Ecuador
Visa de residencia temporal inversionista
The cheapest investor residency in the hemisphere by a wide margin, and the one almost nobody writes about in English. One hundred times the basic salary, which for 2026 means USD 48,200 in a term deposit, titled real estate, or registered company shares. Ecuador is dollarised, so there is no currency risk in the number.
Visa de residencia temporal inversionista
USD 48,200100 SBU, recalculated every January
Why it is this cheap
The threshold is indexed to the salario basico unificado, the national basic wage, which is USD 482 for 2026. One hundred times that is USD 48,200. Like Colombia, the figure moves every January, but unlike Colombia it is already denominated in dollars because Ecuador uses the US dollar as its currency.
Three qualifying assets
A 730 day term deposit in an Ecuadorian bank, titled real estate, or shares in a registered Ecuadorian company. The deposit route is the reason this program is genuinely different from the rest of the table: you are not buying an illiquid asset, you are parking cash for two years.
What you are trading away
Political and institutional volatility, a smaller and thinner property market, and a security situation in parts of the country that has deteriorated materially since 2023. The price reflects real risk. Quito and Cuenca are not Guayaquil, and the difference matters more here than the difference between Colombian cities does.
The facts, in one place
| Status | Open |
| Threshold | USD 48,200, 100 SBU, recalculated every January |
| What it grants | Temporary, 2 years, renewable |
| Stay requirement | Multiple entry, no published absence cap |
| Citizenship | About 3 years of residence |
| Governing instrument | Reglamento to the Ley Organica de Movilidad Humana, Article 66; 2026 SBU set at USD 482 Primary source |
| Last verified | 17 September 2026 |
Other programs:
Compare this against the two programs closest to it
Tell us the budget, the goal and the timeline. If Colombia fits, we introduce you to an immigration lawyer and a broker who has closed for foreign buyers before. If it does not fit, we say so and point you at the program that does.