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Howard,
Your residency visa is what allows you to stay in the country, with no restrictions as far as time of stay. The cedula is nothing more than a national I.D. card. You cannot obtain a cedula until you have your visa stamp. Before you obtain your cedula, you must carry your passport, or a copy of it, to prove your identity. Many stores will ask for it for tax purposes. Think of it as a state I.D, or drivers license in the US.  as a form of proving who you are. In the US foreigners are issued a green card, to prove they are there legally.
Hope this helps.
Neil

Neil is spot on (as always). I got my visa last Thursday. Six days later (today) I got my Cedula.

One thing I would caution, to replace a Passport (and vis a vie) the visa would be a pain in the posterior, to lose and replace a Cedula would be akin to having a root canal... without anesthetic... from your barber.

To more directly answer your question, "What does a cedula allow you to do". If you want to take advantage of many discounts afforded to senior citizens (air fares, bank lines, 12 cent buses), you will need a Cedula. Granted, the real benefit happens at 65, but it (the Cedula) is good for 10 years.

It is not required by law to have a Cedula, but if you go to the effort to get the visa, the Cedula is a "piece of cake".

symo

rsymington -- what does one need to do when his passport bearing the residency visa expires and gets a replacement passport? I imagine a trip to the local immigration office to "transfer" the visa from the expired passport to the new one?

symo,
Thank you for your kind words.
Funny you should mention losing your cedula. Just the other day, that in fact happened to a friend of mine. He contacted the cedula office, and they told him they would re issue, I think for a 6 dollar fee.
My advice is: When you get your cedula, make a copy and have it laminated. ( I did 2 copies ) I do not carry my original, I keep it with my passport. Make sure you do that with your visa also. It will aid you in the case of loss.
Stay Well,
Neil

ZenSPIKE wrote:

symo,
Thank you for your kind words.
Funny you should mention losing your cedula. Just the other day, that in fact happened to a friend of mine. He contacted the cedula office, and they told him they would re issue, I think for a 6 dollar fee.
My advice is: When you get your cedula, make a copy and have it laminated. ( I did 2 copies ) I do not carry my original, I keep it with my passport. Make sure you do that with your visa also. It will aid you in the case of loss.
Stay Well,
Neil

Yes ZenSPIKE is always spot on when it comes to giving you the belt and suspenders approach to keeping it simple.  He is especially an expert at losing things, being a fan of the Vikings from the twin cities.  Ignore his advice at your on risk.

Mugs,
I see you safely navigated the dreaded 666 post. < thanks to me by the way >
Thank You soooooo much for bringing up my Beloved Vikes! We are strictly playing for draft pick. At this point, we are number 4. But.... we could better that by seasons end. < grin >
Stay Well,
Neil

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Mugs,
I see you safely navigated the dreaded 666 post. < thanks to me by the way >
Thank You soooooo much for bringing up my Beloved Vikes! We are strictly playing for draft pick. At this point, we are number 4. But.... we could better that by seasons end. < grin >
Stay Well,
Neil

Yes, you can take full credit for my getting to 667 ASAP.
Nice that you can see American football where you are, I would certainly miss that.  As an Eagles fan all my life I am hoping we help the Vikes get an even better draft pick this Sunday.  The Eagles/Lions game was so much fun last Sunday in 8 inches of snow, do you miss that weather yet?  Didn't think so.

Thanks to you and ZenSpike for a clear cut answer to something that has been bugging me.  I am also interested in Footsoldiers question about what happens to the residency visa when the associated passport expires.

I have been married and divorced once.  Then remarried and widowed.  Do I need the marriage certificates, divorce decree, and death certificate for both marriages?  ie. a paper trail that proves who I am and that I am not running from legal obligations.
Thanks, Cathie

I had to pay $5 for my cedula because I went over the 30 time limit. I did not need my birth certificate. Now, I don't even Carry copy of my passport.

Hi Jesse I read your replies to everything...I keep my original passport hide I live in a city but one bank would not take my copy of my Cedula or my passport they wanted my originals.  Interesting.  Let me explain why I think she the tell wanted the original.  Her supervisor was watching her closely you know how important jobs are to Ecuadorians but also I walked to cash a four Insurance checks monthly and I want cash I don't trust Insurance companies in my bank so I go to their bank.  They don't trust me, so they want orginials actually I don't trust them so I am at their bank where the checks are drawn we all are funny.
Make it a good day.  Merry Christmas

Oh my you are not going to like my answer and I hope I am wrong I really do. But come to Ecuador with a folder with everything they want seals love them, they want aposteled and dated, If you are divorced they wanted it notorized and docketed mine had a seal on it they loved it.

All my papers where changed into Spanish here because they don't care for Spanish in the states its a little different hahahah

Now each time I changed my name they wanted proof oh God it got complicated proof.  You will be so happy you have everything with you.  I was traveling on 90 days and I used every day because I wanted to get my Cedula Card and be organized.  I caught a big mistake They had my name wrong wow.  They had my fathers name wrong in the change of papers so watch carefully do not assume that people around you are doing things correctly.  One friend arrived and her fathers name was not on her Birth Certificate it took forever it was just a mistake.  Another person left America and where the notarize apostel was did not put the date in the state dept she was born like we even knew it was suppose to be there...stop it took forever.  By the way details matter to these people and DO NOT GET MAD AT THEM KEEP SMILING NO MATTER WHAT RESPECTFUL.  They need their jobs badly and they have supervisors over themj.  Have a great journey it is worth it we love it.

Thanks for your response re divorce decrees and death certificates.  I want to make sure I have everything done and in order when I leave the states.  Traveling back and forth is NOT an option so I have to get it right the first time!
Cathie

Cathie do you see above Zenspike's advice it is very excellent once you get here with passport and cedula card just in case you loose...I have heard so many people have lost there passport or Cedula Card and if you do what the writer above said you have solved your problem a lot.  It really helps when you have that folder I told you about and you have in there your orginal passport and your orginal cedula and they stay there.  Every now and then people say we need the original but only once in 2 yrs has that happen to me in 2 yrs.  So remember leave them home as safe keeping.
Any specific questions I can help you with that you are confused with.  I have a girl that speaks Spanish in Cuenca and she is a expert in being a host if you think you might need a guider who does it as a professional career.  I am only a retire older gringo.

I wanted that answer too...what does happen to u passport do they put an X on the gringo ha

One last thing if you request Your paper work to early in America they will date it way to early.  So when you get in Ecuador they might look at the dates and one of the clerks say oh this has expired.  So request it a month before you leave or a mo or 2 before you leave plenty of time I think this way when you get here you give them the papers they have the date ok.  I was thinking that over.
Also once you have that name on your Cedula Cathie Mary Smith that is it everything you sign has to be that even your Tax papers everything will be that name and spelling its done.  One women came and believe  it or not she had to prove she was single and it became a problem a issue.  We never assume we know what is going to happen every time we walk in an office.  When I walked in the tax office with a letter with a saving account and my number that I had at the bank they did not like know why my younger husband was on my saving account and they didn't want to put my money in my account with his name on it he was not over 65 yr old and he was in this country as my guest on my visa and he could not be on my account interesting.  I was surprised not annoyed surprised they cared.  Live and Learn.  I took him off.  And then came back and now they automatically transfer their checks into my account every three months it works well.

@reyneveld, if you see my PM please respond. thanks.

    For those needing good information about residency and visa requirements in Ecuador, go here:yourescapetoecuador.com/relocation/visas-and-immigration/
   

    -@chuckdeeUpdate Sept 2024: the link supplied redirects to;https://www.explorationjunkie.com/travel/americas/south-america/ecuador/I found no information,  about Birth certificates for residency visa application ...