Estate Planning for Foreigners in Ecuador

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One of our readers recently asked, "what happens if a foreigner dies in Ecuador?" This is a good question so I asked Pro-Ecuador's Martha Perez. Martha worked at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Washington, D.C. for many years and has friends and associates working in Embassies throughout Quito.

Martha says:
"The Embassy of your home country is available to coordinate with your hiers. If you are alone in Ecuador, the local authorities will contact your Embassy for assistance. I recommend that all foreigners register with their Embassy. This way, the Embassy has important contact information in the event of an emergency.

Here are several websites for registration:

Canadian citizens click here

US citizens click here

British citizens click here

If you hold assets in Ecuador it is a good idea to have an Ecuadorian attorney create a will in Spanish & English. You can make arrangements for your attorney in Ecuador to process your will on behalf of your heirs.

If you are planning to purchase property valued over $500,000 USD, I suggest that you consider holding this property as a company. The government of Ecuador may implement hefty estate tax penalties for "high value property" so it would be a good idea to avoid this issue altogether."

Click here to read Martha's bio.