First Step DONE

Our plans continue to move forward on a positive note. All our required papers have been submitted. As we moved along with our plans to relocate, I felt overwhelmed when I began to investigate what was required to be able to secure a resident visa. I checked the internet, spoke to several expats living in Cotacachi, and had spent an afternoon with a friendly couple in Cuenca.I was convinced that trying to accomplish this task was not going to be easy without experienced help. I was told that the rules changed mid stream. I was told that paperwork had to be prepared correctly without errors or it might be rejected.  I was given advice on what was needed and what was required, however none of the advice was the same creating more anxiety. A background check had to be prepared by the state in which you lived. No, it must be prepared by the FBI. You will need a marriage certificate. No, that will not be required. You will need everything "apostilled" What was apostilled? I had never heard of that term before. It really, just simply put, means that all notarized documents need to be notarized again by the Secretary of State for the state where the original documents were prepared and notarized.I had zero confidence that I was going to be able to move to Ecuador with what documents I was told were required and secure a visa without having to make several return trips to the states to for corrected and/or any additional documents.
I researched several web pages of local people offering to assist with securing documents. The cost varied considerably from reasonable to outrages. I chose an American expat who has lived in Cuenca for several years and had an Ecuadorian wife who had some experience and who could assist with translating ALL documents as required by Ecuadorian Immigration.He was able to detail, with confidence, all the papers I would need: where and how to get them. He gave me a step by step list to follow. He has been very helpful in making suggestions and has been able to offer help with even how and what will be required to have our precious pet cats accompany us on our adventure. So with his assistance all our papers have been correctly prepared and have been submitted to the Ecuadorian Department of Immigration. I have been advised that this will be a 6-8 week wait for a visa. So we are now packing up. What we take, what we store, what we sell is the next installment------