Ecuador's president says he loves US, distrusts its government

Published January 22, 2014

Associated Press

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  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa gestures at the end of a meeting with the foreign press at the government palace in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Correa, who was elected in January 2007, said the U.S. government and his are going through a tense relationship, clarifying that he personally likes the U.S. where he earned two university degrees. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) (The Associated Press)
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  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa speaks to members of the foreign press at the government palace in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Correa, who was first elected in January 2007, said the relationship between his government and the U.S. government are tense and there is mutual distrust, clarifying that he is not anti-American and personally likes the U.S. where he earned two university degrees. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) (The Associated Press)
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  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa gestures as he meets with the foreign press at the government palace in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Correa, who was first elected in January 2007, said the U.S. government and his are going through tension and mutual distrust, clarifying that he personally likes the U.S. where he earned two university degrees. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) (The Associated Press)

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QUITO, Ecuador –  Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa says he loves the United States. He says he has a problem, though, with what he calls Washington's "clumsy" foreign policy toward Latin American governments it considers hostile.

Correa acknowledged in comments to international reporters Wednesday that there is considerable distrust between his leftist government and that of the United States, where he earned two degrees.

Correa's government recently announced it was asking the U.S. Agency for International Development to leave, accusing it of backing the opposition.

His government renounced eligibility for U.S. trade preferences last year when Washington was trying to pressure it into rejecting asylum for Edward Snowden, the U.S. leaker living in exile in Russia.
Correa is popular at home for his poverty-fighting programs but widely criticized for stifling civil liberties.

Ecuador's Correa wants US military to leave

21 hours ago

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Quito (AFP) - Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa said Wednesday he would ask the United States to withdraw American military personnel assigned to its embassy in Quito.

Correa said he became aware of what he described as an outsized presence after learning that four US military personnel were aboard an Ecuadoran military helicopter that came under fire on October 3 last year near the border with Colombia.

"That's when we learned of all this, of the military group, nearly 50 military personnel. This is inconceivable," he told foreign reporters.

"Unfortunately, these people have been so infiltrated in all the sectors that what is scandalous appeared normal."

Correa, an economist by training who has long railed against America's "imperialism" in its Latin American backyard, said Quito was "already taking measures" to address the issue.

US Embassy spokesman Jeffrey Weinshenker said the United States had not yet received "formal notification" of the Ecuadoran request.

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Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa (L) speaks at the Carondelet presidential Palace in Quito on Janu …

He said about 20 US Defense Department employees, both military and civilian, were assigned to the embassy and were "fully accredited."

"All our activities are carried out with the explicit approval of the Ecuadoran counterparts," he said.

In Washington, a US official also said that the 50 military personnel cited by Correa were "more than double the actual number.

'Mutual distrust'

Correa has been often at odds with the United States since first taking office in 2007.

"We want it to be better, but let's not fool ourselves: yes, there are certain tensions, there is mutual distrust," the president said, pointing to Washington's "goofy" policy toward governments it considers hostile.

"It's not that we are anti-American, but we will always denounce double standards in international policy, and if that strains our relations with America, we will never renounce our principles."

The United States is Ecuador's main trading partner, and has repeatedly questioned Quito's links with Iran and Belarus, its decision to grant asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Correa's troubled relationship with the press.

In 2009, Correa declined to renew an agreement with the United States that had allowed it to operate a base for counternarcotics operations on Ecuadoran territory.

He has also criticized assistance the CIA provided to Colombia during a cross-border raid against FARC guerrillas in 2008.

The US Agency for International Development is ending its operations in Ecuador after failing to reach an agreement with the government, which had accused it of financing opposition groups.

Got mine, now how to get your Ecuador Cedula

After you get your permanent residency visa to live in Ecuador, doesn't matter which type, could be the investors visa, the pensioners visa, or even the professionals visa...

...you'll then have 30 days to get your mandatory Ecuadorian "Cedula", or official ID card.

The visa, or what is stamped in your passport, is the more complex part, the cedula which looks like a drivers license, is just a formality but you NEED it or they won't let you travel out of the country.

It's happened to me.  

You'll pass through the airline check in counter, then at immigration they'll tell you sorry, you can't board the plane without a cedula (if you are in Ecuador on a permanent residency visa).

Besides, having a cedula qualifies you for a lot of benefits, especially senior benefits in Ecuador if you are over 65.

Even if you are not a senior, you can still get special pricing on certain things, like for one, trips to the Galapagos.

For instance, foreigners pay $465 round trip on Tame to the Galapagos from Quito right now.  Ecuadorians or foreigners which have perm resident status with Ecuadorian cedulas pay only $250.  And foreigners pay a $100 per head park entrance fee, people with Ecuador cedulas pay only a $10 per person entry fee upon arrival.

Getting your cedula is a recently streamlined, easy process and one I just did myself this week in January of 2014.

Once you pick up your visa that same day I recommend you get the document CERTIFICADO DE EMPADRONAMIENTO which costs $5 and only takes a few minutes to retrieve from the same immigration office that gives you your visa, in Quito its the one near the 6 de Diciembre and Colon intersection.

With that document you will need to wait 48 hours and then go to the REGISTRIO CIVIL (Civil Registry) on Naciones Unidas y Amazonas (if applying in Quito).  

You will need to bring the Certificado de empadronamiento, your actual passport and a color copy of your passport ID page and a copy of your current residency visa.

Upon entering the Civil Registry, you will have to take a turn and pay $5 to the bank counter that is within their offices there.

You will then go down the stairs and to the windows 24 and 25 and wait for your turn to appear on the screen.
Once you are called they will photo you, take your fingerprints and then in one hour you will receive your brand new Ecuadorian cedula!

No more need to walk around with your passport, in Ecuador your cedula is everything, you can even travel to nearby Andean countries like Colombia and Peru with just your cedula.

And of course, no reason to pay a lawyer to get a cedula for you!

Important changes since early 2013 (one year ago):  

Prefice: About a year ago in Guayaquil I helped a few friends get their cedulas.  And since then things have changed a bit, for the better!

A year ago, after applying for the cedula and getting your photo taken you had to come back in 3-5 days, not anymore, in one hour I got my cedula.

A year ago, they asked for an apostilled birth certificate, they never asked for mine although I still recommend bringing it down.

A year ago, they asked for proof of civil status, a marriage certificate or if you were single you had to do a really annoying hassle of going to a notary and doing a sworn statement saying you were single (declaracion juramentada).  Not anymore.  They didnt ask for me to prove my single status.

PS.  I highly recommend getting yiour cedula in Quito although you can get it in a few other cities in Ecuador.  Just easier.

Keep in mind.  

Unlike countries like the US, your civil status appears on your ID card, and if you are married then ANY legal transaction you want to do in Ecuador like sell a real property or a car you will have to have your wife sign off on it!

But what if your legal wife or husband is not in the picture?

In Ecuador, you are pretty much screwed if thats what appears on your ID cedula card.  Your transaction will be greatly difficulted or stopped.  So if they arent in the picture go for single if you can.

There you have it, the cedula, one less thing you need a lawyer for in Ecuador.

It's well documented that if i can i prefer to skip on lawyers in Ecuador I will, ive seen too many instances where people paid thousands of dollars to a lawyer in Ecuador that than essentially did... nothing!  There are a few good ones but the range of quality is great.

Often in real estate transactions the only thing they'll do for the hundreds or thousands they charge you is write up your sales deed.  

Speaking of not using lawyers, this week Im pleased to announce the release of my boilerplate contracts for the buy/sale of real estate, cars or other property in Ecuador, plus a boilerplate rental contract all in editable word format, just edit it your details and they are enforceable if they have been notarized.

They don't work for all situations, especially more complicated sales, but why pay a lawyer thousands to write up your property sales deed when you can do it yourself for a simple sale where you ve built up some trust in the seller?  Especially for small property purchases like cars or cheap real estate where most locals in Ecuador just use a similar template. 


Domenick Buonamici
Quito Airport Suites - Lodging minutes from the airport in Quito.  Your ideal jump off point in Ecuador.