September 2021
Extranjeros/expats with a permanent residential visa need to renew their cedula after 10 years. You cannot do it online like Ecuadorian citizens can. The first and hardest part takes place in Azogues: Centro de Atención Ciudadana, Av 16 de Abril, Azogues.
The first thing to do is download and save as PDF file:
Orden de Cedulacion (see # 2 link)
https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/formulario-cedula-julio2013.pdf
Complete Orden de Cedulacion on computer, do not hand write information. All the requested info is on your cedula. (If you do not have Adobe PDF editor there are some free PDF editors online.)
Copy of passport.
2 Copies of visa. You need another copy for Registro Civil.
Copy of income. I downloaded benefit letter from Social Security and had it translated into Spanish. We used Javier Munoz, Juan Montalvo 7-40 y Sucre, javier.munoz23@hotmail.com, 099 582 0754. Highly recommend him.
Copy of marriage license and translation in Spanish.
Copy of health insurance.
We had to go to IESS office to get the dependent certificate.
We did not need the Moviemento Migratorio. We were told that was already in the system.
Once you have gathered all your paperwork you have to set up an appointment here
https://serviciows.cancilleria.gob.ec:444/TurnosCancilleria/Home/Ubicaciones
This is a little tricky. Select service: Orden de Cedulacion and Azogues
Next fill in service, Celular, etc. Next, they ask for an archive document. I uploaded the completed Orden de Cedulacion. And wrote Renovacion de Cedula in comment. Only then do you get the calendar option to select your time. Arrive 15 minutes before appointed time on second floor (one floor up from entrance floor).
Announce yourself to guard. He will want to see your documents and passport. Next someone from side office will come out and check you have all the proper documents. If you do, you are asked to sit down and wait until staff comes out again and gives you a small piece of paper to pay $5 fee at Banco Ecuador in el Centro. Take a taxi for $1.50 each way and return to office and give bank receipt to guard. He will take slip back to side office. And then wait. Daniel got his papers in about an hour. Mine didn’t come. System in Quito was down. Had to return next day at 2 PM. Once we had the papers to get cedulas we had 15 days to go to Registro Civil el Batan in Cuenca.
Side note: it took us 4 times going to Azogues to get this done, so don’t be surprised if you have to go there more than once. The first time we didn’t have an appointment (cita) but we’re told what documents we needed (no moviemento migratorio and no marriage license because it was in the system). Second time we did need marriage license and were told that the Orden de Cedulacion had to be filled out on the computer. Third time worked for my husband but system went down for mine and we had to come back a 4th time. But you could be lucky and get it all done in one day.
Next: Registro Civil El Batan
Once you have your orders go to RC. You have 15 days or you have to start the whole process over.
We got there at 10:30 AM. No cita required. We didn’t go early because the lines are too long then. We were ushered inside building by guards and directed to Casa 7 where we presented our paperwork. After form was checked we went to office Supervision. More checks and we were given a small piece of paper to pay $16 each at Banco Ecuador inside the RC building. Then we got a number and waited to see it appear on the reader board. At our assigned Casa we turned in form and a copy of visa (remember you need 2 copies). She asked for blood type, took picture and fingerprints. You verify that all the information is correct and then go to Entrada Cedula kiosk and wait until your name is called and get your new cedula. The whole process took a little less than two hours.
Voila! Good luck.
Magdalena Herreshoff
City: Cuenca
