Ecuador and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Ecuador since 2 April 2005
- Issued by
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería), entirely online through the electronic apostille system
- Language
- Spanish, sworn translation
- Register
- Superintendency of Companies (Superintendencia de Compañías) (online)
- Tax treaty
- Outside the Dutch treaty list: Dutch rules apply (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Trade Agreement with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, since 2017
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Ecuador
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Ecuador.
Proof of address in Ecuador, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before an Ecuadorian notario. The Cancillería then apostilles it online and emails you the file.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería), entirely online through the electronic apostille system. You upload the document and receive the apostilled file by email.
Official page: https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/2024/07/15/sistema-de-apostillas-y-legalizaciones-electronicas-del-ecuador/
Good to know. The apostille is a file, so send the PDF. The shareholder list from the Superintendency is public. You can therefore skip a notarised declaration.
If a company from Ecuador becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Superintendency of Companies (Superintendencia de Compañías). Order the certificate of legal existence and the list of shareholders (nómina de accionistas), both available online. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Ecuador and the EU
Goods trade between Ecuador and the European Union (EU) was worth €8.8 billion in 2025. That year the EU was Ecuador's third-largest trading partner, with 17.2% of its trade, and the largest buyer of its exports, with 19.3%.
Foodstuffs, beverages and tobacco made up 38.4% of EU imports from Ecuador in 2025, vegetable products 29.1% and live animals and animal products 22.4%. Machinery and appliances (23%) and chemical products (21%) headed EU exports to Ecuador that year.
With preferential access to the EU market since 2017, Ecuador has become a major supplier of bananas and organic products. Its main export products are bananas, shrimp, tuna, roses, cocoa and coffee.
Ecuador joined the EU trade agreement with Colombia and Peru on 1 January 2017, after signing the Protocol of Accession in November 2016. On 10 November 2025 the EU launched negotiations with Ecuador on a Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Your next step from Ecuador
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