This guide is for filing from inside the U.S. (adjustment of status).Interviewing at a U.S. consulate abroad?Expect a police certificate and, for some countries, an apostille.

Ecuador Civil Documents · Updated August 2026

The Civil Documents You Need From Ecuador for a U.S. Marriage Green Card

Ecuador keeps civil records in one national system, so most Ecuadorians can pull their birth, marriage, and police documents online in minutes, then add a certified English translation for USCIS.

Quick answer

For a U.S. marriage green card, the Ecuadorian spouse generally needs the Birth Certificate, Police Certificate, and Marriage Certificate. An apostille is generally not required by USCIS for a filing inside the U.S. Non-English documents need a certified English translation, which you can self-certify.

📄3 core documents
- Birth Certificate
- Police Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
No apostille needed
For a filing inside the U.S., USCIS accepts a certified copy plus an English translation.
Translate it yourself
Any bilingual person can certify the English translation. No licensed translator required.

The documents you actually need

Start with these core records in order. Each one lists who issues it, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly what USCIS wants.

Birth Certificate

Acta / Certificado de Nacimiento

What USCIS needs: Required for the immigrant spouse. Order a recent copy so the details match your passport and other filings; a full certified copy (copia integra) is the safest version to submit.

How to get it: Order online through the Registro Civil virtual agency at virtual.registrocivil.gob.ec using your national ID (cedula) number, or request it in person at any Registro Civil office. The electronic PDF version is emailed to you; a full certified copy (copia integra) can also be requested.

Issued by: Registro Civil
Cost: Approx. USD 3 for a standard certificate; approx. USD 6 for a full certified copy (copia integra del acta)
Timing: Online certificates are usually available immediately or same day; in-person requests are typically issued the same day

Order at the official site

Insider tip: Ecuador's records are centralized, so it does not matter which office you were registered in. Note that consular officers in Ecuador have historically preferred the security-paper Libro de Nacimientos version, so if you are doing consular processing, ask for the certified full copy rather than a plain printout.

Police Certificate

Certificado de Antecedentes Penales (formerly Record Policial)

What USCIS needs: For consular processing (immigrant visa abroad), the National Visa Center requires a police certificate from Ecuador for the immigrant beneficiary age 16 and older, plus one from any other country where they lived 6 months or more. For adjustment of status inside the U.S., USCIS does not require Ecuadorian police certificates because it runs its own FBI background check.

How to get it: Generate it for free online through the Ministry of Government portal using your cedula (Ecuadorians) or passport number (foreigners). The certificate is issued only in digital form and prints as a PDF; no physical office copy exists.

Issued by: Ministerio de Gobierno / Policia Nacional
Cost: Free
Timing: Issued instantly online; valid for 3 months

Order at the official site

Insider tip: Because the certificate is only valid for 3 months, do not pull it too early. Wait until close to your interview date. Ignore anyone charging a fee; the government issues it free online and warns against third-party charging.

Marriage Certificate

Acta / Certificado de Matrimonio

What USCIS needs: Required if you and your spouse are already married. If you married in Ecuador, this proves the marriage that your entire green card case is built on, so order the full certified copy. If you are still single, request a single-status certificate instead.

How to get it: Order online through the Registro Civil virtual agency at virtual.registrocivil.gob.ec, or request it in person at any Registro Civil office. If you are not yet married, you would instead show a certificate of single status (certificado de estado civil / soltería) from the same Registro Civil.

Issued by: Registro Civil
Cost: Approx. USD 3 for a standard certificate; approx. USD 6 for a full certified copy (copia integra del acta)
Timing: Online certificates are usually available immediately or same day; in-person requests are typically issued the same day

Order at the official site

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At a glance

Topic	Details
Apostille status	Ecuador joined the Hague Apostille Convention, in force since September 2, 2005. Apostilles are issued by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana. USCIS generally does NOT require an apostille on foreign civil documents for a marriage green card; an apostille mainly matters if a document will be used before another government authority.
How records are kept	Civil records are centralized under the national Registro Civil (Direccion General de Registro Civil, Identificacion y Cedulacion), with birth, marriage, and other actas available through its online virtual agency and any local office nationwide.
Typical time to gather	Documents themselves are fast (often same day or instant online). The longer wait is USCIS or National Visa Center processing, not the Ecuadorian paperwork.
Translation	Documents are in Spanish and need a certified English translation for USCIS. USCIS lets any competent bilingual person translate and self-certify with a signed statement that they are fluent in both languages and the translation is accurate; you do not need a licensed or sworn translator.

Source: U.S. State Dept Reciprocity Schedule: Ecuador. Verified August 2026. Need to translate a document? See our certified translation guide.

What officers watch for

Document reliability: For consular cases, U.S. authorities in Ecuador accept only specific versions of civil records. The acceptable birth record is the security-paper Libro de Nacimientos (a plain Partida or Certificado de Nacimiento may be rejected), and the acceptable marriage record is the Inscripcion de Matrimonio from the national Registro Civil or the Libro de Matrimonios from the Corporacion Registro Civil de Guayaquil. When in doubt, request the full certified copy.

Full document reference

Every civil record from Ecuador that can come up in a marriage green card case, with the issuing authority, cost, and how to obtain it.

Document	Issuing authority	Cost	How to obtain
Birth Certificate	Registro Civil	Approx. USD 3 (standard) / USD 6 (full copy)	Online at virtual.registrocivil.gob.ec with your cedula, or in person at any Registro Civil office
Marriage Certificate	Registro Civil	Approx. USD 3 (standard) / USD 6 (full copy)	Online through the Registro Civil virtual agency, or in person at any Registro Civil office
Divorce Certificate	Registro Civil	Approx. USD 3 (standard) / USD 6 (full copy)	Registered with and issued by the Registro Civil once a divorce is finalized; order online or in person
Death Certificate	Registro Civil	Approx. USD 3 (standard) / USD 6 (full copy)	Order online through the Registro Civil virtual agency or in person at any Registro Civil office
Police Certificate	Ministerio de Gobierno / Policia Nacional	Free	Generate instantly online at the Ministry of Government portal using your cedula or passport number (digital only)

What applicants report

“Applicants consistently report that the free online police certificate and the low-cost online birth and marriage certificates are the easy part; the friction is getting certified English translations and making sure the version they downloaded is the full certified copy rather than a plain printout, especially for consular cases in Guayaquil.”
VisaJourney and Reddit, 2024 to 2025

File your Ecuadorian spouse's marriage green card for $99.

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Sources

Verified August 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to apostille my Ecuadorian documents for USCIS?

Generally no. USCIS accepts civil documents from the Ecuadorian Registro Civil with a certified English translation and does not require an apostille. Ecuador is a Hague Apostille country (the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana issues apostilles), so you can get one if another authority asks for it, but it is usually not needed for a marriage green card.

How do I get an Ecuadorian police certificate, and does it cost anything?

You generate the Certificado de Antecedentes Penales for free online through the Ministry of Government portal using your cedula, or your passport number if you are a foreign national. It is digital only and valid for 3 months, so pull it close to your interview date. Anyone charging you for it is not legitimate.

Do I need an Ecuadorian police certificate if I am adjusting status inside the U.S.?

No. For adjustment of status, USCIS runs its own FBI background check and does not ask for an Ecuadorian police certificate. Police certificates are required for consular processing (an immigrant visa abroad), where the National Visa Center asks for one from Ecuador and from any country where you lived 6 months or more.

Can I order Ecuadorian birth and marriage certificates online?

Yes. The Registro Civil virtual agency lets you order birth, marriage, and other certificates online using your cedula, usually for a few dollars, delivered as a PDF. For a green card case, request the full certified copy (copia integra del acta) rather than a plain certificate so all details are captured.

Do my Spanish documents need to be translated for USCIS?

Yes. Every non-English document needs a full English translation. USCIS allows any bilingual person to translate it and sign a short statement certifying they are competent in both languages and that the translation is accurate; you do not need a sworn or licensed translator.

Key takeaways

✓
The core documents most Ecuadorian applicants need are the Birth Certificate, Police Certificate, Marriage Certificate.
✓
Ecuador is a Hague Apostille Convention member, but USCIS generally does not require an apostille for a marriage green card filed inside the U.S.
✓
You do not need a licensed translator: any competent bilingual person can translate a document and self-certify it for USCIS.
✓
A home-country police certificate is generally needed only for consular processing abroad, not for adjustment of status inside the U.S.
✓
Order fresh certified copies directly from the official issuer and keep the originals; documents from Ecuador draw closer scrutiny.

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