for each day he is with us.

Mary

Pierre Lee Tois wrote:

When we move, if we move, I'll be about 55 years old.  Which may not be old enough to qualify for many of the "senior benefits"....We've also had friends tell us that Ecuador isn't necessarily a very welcoming country for US Expats....I hope to teach Englsh....

Pierre, on your first visit to Ecuador you'll find out how welcoming Ecuadorians can be -- in my experience extremely welcoming here in Quito, especially when they discover I have been dedicated to learning their language.  They are typically inquisitive and supportive.

The expat benefits (for which I do not yet qualify) appear to be good, but I wouldn't consider them a dealbreaker in deciding to move to EC.  They mostly have to do with discounted travel and entertainment and no waiting in lines at the bank and some other places.  You also can get free health coverage but that coverage will be available to you cheaply anyway as soon as you get your residency visa.

I have met many English teachers and it is clear that that is a prime opportunity, though how lucrative may depend on your credentials, experience and status of your employer.

Susan F. wrote:

Hi Anemonies (love your handle!), You need to be aware that EC law allows you to only enter with 2 pets. I have three dogs and am running into problems with it.

If the law permits bringing only two pets, that is at odds with several posts by emaw on this expat-blog stating that he brought in 25 dogs.

emaw has told us he lives on a farm near Cotacachi and moved here several years ago -- originally from Manhattan, Kansas, USA.

Consider private-messaging him, which is possible at his profile, to find out how to bring in multiple animals, and please let us know if you learn something about this.

ccmedia, could you please go into more details regarding expat benefits? I had no idea that such benefits existed. Wow!

Pierre Lee Tois, as an ex-English teacher I can tell you that teaching abroad is a great way to get to know locals and become comfortable in your new home. I have no idea what the income in EC would be,but I believe it's one of the best way to get to know locals and find out the ins and outs of living in a new country!. Good luck with your plans!

Thanks ccmedia.

Very helpful and very reassuring to hear.

That info make me want to make the move even sooner.

I appreciate your help.

Pierre.

Thanks Susan F. getting to know the local people and customs is very high on my list of priorities for any expat move.

It's nice to know I'm thinking along the correct lines as far as getting to know them and offering a useful service that can serve as an "ice-breaker" so to speak.

Pierre

Susan F. wrote:

ccmedia, could you please go into more details regarding expat benefits? I had no idea that such benefits existed. Wow!

Susan, as mentioned in my post, I do not yet qualify for these benefits.  That is because I am not 65.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Quito website, resident expats in Ecuador age 65 and over receive:

"1. Access to free health care and medicine."

"2. Discounts in public and private transportation services and events such as galleries and theater plays...."

3. Tax exemptions.

4. Exemptions from notary fees.

I understand that utility bills are discounted 50 percent for resident seniors, and seniors go first in line at banks and government offices.

An Expat will ordinarily need a residency card known as a cedula to qualify for such resident benefits.

For more information, google: 
"U.S. Embassy Quito Ecuador senior benefits"

cccmedia, Quito

Susan: The travel benefits include half-fare on flights within Ecuador (e.g., Quito-Galapagos) and international flights originating or terminating in Ecuador. There is much debate about the international flights portion, and it appears to be (as with so many things) interpreted differently by just about everybody -- but obviously that benefit can add up to something substantial.

You also can get your VAT (IVA) refunded, up to a certain amount, if you save receipts and submit them each month.

There are other bennies, but those seem like the big ones to me.

Bob

Patty and Donny

Hi!
I brought my three dogs and a cat from Canada at a great expense to myself but I didn't think about the cost really. It was a trip that most likely wont be necessary again. I am happy that I decided to bring them--and everything was taken care of by a professional pet transporter who arranged for all of them to come together on COPA airlines and did everything necessary including the partner's work in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She had a person proxy the extra two animals --legally --and so there was not a problem with the two animal limit. I can forward that information to you if you would like to go that route. For me--it was trouble free and there were no surprises. Best wishes!

Hi. My husband and I are interested in a warm but not too hot area of ecudor. We will have around 2500 in ss for rent and expenses. We have 2 dogs we will be taken. Can anyone give me some suggestions what part of ecudor would be for us on this budget

.   Patty, consider the Quito suburbs or some of the Pacific Ocean beach towns. 
    If the 'burbs, you may need a car;  your income seems sufficient to swing that.  Due to lower elevation, Tumbaco, Cumbaya and Los Chillos are warmer than the capital.  You might have access to outdoor swimming plus more room to roam for the dogs.
    These metro-Quito areas now have malls and great shopping, and you would have ready access to excellent hospitals-health care, which, as part of the current Social Security generation, is an important factor.
    The beach towns range from weekend getaway venues for the upscale crowd to surfer-and-tourist spots to amenities-challenged frontier towns.  You might plan an exploratory trip to discover which beach town suits you best.
    Avoid Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.  It's hot and humid, has more crime than anywhere else and is not at the beach.

Thank you ccc for the advice. Can you touch a bit on health insurance. The cost for retires. And would we get a pensioners visa? Thanks so much for your help. Do you reside in Ecudor?

Pattyhouck,

Hi Patty,

My husband and I live in Cuenca, but there is a national Social Security program here in Ecuador that we joined.  It is called IESS and it costs my husband a bit over 72/month and me, as his dependent, 13/month.  We are retirees with pensioner visas.  We also made the jump with our 2 dogs.  If you would like more information, you can reach me at [email protected].

Mary

Pattyhouck wrote:

Thank you ccc for the advice. Can you touch a bit on health insurance. The cost for retirees. And would we get a pensioners visa? Thanks so much for your help. Do you reside in Ecuador?

1. Health insurance:  the website for the IESS program Mary discussed is www.iess.gob.ec  ....  The 70-plus dollar fee is waived after age 65.  You will need an Ecuadorian ID or cedula to participate which effectively is part of the residency visa process (see below).  I use the IESS as an emergency backup and have my own personal doctor and dentist whom I pay out of pocket for routine services (not expensive in Ecuador).  This way I can choose my own regular doctors but am protected in case of a catastrophic event or situation.

2. Pensions visa:  available for expats who can demonstrate a stable and reliable income of at least $800 per month plus $100 per dependent.  Sources include Social Security retirement benefits, a company pension or an annuity as examples, but not rental income.  You can google:
"gringosabroad.com ecuador visa permanent resident"
to get you started, including information on at least five other types of resident visas besides the pensioner type.  I am here on an investors visa;  my one-bedroom condo apartment in El Centro, Quito, qualified me for this type of permanent residency visa and gives me a rent-free lifestyle.

The cedula (ID) mentioned earlier can be obtained without an attorney, but that is doing it the hard way.  The bureaucracy is daunting and the bureaucrats can't be expected to speak English and the rules can change mid-stream without warning.  In Quito, I recommend the services of English-speaking attorney Sebastian Cordero, reachable at [email protected], local phone 244-7551.  A middle road is to work with a non-attorney visa specialist, whose fee would be less but who might provide fewer services along the way.  Whichever way you go, it is advisable to get done as much of the required paperwork as possible before leaving for Ecuador.   

cccmedia, Quito

cccmedia wrote:

Make itself easy on yourselves when it comes time to let go of your car.

Consider CarFax.  When I moved to EC last year from Cincinnati, it was a godsend to deal with them.   They made it so easy:  an inspection at any hour they are open and then a quick quote, which in my case was more than I expected based on Blue Book, which quote is good for a week.

No muss, no fuss, no apparent chance the deal was going to fall through just before my flight.

The above advice is still good, but the company is CarMax not CarFax.
CarMax will buy your car at a fair price a couple of days before you leave for Ecuador.  CarFax is a database that shows car BUYERS the history of a prospective purchase.

Lo siento, amigos.

Hi
I am a newbie from the USA. I came to Guayaquil Ecuador at the end of September to begin my residency paperwork. I had to leave because my dog was not handling the heat there. I am now in Loja and I do not speak a lot of Spanish, and I am having a hard time finding a place because of the language barrier. I am looking to stay in Loja until I am finished with my residency. My destination is Vilcabama once all of my paperwork is complete.

I was wondering if there is anyone that could help me to find a furnished rental that would allow my dog, which is very well behaved as well as trained. house or and apartment in Loja that would allow my dog, which is very well behaved and trained. I need help with the language barrier. I am not so good yet in Spanish, I understand a little of what they are trying to tell me I just can't communicate back as well.  I know it sounds crazy for anyone to go to a Country and not speak their language, but when God tells you to do something you don't ask questions, you just do it, and He will make a way out of no way. So here I am in Loja Ecuador. God said to ask and it shall be given so I am now asking for help from an English speaking person which would be able to help with the language barrier I am experiencing in trying to find a furnish apartment here in Loja.  I am looking for a 1-2 bedroom with 1 bath, that allows my dog. I am wanting to pay 300 - 450 a month for a 2 bedroom furnished in a safe area.  If anyone out there that lives in Loja and knows English and any information on a furnished rental I would be very appreciative. You can email me at [email protected]

Thank you
Blessed777

blessed77 wrote:

trying to find a furnished apartment here in Loja.  I am looking for a 1-2 bedroom with 1 bath, that allows my dog. I am wanting to pay 300 - 450 a month for a 2 bedroom furnished in a safe area.

Blessed Sevens,

That was a smart move getting out of Guayaquil.  A lot of "newbies" coming to Ecuador are unaware how much heat, humidity and crime there is in that city...and that it's not even at the beach.

While you're awaiting a more personal response, see if this translation of the above (in a  note you could show to referrers or landlords) is helpful:

Estoy buscando un departamento amoblado de una o dos habitaciones con un bano, donde se permitiria mi perro.  Quisiera pagar entre 350-400 dolares al mes para un departamento amoblado de dos habitaciones en un vecindario seguro.

Consider if it would be worth your while to hire a bilingual driver by the hour to take you around in your search.  If you do that, either bring the dog with you or a picture of same.

Be prepared to tell the probable length of rental period in months.  If you have a small electronic calculator or your phone does, that might help in communicating rental rates, deposit, length of stay, etc.

One more thought.  You had enough flexibility to move from GYE to Loja while continuing with your residency paperwork.  Since Vilcabamba has a much higher percentage of bilingual and English speakers -- and since you want to end up there anyway -- see if you can figure a way to go straight there.  Some folks have left or avoided Vilca due to a supposed overabundance of Gringos.

Buena suerte.

Hi,
I am not there in Loja--I am in Cuenca. May I offer the following advice? Please check Gringo Post or Gringo tree for recommendations re services provided re seeking accommodation. You of course need a Spanish speaker. From my experience, this community is very willing to help and has lots of good advice--you will get good replies, I am sure.
Your dog likely won't be an issue there in Loja as you are not in the city which presents challenges--I know because I have three little rescue dogs which I brought with me from Canada.
I wish you well and hope you are welcomed with a lot of help!

Fantastic info in this post - thanks to all who have contributed. I'm thinking of going to Ecuador initially for 3 months just to scope it out. If I like it I'll consider perhaps moving there. I can work from anywhere in the world because my work is web-based.
Espero que mi espanol sera bastante bueno!
Thanks for the heads up on Guayaquil ccmedia

chump wrote:

I'm thinking of going to Ecuador initially for 3 months...I can work from anywhere in the world because my work is web-based.
Thanks for the heads up on Guayaquil cccmedia

Charles, you might want to google "City of Knowledge Urcuqui Ecuador,"  EC's version of Silicon Valley, CA (now under construction a couple of hours out of Quito). 

This coming city, a project of the Rafael Correa Administration, is also known as Ciudad de Conocimiento.  It's in a town pronounced ur-KOOKY.

Hi Mary, 

Thank you very much for that.  Hearing about real life experiences is so helpful on every level.   I'm so glad your sweet dog made the trip and is still with you.  You both give me courage.  Thanks again.

jim83p wrote:

just a really quick dumb question, because in my research the answers on various sites makes the information confusing between these two possibilitys,
90 days for tourists without the need for visas (I'm from Australia)

Ignoring that you can extend this by another 90 days whilst here,

the 90 days itself, is that total for a calendar year? or total per visit? Say I came 3 times for 80 days and returned to Australia within a year (Or anywhere else that stamps a passport for that matter, does that work?)
(...)
But until I apply for a permanent visa, was just curious on the 90 days, total per year or per visit kinda thing

Hi!

First of all, that's not a dumb question, so don't worry! 

It all depends on when you entered the country for the very first time. Say the first time you came to Ecuador was on October 2014, that means you have 90 days until October 2015. They don't stop counting once the year ends, by the way, so you have to be careful with that!

I hope this was a bit helpful.

Good luck!

Hi all, this is my first post as an expat.  Im originally from Cape Town, South Africa and relocated to Guayaquil recently.  I have traveled extensively throughout Ecuador from Banos to Montanita,Quito to Cuenca and i now love in Urdesa Central, so if you need any advice I will be happy to help where I can.  You ca ask me on this forum or email me at [email protected].  And don't worry, I wont try and sell you anything :-)

Thanks Shawn,

Here's a quick question:

Where's the weather better, in Quito or Cuenca?

Pierre

Shawn Berry wrote:

Im originally from Cape Town, South Africa and relocated to Guayaquil recently....i now love in Urdesa Central

Not to be confused with Odesa, the third largest city in the Ukraine (pop. 1 million), or Odessa, Texas (pop. 100,000), Urdesa is a residential section of Guayaquil that was born of an urbanism project in the 1950s.

The name Urdesa is an acronym for the construction entity that originally built the area.

Source: wikipedia

Pierre Lee Tois wrote:

Thanks Shawn,

Here's a quick question:

Where's the weather better, in Quito or Cuenca?

Pierre

Hi Pierre

I guess it depends on what you prefer, but it is probably Quito, which averages around 20 degrees celsius  year round whereas in Cuenca it gets quite 'cold', usually around 14 or 15 degrees and it tends to rain a bit more.  However, for overall quality of life, I would probably choose Cuenca over Quito due to the cleaner air (no pollution compared to Quito) less people, which means less congestion, beautiful rivers that pass through the city, many great parks, ease of commuting, very little crime and many, many more that I wont list here.

Thanks Shawn,

That's very helpful.

20 degrees celsius, that's about 68 degrees fahrenheit.

That's a great year-round temperature.

Even 14-15 degrees (57 or 58 fahrenheit) is a great "winter" temperature in Cuenca and a little rain is a good thing.

Thanks so much for your quick and thoughtful response.

I am not worthy! 

Pierre

Thanks so much for your quick and thoughtful response.

No problem Pierre, love the toothy grin ;-)

And good luck on your move.  Very smart of you to do your research so far in advance, although many things can change over the next five years!!

True Shawn,

But I'm a planner by nature and big decisions call for deep, prolonged and serious thought.

Besides, it'll probably take the full five years to convince my wifey to come along. 

Pierre

I understand your situation!! It took me two years of convincing my partner to move to Cape Town and even though she absolutely loves it there, her strong family connections back in Ecuador meant that I had to make the move here.  A move i have not regretted yet.

14 to 15 degrees at night possibly but never during the day. The day temps are around the same as quoted for Quito.

I have lived in Cuenca for 6 months now and most days are very warm even when it is overcast as it is right now (11:32am). October has been rainy but even when it rains to feel comfortable all I need is a light jacket. On days like these people coming from a warm climate would probably think it is cold here.

I have been told that last year in October the weather was not as cold and rainy as this October has been. This is definitely the coldest and rainiest month I have seen since I have been here. But even so, it wouldn't be enough to cause me to leave.