Ecuador
Visa de Residencia Temporal Rentista para Trabajo Remoto (Visa Nómada): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Ecuador's remote-work visa, officially the Visa de Residencia Temporal Rentista para Trabajo Remoto and marketed as the Visa Nómada, is a two-year temporary-residence visa that is renewable. It is for people earning from a foreign employer or clients, and it requires health insurance covering the full visa period. The income test is three times Ecuador's unified basic salary (SBU) per month, which works out to about $1,446 a month in 2026 (3 x $482).
The requirements at a glance
| Repatriation required | Not required |
|---|---|
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of the visa (two years) |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | A valid national or foreign health insurance policy or contract covering the full visa period; a foreign policy must explicitly state that it provides coverage in Ecuador. |
Income of at least three unified basic salaries (SBU) per month from foreign sources, proven over the three months before applying (about $1,446/month in 2026 at an SBU of $482), or 36 SBU per year. Applicants show they work remotely for a foreign employer, client or company domiciled abroad, hold a passport valid at least six months, and provide a clean criminal-record certificate. Applied for online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MREMH) e-VISAS platform; government fees are roughly $50 application plus a visa grant fee (commonly cited around $270 to $400) plus a cédula card. Valid two years, renewable, with a path to permanent residency.
Who qualifies for the Ecuador nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- $1,446/mo
- Length of permit
- 24 monthsrenewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Freelancer, Business owner
Figure is 3× Ecuador's basic salary ($482 for 2026), so it rises each year with the minimum wage.
Tax
Foreign-source income only; 183+ days can trigger tax residency, though a temporary regime can exempt foreign income up to 5 years.
That is a summary of the rule, not tax advice. Residence for immigration and residence for tax are decided separately, and the second one tends to arrive quietly, usually after you have been in the country long enough to stop thinking about it. Take proper advice before the year you need it.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
The income threshold is pegged to Ecuador's minimum wage at three unified basic salaries (SBU) per month, so it floats: with the 2026 SBU set at $482, the requirement is about $1,446 a month, up from $1,275 when the SBU was $425.
Our take
Ecuador is one of the few nomad visas where insurance is a genuine gate rather than a box-tick: you must show cover for the full two-year period, and a foreign policy has to spell out that it covers Ecuador. There is no published minimum coverage figure, so the consulate is checking that you are insured, not that you hit a euro or dollar number. Pick a policy that names Ecuador and runs the length of the visa.
The real exposure is the Galápagos, not the mainland. Mainland private care is cheap, but the islands cannot treat major cases and an air evacuation to the mainland or the US can exceed $60,000. If your stay includes the Galápagos, treat medical evacuation cover as the headline feature of the policy, not a footnote, and check it is in force before you fly out there.
What happens if you get it wrong
Buying a domestic Ecuadorian plan that only later starts (IESS enrolment happens after visa approval), or a foreign policy that does not explicitly state coverage in Ecuador. Either can stall the application, since the visa demands valid cover for the whole period and a foreign policy must name Ecuador on its face.
Carrying a mainland-only or no-evacuation policy and then booking the Galápagos. Park authorities check insurance on arrival, and a policy without strong medical evacuation cover leaves you facing a five-figure flight if a serious case has to leave the islands.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Ecuador without insurance?
Gravel on a bend outside town. Road rash, a broken forearm, and a night or two before they discharge you.
| Ambulance | $50–$150 |
| Emergency room, on arrival | $50–$150 |
| X-ray on the forearm | $15–$40 |
| Two nights on the ward | $400–$1,000 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $515–$1,340 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Ecuador runs $1,000 to $5,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Yes. You must present a valid national or foreign health insurance policy covering the full two-year visa period, and a foreign policy must explicitly state that it covers Ecuador. No minimum coverage amount is published.
Three times Ecuador's unified basic salary (SBU) per month from foreign sources, proven over the three months before applying. With the 2026 SBU at $482, that is about $1,446 a month, and the figure rises whenever the minimum wage does.
It is a temporary-residence visa valid for two years and renewable, with a path to permanent residency. It is applied for online through Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-VISAS platform.
No official minimum amount is published. The rule is that the policy must be valid for the full visa period and, if foreign, must state coverage in Ecuador, so insure for the real medical and evacuation risk rather than a set number.
Yes. Travel medical insurance is mandatory to enter the Galápagos and is checked on arrival. Because the island hospitals cannot handle major cases, choose a policy with strong medical evacuation cover, as an evacuation can exceed $60,000.
How to apply
- Processing time
- About 2 to 4 months; some consulates are faster.
- Government fee
- US$50 application fee plus US$400 visa fee.
- Where to apply
- Online via Ecuador's Virtual Consulate / e-visa portal, then an appointment at the nearest Ecuadorian consulate or embassy to present originals.
- 1
Gather your documents: passport, photos, proof that you work remotely for a foreign employer or clients, proof of income (around three times Ecuador's minimum wage) or sufficient bank funds, health insurance valid in Ecuador, and an apostilled criminal background check.
- 2
Create an account on Ecuador's Virtual Consulate (e-visa) portal, select the Rentista / Trabajador Nomada visa, upload digital copies of your documents, and pay the US$50 application fee online.
- 3
Schedule and attend an appointment at the nearest Ecuadorian consulate or embassy (some allow a virtual interview) to present originals and answer questions about your work and plans.
- 4
On approval, pay the US$400 visa fee.
- 5
Receive the temporary residence visa, valid up to two years and renewable; after arriving in Ecuador, register it to obtain your residency card.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Ecuador does not publish a minimum figure, which sounds permissive and is not. It means you are judged against somebody's unwritten idea of adequate, and the safe reading of adequate is enough to cover a serious hospital admission in Ecuador, not the cheapest policy that technically exists.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full duration of the visa (two years)
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
Get a policy that satisfies this visa
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