Gathering Documents for Visa

We received a reply from a highly recommended Immigration Attorney in Quito, Ecuador on what the exact requirements are to obtain our Pensioner Visa. So, today I have begun the process of gathering all the required documents, and I hope to have everything ready to send before the end of the month. The process takes 80 days from the date the Visa application is submitted, so my goal it to receive it by June 15th. Below are the items we need to get started.

1. Proof of Pension of $800 monthly, plus $100 for each additional person - Legalized by Ecuadoran Consulate
2. Birth Certificate for minor children - apostille or legalized by Ecuadoran Consulate
3. Marriage License - apostille or legalized by Ecuadoran Consulate
4. 2 Copies of Passport, and 2 Passport size photos for each person.
5. Visa Application forms
6. $350 per person for the Visa

Our plan is to get everything we can done before we leave in late July. More to come.

Pension Visa

I am beginning the process to attain the Pensioner Visa to allow us the opportunity to live in Ecuador full-time, and if we want to eventually apply for citizenship. To qualify for the visa you must have $800 per month of income from either a pension, social security, or investment income, and $100 for each dependent. So, we need $1,000 per month, and thanks to my military retirement we easily qualify. We have developed a budget for living in Cuenca based on budgets presented by current American residents of Cuenca. I have increased our estimated budget by 25% when compared to the examples we have seen to give us a nice buffer. Our budgets allows for Susan and I not to work, Nick to go to a private school, nice condo/apartment, entertainment funds, and still save 25% of our monthly income. This is more than we save each month currently with Susan working, my military retirement check, and my pay from coaching soccer 8 months a year. Our goal is to fly our children to Cuenca as their Christmas present in 2011, and if it goes well to do it each year. We plan to visit our family and friends in the states each Summer, and our budget allows for all of these trips. Next post we will discuss what we plan to do once we are in Cuenca, and not working.  

Looking to Cuenca

At 52, I am tired of working just to work. I don't need anything that a job provides, no new car, no new furniture, or any new headaches. More money will not bring me more happiness. I have done some unique, and fulfilling things in my professional career, and nothing I do from now on professionally can top what I have already accomplished. So, what do you do at 52 if you are not interested in working any longer? Move to Ecuador!

Yes, move to the third largest city in Ecuador. Life is what I want to experience and enjoy, and to share with my beautiful wife, and our youngest son. Downsize once again, and this time to two suitcases each, and set flight to a new adventure in Cuenca, Ecuador. We are planning on getting our eldest daughter Courtney, and youngest daughter Christina settled into an apartment here in Decatur, and letting them use what they want of our furniture, and then sell the excess. Christina graduates high school in late May 2011, so we are targeting late July-early August as our date of departure. We will update the blog as we go through the process of getting everything ready to go.