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Ecuador’s only residency category with no income requirement at all

Investor Visa (9-V)
Ecuador

From $48,200 (100x the 2026 SBU base salary) — real estate, a 2-year fixed deposit, or a stake in an Ecuadorian company. The only Ecuadorian residency category with no monthly income requirement at all — dependents included.

Investment from
$48,200
Income requirement
none, dependents included
Initial status
2 years → transition to PR
Citizenship available from
4 years

Three investment options — one threshold

Unlike many programmes in the region, no separate income confirmation is needed here — only the investment itself.

INVESTMENT OPTION
REQUIREMENT
HOLDING PERIOD
Real estate
REQUIREMENTa property deed from $48,200
no minimum period stated on this page
Fixed bank deposit
REQUIREMENTfrom $48,200
locked for 2 years
Stake in an Ecuadorian company
REQUIREMENTfrom $48,200, registered with Superintendencia de Compañías
no minimum period stated on this page

What the process consists of

The visa threshold equals 100x the SBU (Salario Básico Unificado), Ecuador’s base unified salary — reviewed annually alongside the SBU.

COST ITEM
RATE
APPLIES TO
9-V visa processing
RATEdepends on the consulate/migration service
per applicant
Notarial transaction fees (real estate)
RATEdepends on the property
per applicant
Company share registration
RATEdepends on the form
per applicant

How the process runs

01
Choosing the investment option
Real estate, a 2-year fixed deposit, or a company stake — all from $48,200.
02
Completing the transaction/deposit/stake
A documented investment of the chosen type.
03
Filing the 9-V visa application
No need to separately confirm monthly income.
04
Receiving temporary status for 2 years
The initial residency stage.
05
Transitioning to PR
After the initial period; citizenship available from 4 years total.

A good fit if

You have capital from $48,200 for real estate, a deposit, or a stake in an Ecuadorian company.
You don’t want to separately confirm monthly income — this is Ecuador’s only residency category without that requirement, dependents included.
You are prepared to keep a fixed deposit locked for 2 years, if choosing that option.
You are considering a path to PR and citizenship — available from 4 years total.

A poor fit if

Your capital is below $48,200 — the threshold is uniform across all three investment options.
You need maximum capital liquidity immediately — the deposit option requires a 2-year lock.
You need an official government figure — direct fetches of gob.ec and cancilleria.gob.ec failed (404/TLS error); the amount is confirmed via secondary sources.
Next year’s SBU threshold may change — the amount is reviewed annually; verify the current figure before filing.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Is it true no income confirmation is needed at all?

Per the available data, this is Ecuador’s only residency category with no monthly income requirement — extending to included dependents, unlike most other Latin American programmes.

Why is the threshold $48,200, not a round number like $50,000?

The threshold is calculated as 100x the SBU (Salario Básico Unificado), Ecuador’s base unified salary, set for 2026 at $482/month by Ministerial Agreement MDT-2025-195. The amount is recalculated annually as the SBU changes.

Does the deposit have to stay locked for exactly 2 years?

Per the available data, the fixed bank deposit option requires a 2-year lock specifically — no specific minimum holding period is stated on this page for real estate or the company-stake option.

When is Ecuadorian citizenship available through this visa?

Per the available data, a path to citizenship through this programme is available from 4 years total — after the initial 2-year status and subsequent transition to PR.

Why is there no direct link to gob.ec?

Direct fetches of Ecuador’s official portals (gob.ec — 404, cancilleria.gob.ec — TLS certificate error) failed as of the checked date — the amount is confirmed via convergence of several independent sources, stated in the sources section.

Could the threshold change next year?

Yes — since the threshold is tied to the SBU, reviewed annually, verify the exact current amount at the time of filing.

Sources

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 27 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.