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OGA1 wrote:

Sebastian Cordero is awesome.. He does visas and also real estate..scordero@gcabogados.com

I agree with OGA's assessment of Sebastian.

He is highly organised, punctual, knows the visa process down pat, and continually moves the process ahead without giving his client a feeling of being rushed.  His English is excellent.  If a problem comes up, he knows immediately how to solve it and whom to contact.

His local phone number at the Quito office is 244-7551.

The Columbian wrote:

Cannot recommend Dr. Roberto Moreno as suggested in International Living...very slow to respond....Allowed me to blow a deadline which resulted in me having to leave the country to get my visa paperwork completed...stay away from this attorney.

Had to leave the country...that is serious stuff.   Thanks for the heads up.

The Columbian wrote:

Cannot recommendDr. Roberto Moreno as suggested in international living he is been very slow to respond.  Had incorrect and incomplete information regarding banking that he set up for me.   Allowed me to blow a deadline which resulted in me having to leave the country to get my visa paperwork completed. Currently his office is dragging their feet on providing me my refund on my pensioners visa as promised two months ago. Would  refer all to stay away from this attorney.

Do you mean he was recommended by International Living and did not do what he said he would do?
Unheard of

OGA1 wrote:

Sebastian Cordero has been superb taking us through the visa process a number of months ago...but it seems he could be going through smth in his personal life... He is not as efficient as he was.. Very distracted and does seem to get things done on time, accidentally gave me a wrong address where to meet.... Not a good choice right at the moment..

This is a confusing post and a hatchet job.

The poster acknowledges that Sebastian Cordero did a "superb" job in the visa process and gets things "done on time."

It's doubtful that the poster would have personal knowledge of it if Sebastian had an issue in his personal life, so I consider that to be base speculation; even if he did, I believe it is highly doubtful that a pro such as himself would allow it to interfere with his support of clients.

I worked with him for six months resulting in successfully obtaining my residency visa and cedula, and never spotted a single error along the way.  The only reason it took so long was that my paperwork from the U.S. was repeatedly delayed.  When we missed the filing deadline by a day for this reason, Sebastian deftly arranged for a rare 45-day visa extension, getting us the time we needed.

Sebastian met me at or escorted me to all the government buildings where we had to submit paperwork throughout this time and was at my side, sometimes for extended periods, as we waited for my number to be called.  On occasion during these waiting times, he worked on other clients' matters as is appropriate.  If such attention is what the above poster interpreted as being "distracted," she misinterpreted the situation.

I suspect that Sr. Cordero would not dignify the poster's porqueria with a response, but I choose not to let it pass.

To put it mildly, there are smarter things to do in Ecuador than smear a prominent and respected attorney who has been validated by multiple other posters on this site.

cccmedia wrote:

It's doubtful that the poster would have personal knowledge of it if Sebastian had an issue in his personal life, so I consider that to be base speculation; even if he did, I believe it is highly doubtful that a pro such as himself would allow it to interfere with his support of clients.

Unless she is involved in being said "distraction"

mskk36 wrote:

Is it necessary to come to equador for this purpose or the papers can be filed from my country i.e. India.
if possible kindly indicate what is the monthly cost of housing for one bed room flat in quito...

Certain temporary or non-resident visas may be requested outside Ecuador.  But for permanent residency, you'll have to be here to sign documents and respond to bureaucratic issues.

Quito rents start around $300 for what a typical Expat would prefer.  You'll find lower rents with your boots on the ground than with Internet listings.  The most desired neighborhoods such as Carolina and Mariscal will present much higher rental rates as a rule.

For cost of living numbers, go to numbeo.com and click Ecuador and a city, or visit the recent COL thread posted on this EC blog.

There is no "q" in Ecuador.

cccmedia in Quito

mskk36 wrote:

need to know what are formalities and documents required for obtaining a PR visa for equador and how much will it cost and time it takes.

OGA's recommendation of Sebastian Cordero is solid.  He handled my residency visa, which I obtained in February of 2014.  Email him at scordero@gcabogados.com with your questions about visa requirements as needed.

The official website of EC government information about residency visas is cancilleria.gob.ec ...  It has an English-language option that often works.

I paid $350 last year to satisfy the government's major visa fees.  However, with attorney fees, translations, certifications, apostilles and other ancillary costs, the grand total may have approximated $2,000.

Theoretically, you can get a residency visa without the assistance of an experienced attorney or a non-attorney visa specialist.  But that's a rocky route for anyone unprepared to navigate a complicated foreign bureaucracy.

Some Expats claim that they obtained a residency visa in six weeks or less.  Their paperwork must have been pristine.  Three months is probably more common, but if you run into bureaucratic requests for more documentation, or if paperwork from overseas is required and-or delayed, it could be longer.

Fortunately, once your visa application is accepted for review, you may remain in Ecuador indefinitely during the course of the visa process.

cccmedia in Quito

mskk36 wrote:

kindly also tell me about some job prospects. I am a post graduate in business management and mathematics and have several years of experience in large companies particularly in warehousing logistics. i am more interested in teaching.

To qualify for a professional visa, you need to submit the copy of a job offer.  This would be in the form of an official contract which the Cancilleria or Ministry must then review and approve for the residency visa.

Check with Sr. Cordero via email as to whether you can apply for a professional visa if having entered Ecuador on a tourist stamp.

Absent the job offer, you might need to make an investment to qualify for a residency visa -- minimum $25,000 in an Ecuador bank CD or real estate.

cccmedia in Quito

The Columbian wrote:

Cannot recommendDr. Roberto Moreno as suggested in international living he is been very slow to respond.  Had incorrect and incomplete information regarding banking that he set up for me.   Allowed me to blow a deadline which resulted in me having to leave the country to get my visa paperwork completed. Currently his office is dragging their feet on providing me my refund on my pensioners visa as promised two months ago. Would  refer all to stay away from this attorney.

I have to agree that I have similar comment regarding Dr. Roberto Moreno.  I finally got what I was looking for, but I had to chase him down, he takes days to reply to email (when he does), etc.  It wasn't a pleasant experience.

Next time, I will try Sebastian Cordero.