Saturday, September 6, 2014

Rationale for Submitting Official Papers as the Ecuadorian Consulate in the USA Directs

Back again. . . with a separate post on this topic, as I think it's not one discussed much out there in public on the 'Net or anywhere else I'm aware of. 

I had a very invigorating discussion with my Real Estate Escrow officer - who of course is no immigration official or diplomat - on this topic.  Some thoughts follow. 

Getting a US Passport necessitates documents that the US Federal Government requires: Birth Certificate, Driver's License, Social Security Card, Marriage License (if married), and the like.  These are all in most cases US based documents.  Their validity is not usually in question, despite them being several or many years old, not current, without imprinted seal of authenticity, etc.  There is a level of trust within the government of one's native country and its citizens.  It's often implied, but in the case of granting a US Passport, it's stated upon receiving the passport: your papers are validated. . . for travel outside  the USA.  The US, of course, has no legal jurisdiction outside of its borders.  It merely vouches you are who you say you are. . . from the standpoint of a US resident backed by that citizen's government. 

When you travel to live in that foreign country, like Ecuador, you are basing that ability to reside there for an indefinite period on what the Ecuadorian government allows and proscribes, not what the USA states in its own laws.  So it's like starting over.  Who are you?  How do we know you are who you say you are?  Where were you born?  What date?  What are your previous name(s) if any?  What is your source of income while living in the foreign country?  What guarantee is there that it will continue?  How much do you receive per month from this income?  Are you married? Do you have proof of your marriage, including marriage date?  Are all these documents authentic and original, and current documents you have provided from your various sources? 

When you look at it that way, the way the Ecuadorian government most likely does, it makes sense.  Everything about you has to be established and proven to their own standards of proof, not your own or your native country's. 

I will say that our legal counsel in Ecuador didn't tell us that we would be going through these extra steps, but then again, they don't live here in the USA.  They speak to what they are expert on, and working with the Ecuadorian Consulate in a USA location is not one of them.  So time to realize that, give them some slack, and be flexible and above all, patient. 

One other thing: in my dealings with others in this whole process of immigrating to Ecuador, I have found a relative of the President of Ecuador. . .right under my nose!  He works at my ever friendly and resourceful Credit Union.  Maybe an ace up the sleeve when things get sticky down the road. . .  Dunno for sure.  All I can tell you is that the process of moving from one country to another, especially a country in Latin America where there is a certain amount of corruption and less stability, is not as certain as moving from one state in the United States to another.  In that I have experience in.  The present process of moving internationally I am learning. . . one step at a time, one day at a time. 

BTW, the next time I may be able to update here, it will most likely be around the time of us moving out of the residence here, and in a motel locally.  So I will be without my trusty desktop computer, and using the laptop, which takes longer to type on.  With that in mind, please understand my posts will most likely be shorter due to the effort involved.  Thanks for your kind understanding in all of this!   

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