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If you are a legal resident of Ecuador and 65 years of age or older, you may qualify for reimbursement of IVA paid on eligible purchases and services.
For many retirees, these refunds can add up significantly throughout the year. However, understanding the requirements and completing the application process can sometimes be challenging.
Expat Services Center of Fundación Hogar de Esperanza offers support to help eligible seniors understand the process and prepare the necessary documentation.
Our goal is to make the experience simple, clear, and stress-free.
For information about appointments and service availability, please contact us. Fernando and David will be happy to help you.
📍 Hostal Pichincha, Juan Montalvo 9-78 between Gran Colombia and Bolívar.
🫱🏼🫲🏻 Every service helps support Fundación Hogar de Esperanza’s community programs and mission.
Contact information:
ALL CATEGORIES OF TEMPORARY VISA HAVE NO RESTRICTION OF STAY IN ECUADOR. To apply and to obtain the Permanent Visa, the Law in art. 63 establishes that the foreigner must stay 21 continuous months in Ecuador. On this continuity, the Regulation to the Law in art. 84 in the last paragraph, grants the foreigner 90 days to be outside the country within the two years of temporary residence.
For more information, contact Dr. Lina Ulloa at:
Email: uz.asesoresecuador@gmail.com, or uz.servicios@gmail.com
Av. Jose Peralta 1-19 and Av. 12 de Abril, Acropolis Building, 3rd Floor, office #312.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS: (07) 410-3588/098-420-5336
Contact information:
Are you new to Cuenca and still trying to figure out where to pay for all of your services and utilities each month? Or perhaps you have lived here for many years and just want to simplify your life while supporting a good cause. Well, look no further – you can do it all and more at Hogar de Esperanza’s new Expat Services Center. We would like to introduce you to our team, Fernando and David.
Come on by our one-stop services center where you can conveniently pay all your bills at once: water, lights, phone, cable, SRI, IESS, and more. And by paying your bills with us, we receive a small commission with each transaction that goes back into our work here at the foundation, helping those most in need.
Per request from our supporters and clients, we have recently added the option of automatic, monthly bill pay. Are you keen to stay at home due to health issues, or simply wish that you could entrust someone else with paying your bills? Are you going out of town and need someone to pay your rent and other services while you are away? We are here to help you meet all of your specific bill payment needs.
Contact us for more information.
📍Hostal Pichincha, Juan Montalvo 9-78 between Gran Colombia and Simón Bolívar
📲 0990947611
Open hours for the new Expat Services Center are: Monday – Friday from 9 AM – 4:30 PM.
We’ll be happy to assist you!
Contact information:
Our facility offers long-term care services for senior citizens in a small, quiet facility in Capamaco, Vilcabamba. We also offer short-term care with day rates for those recovering from surgery, hospitalization, or other injury.
We have nine private rooms with private baths (please contact for current availability), all comfortably appointed with large windows and natural light. There’s a large central dining room and comfortable lounge where residents can socialize.
The facility is run by Sonia Capa, a certified nurse and physical therapist, with on-site medical care provided by a physician. The staff prepare nutritious meals to suit each person’s taste and dietary needs. We also offer physical and occupational therapy, as well as group activities.
The Residencia offers complete care for every level of infirmity, including those who are wheelchair bound, bedridden, or incontinent.
Come visit and take a tour to see our facilities and meet our amazing staff.
Call to speak to someone in Spanish and send an email for a response in English. Your family is our priority!
Sonia Capa
Contact information:
As Inti Raymi approaches later this month, I’ve found myself reflecting on how differently we can learn a place.
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate about living in Ecuador is how many traditions are still actively lived rather than simply remembered.
As I’ve been learning more about the Andean Raymis—the seasonal celebrations that connect communities to the land, agricultural cycles, reciprocity, and one another—I’ve become increasingly fascinated by what they reveal.
Together, the Raymis function almost like a living calendar:
– Pawkar Raymi (flowering and emergence),
– Inti Raymi (harvest and gratitude),
– Killa Raymi (planting and new beginnings), and
– Kapak Raymi (growth and stewardship).
Many of us arrive somewhere new looking for information:
How things work.
Where things are.
What we need to know.
But some of the most meaningful things a place teaches us aren’t information.
They’re experiences. They’re relationships.
They’re the traditions, celebrations, and community rhythms that shape life beneath the surface.
Perhaps the invitation is not only to attend a celebration.
But to pay attention.
To ask what a celebration might reveal about a community’s relationship to time, land, and one another.
For those interested in exploring these themes more deeply, I’ll also be hosting an online conversation on June 17th around Inti Raymi, cultural participation, belonging, and a different way of learning a place.
I’d love to hear:
Has a local tradition, celebration, festival, or community gathering ever changed the way you understood Ecuador?
Contact information:
THE REGULATION OF THE HUMAN MOBILITY LAW, which we have waited so long for, is only expected to be published in the Official Registry so that it becomes effective.
The last paragraph of Article 84 of the Regulation establishes that “For purposes of continuity of permanence, the foreign person may not leave the country for more than ninety (90) days during the entire period of validity of the temporary residence visa”
For more information, contact Dra. Lina Ulloa at:
Email:uz.asesoresecuador@gmail.com
Address: Av. Jose Peralta 1-19 and Av. 12 de Abril, Acropolis Building, 3rd Floor, office 312.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS: (07) 410-3588/098-420-5336
Contact information:
The kind of place where kids claim the best seat before the adults even sit down. Where nobody rushes you. Where the morning stretches out the way it should.
That’s Luma.
And this week, two dishes worth waking up for:
Santa Fe Salad — grilled chicken, avocado, tortilla chips, and a house dressing that ties it all together. Light enough to feel good. Satisfying enough to actually keep you going. $7,99
Bolón de Verde — Ecuador’s most beloved breakfast. Golden and crispy outside, soft and rich inside. Topped with cream and a fried egg. One of those things you have to try once — and then keep ordering. $4,99
Contact information:
FREE “Smilehealth Ecuador Dental Clinic” WEBINAR by your WHATSAPP number (NOT Zoom) on Wednesday, June 24th at 12:00pm Ecuador time (1:00pm US Eastern Time), answering all of your Dental questions and showing samples of Implants, Bridges, Crowns, Dentures, and much more 🩻🪥!
Sign up for this first-ever-of-its-kind in Cuenca 1-hour DENTAL WEBINAR by WhatsApp (utilizing your already registered WHATSAPP number) by simply sending your WhatsApp message IN ENGLISH to Adam (your fellow expat in Cuenca) at +593 98 392 9606 to request (secure) your spot and receive the link to join it by your own WhatsApp number, as space is limited for this live event with “Dr. No Pain” (Dr. Andres Pacheco) 😷🦷!!
Contact information:
An Amparo visa is granted to dependents as an extension of somebody who already holds a temporary or permanent visa. These visas are also called “Amparo” (Dependent) visas.
In the new provisions of the law for visas of ´´Amparo´´ under marriage it is necessary that the marriage be registered in Ecuador.
For more information, contact:
Dra. Lina Ulloa
Immigration, Civil and Constitutional Lawyer
Email: uz.asesoresecuador@gmail.com
Address: Av. Jose Peralta 1-19 and Av. 12 de Abril, Acropolis Building, 3rd Floor, office 312.
Telephone numbers: (07) 410-3588 or 098-420-5336
Contact information:
This is a nice opportunity to buy and own a nice eco-lodge situated on an upper Amazon basin (950 meters over the sea), and scattered in our reserve (sanctuary of birds and butterflies), with an unbeatable view over the “Sangay” National Park, Sangay, Altares, Chimborazo Tungurahua Volcanoes, and “Pastaza and Puyo” Rivers.
The eco-lodge has 25 rooms for simple, double and triple occupancy plus 48 hectares (160 acres) of virgin rainforest, 30 Km from Puyo city, km 14 route to Pomona town, Pastaza Province, Ecuador South America.
Please see our web page: www.altosdelpastazalodge.com where you can see our videos y photo gallery that show our eco lodge and reserve
Those with a genuine interest in this Ecuador Amazon Eco-lodge and unique profit and environmental opportunity should contact for terms and price at info@altosdelpastazalodge.com WhatsApp +593-984184069
Contact information:
What an opportunity! Take advantage now of a great home on the beach in Ecuador. Fresh seafood an excellent walking beach a pool and comes completely furnished too all at a very affordable price. This house was built to North American standards. All plugs are grounded. PVC double pane insulated windows. It even comes with a beach car.
Contact information:
If you are filing for a Temporary/Permanent visa, I offer a 100% money back guarantee. That’s right. If I don’t get you your visa, you pay nothing. My name is Isabel Mosquera. I am an Ecuadorian, who studied and lived in Canada for many years. I have been a Visa Facilitator for over 7 years and have assisted more than two hundred and fifty Expats in obtaining their Visas, Temporary and Permanent, Cedulas, Translations, Health Insurance, housing and much more. These services are available as one fee package or individually. I own a car, so transportation is always included at no extra charge. I have always gotten my clients their Visas, even under the most difficult of circumstances, such as unreadable fingerprints for FBI reports. Have you moved to Ecuador without the required documents? Don’t worry, I can help. I offer free consultations, either by telephone, email or in person. I am at the Immigration office on a very regular basis, so I am knowledgeable about all recent changes in the law and am happy to share my knowledge with you. I will be happy to provide you with references.
I look forward to serving you.
Isabel Mosquera
0999603663
Contact information:
When a foreign citizen uses a real estate property as support for his/her temporary visa, this property immediately acquires a prohibition to sell or transfer also known as “prohibition to alienate”, this figure assures that this property will continue to serve as support for as long as the person holds the temporary visa. However, once the foreign citizen has obtained the permanent visa, he/she can request the lifting of the prohibition of alienation to sell, donate, assign or transfer the real estate in any way he/she wishes, since this prohibition will only be in force until the permanent visa is obtained.
In order to carry out the process of lifting the prohibition of alienation it will be necessary to have a “certificate of encumbrances” issued by the property registry of the city, which will later be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility so that they, as an authorized Institution, review this request and once it is admitted, order by means of an official letter addressed to the property registrar, the lifting of such prohibition.
If you find yourself in need of selling a real estate property with a prohibition of alienation and you need legal assistance, contact Ulloa Zamora & Delgado Legal Solutions, where you will be assisted by attorney Lina Ulloa, a lawyer with a doctorate in law and specialist in immigration law and real estate.
Email: uz.asesoresecuador@gmail.com
Telephones: 0984205336, 0998672687, 4103588.
Contact information:
No, I am not talking about the traditional Ecuadorian food strikes in markets called “hornado” (roast pork very usually “aesthetics” with an apple in its mouth).
I’m recommending speaking Spanish without sounding like having an apple in your mouth.
How?
Learn how to articulate Spanish in 15 lessons, then you can practice on your own. You don’t need years of lessons but months/ years or practice.
It’s up to you. Long run or short run> Once a week or twice a week.
Remote lessons at the comfort of your place.
Learn more? drop a message.
P.S.> I offer a discounted price for people on benefits, out of work or refugees, please do inquire if it’s the case.
All the best,
Contact information:
Looking for the ultimate combination of vibrant flavors, great drinks, and a relaxed atmosphere? Look no further! Anubis Tex-Mex brings the authentic, bold taste of traditional Mexican cuisine.
From our signature sizzling fajitas and crispy, hand-pressed tacos to our famous freshly made guacamole, every dish is crafted to bring a smile to your face. Perfect for a mid-week escape or a weekend gathering with friends!
🍹 The Perfect Plan Awaits:
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Av. 12 de Octubre and Gonzalo Pizarro
Time: Doors open at 5:30 PM
The Vibe: Authentic flavors, cold drinks, and great company.
Don’t let your cravings wait. Gather your favorite people and come share the best Tex-Mex experience in town!
📍 Find us at Anubis Tex-Mex – Flavor lives here!
To stay updated on our Tex Mex specials via our newsletter, please subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/dufP_H
🔥 Something Big is Sizzling…
The surprises don’t stop there! We are also preparing to launch a brand-new Steakhouse very soon 🕒
🥩We know how much our community appreciates a perfectly grilled steak, and we are working hard to create a premium dining experience just for you. Keep a close eye on your inbox—we will be announcing the official opening date and the new location shortly.
Contact information:
All foreigners who require APOSTILLE OF ECUADORIAN DOCUMENTS at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility are informed that now the apostille process can be requested online, payment must be made at Ban Ecuador in cash and the receipt payment and the original or translated document must be delivered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility in the city of Azogues.
Once this process is completed, the apostille will be sent to your registered email address.
For further information, please contact Dr. Lina Ulloa Lina Ulloa or Atty. Jose Zamora at the following email addresses:
Contact information:
If you appreciate the additional real estate provided by dual displays you will want to add this flat panel DVI VGA monitor & tilt base to your desktop.
Just message/call to arrange pick-up
Contact information:
Monday through Friday from 9.00am to 4.30pm
At D’Ellas Bakery, every loaf of bread, cinnamon roll, pie, and cookie is made with love by incredible women working hard to build a better future for their families.
✨ Freshly baked bread starting at just $0.20
✨ Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
✨ Delicious Pies
✨ New York Style Cookies
✨ Sweet treats made from scratch
☕ BONUS! Spend $1.50 or more and enjoy a FREE coffee on us!
Every purchase helps create employment, dignity, and opportunity for women heads of household in our community.
📍 Visit us at:
Gran Colombia 21-143 & Unidad Nacional
Contact information:
If traditions disappear when they no longer serve a purpose, why has Inti Raymi endured for generations?
Beyond the music, food, dance, and celebration, Inti Raymi reflects values that many people are actively seeking today:
• Community
• Reciprocity
• Gratitude
• Participation
• Connection to place
For many of us living abroad, these themes feel surprisingly relevant.
We often hope to find community, yet belonging can take longer than expected.
Perhaps that’s because belonging is not only something we find. Perhaps it is also something we practice—through participation, reciprocity, and relationship.
As Inti Raymi approaches, I’ve been reflecting on what living traditions like this might teach us about creating connection—with a culture, a community, and the place we call home.
What does respectful participation actually look like?
Maybe it begins with curiosity. Listening before assuming. Asking questions. Supporting local artisans and vendors. Being willing to learn.
And recognizing that community celebrations are not performances for visitors, but living traditions that continue to hold meaning for the people who celebrate them.
Interested in learning more about Inti Raymi, our upcoming community conversation, or guided participation opportunities? Send us a message for details.
Contact information:
There is a new visa category for persons working online. It gives the opportunity to foreigners who have a job under a sponsor relationship or business owners.
For more information, contact Dra. Lina Ulloa at:
Email: uz.asesoresecuador@gmail.com,
Address: Av. Jose Peralta 1-19 and Av. 12 de Abril, Acropolis Building, 3rd Floor, office 312.
Telephone numbers: (07) 410-3588 or 098-420-5336
Contact information: