Ecuador has long been a magnet for North American retirees, and the visa that makes it possible — the jubilado, or pensioner, visa — just shifted under everyone's feet. Two changes landed within weeks of each other: the annual wage rise that sets the income requirement, and an October 2025 reform of the migration law that rewrites several rules retirees thought they knew.

First, the money. The income bar is not a fixed dollar figure; it's three times Ecuador's basic wage, recalculated every January. With the 2026 wage set at $482, a single applicant now needs $1,446 a month in certified pension income, up from $1,410 last year. Each dependant adds $250, so a couple files at $1,696. The key detail people miss: you need a document from the paying institution abroad — public or private — certifying the pension. If your income sits close to the line, verify the current figure the day you apply, because it moves again in January 2027.

Paperwork follows the usual pattern: a passport with six months' validity, an apostilled pension certificate, criminal-record certificates (issued within 180 days) from your country of origin or anywhere you lived in the past five years, health insurance valid in Ecuador for the full visa period, and proof of means. Everything goes through the government's e-VISAS portal — no in-person filing — and the $50 fee must be paid the same day by 23:55 Ecuador time or your application vanishes. Approval costs another $270, though applicants 65 and over get half off, and a disability of 30 percent or more waives fees entirely.

The October 2025 reform, published in the official register on 24 October, carries real consequences. Tourist stays are now 90 days per calendar year, extendable once by another 90. A new "certificado de registro migratorio" has been written into the law, though details are still pending. Working outside your visa category now carries a $482 fine, with repeat offences triggering visa cancellation and a two-year reapplication ban. And permanent residents face hard absence limits: during the first two years, more than 180 days abroad in a year costs you a $241 fine; after that, two continuous years away cancels your permanent residency. Even upgrading from temporary to permanent residency requires spending no more than 90 cumulative days outside Ecuador over the life of your temporary visa — so plan long trips home carefully.

Two questions remain officially unanswered: whether jubilado visa holders can take local employment, and exactly how Ecuador's social security (IESS) calculates contributions for pensioners — one reading suggests as much as $254.50 a month rather than the $84.83 minimum. The safe move is to ask the Foreign Ministry before committing.

For anyone eyeing Cuenca or the coast for retirement, this is practical homework: the visa is still attainable on a moderate pension, fees are modest, and you can apply from inside Ecuador on a tourist stay — but the 2026 rules reward preparation and punish assumptions.