Renew your Ecuadorian cédula from the US: US$16 at the consulate

Ecuador’s national ID card, the cédula de ciudadanía, is issued by the Dirección General de Registro Civil, Identificación y Cedulación (DIGERCIC). From the United States it is renewed in person at an Ecuadorian consulate, acting on behalf of the Civil Registry. The renewal costs US$16.00 (fee published by Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry on gob.ec, checked October 3, 2026). The gob.ec page names five US offices that issue this service: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Queens. The key limit: consulates only renew; a first-time cédula is issued only in Ecuador.

Versión en español

Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Issued byDIGERCIC, through consular offices (2023 Fee Schedule, chapter 6: “Servicios por delegación de terceros”)
When it appliesExpired cédula (“fenecido su vigencia”) or changes to personal information
FeeUS$16.00, no VAT (item 6.1.11, “Cédula por renovación ecuatorianos”)
Exemption100% for people with a disability of 30% or more registered in the Ministry of Public Health system
US consulates per gob.ecChicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, Queens
Washington D.C.Its own page (2022) also offers renewal by appointment
ChannelIn person; “en todos los casos es requerida la presencia del usuario”
DeliveryThe consulate calls “luego de 15 o 20 días” (after 15 or 20 days) for pickup
Validity10 years
Official pagegob.ec, updated January 20, 2026

The gob.ec cédula page does not mention the 50% discount for people 65 and older that appears on other consular services, such as the passport. Ask your consulate before assuming it applies.

Where it is renewed in the United States

The gob.ec page says the service “se emite en las Oficinas Consulares de Barcelona, Bogotá, Chicago, Génova, Los Ángeles, Madrid, Milán, Murcia, Nueva York, Nueva Jersey, Queens, Roma, Santiago de Chile, Toronto, Valencia-España.” The US offices on that list are Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Queens.

Two official sources differ here: the Washington D.C. consulate’s page (published January 22, 2022) says “también puede renovar su cédula en este Consulado tomando una cita para ese servicio” (you can also renew your cédula at this consulate by booking that service), even though Washington is not on the gob.ec list. That page gives Washington’s coverage as Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. If you live there, confirm with the consulate before booking. To find your consulate, see Ecuador consulates in the US or consulates by state.

Requirements

According to the gob.ec page:

  • Payment of the fee (the “especie valora[da]” in the page’s wording: the US$16.00).
  • Your previous cédula, or, if it was lost, proof of a loss report filed with a foreign authority, or a sworn statement (declaración juramentada).

If you also want to update information on the card, gob.ec asks for extra documents:

What you want to updateWhat gob.ec asks for
Education levelOriginal or copy of the study document or certificate; for studies abroad, “original o copia debidamente legalizada o apostillada y traducida legalmente, de ser el caso”
ProfessionUniversity degree registered with SENESCYT as third-level
OccupationCard issued by the relevant trade association
Armed Forces or PoliceCredential and a copy showing retired (passive) service

For studies abroad, such as in the US, that rule asks for the document “legalizada o apostillada y traducida legalmente, de ser el caso” (legalized or apostilled, and translated where applicable). See how to apostille a US document.

Step by step

gob.ec describes a six-step, in-person process:

  1. Request a slot at the consular office. The Foreign Ministry appointment system is at citas.cancilleria.gob.ec; the page says “Para obtener una cita deberá seleccionar un Centro Administrativo y elegir un Servicio” (select an administrative center, then a service).
  2. Give your Número Único de Identificación (NUI) to the consular officer to start the process.
  3. Pay under the Consular and Diplomatic Fee Schedule.
  4. Review the data that will appear on the cédula.
  5. Wait for the call: “El usuario recibirá una llamada telefónica de la Oficina Consular luego de 15 o 20 días para notificar que la cédula de identidad puede ser retirada.”
  6. Pick up the cédula at the consulate.

How the appointment works (per the Washington consulate)

The Washington consulate’s page (2022) walks through the booking system: choose the consulate from the list of “Centros Administrativos,” pick the service, enter your cédula or passport number, a phone number and an email, enter the verification code sent by email, then pick a date and time. The same page warns that the system allows one appointment per person, that appointments last at most 30 minutes, and that “NO se atenderán trámites sin cita o con documentos incompletos” (no service without an appointment or with incomplete documents). It also says that in Washington you can renew the cédula with one appointment and then book another for the passport. To follow appointment availability, see the consulate appointment tracker.

Minors

gob.ec sets these rules:

  • Under 15: must come with a parent, grandparent or legal representative. If none can attend, a relative up to the third degree of consanguinity, aged 18 or older, may accompany the child, carrying their own cédula and a “simple authorization” from the parents or legal representative.
  • Ages 15 to 17: “podrán obtener su cédula sin necesidad de estar acompañados de sus padres o algún familiar” (can get the cédula without a parent or relative).

Expired cédula: the fine does not apply abroad

gob.ec summarizes Articles 85, 86 and 90 of the Organic Law on Identity and Civil Data Management this way: when the cédula expires it must be renewed within the following 30 days and the old one handed in to be voided; “Si una persona se demora, puede recibir una multa, pero los ecuatorianos que viven en el exterior no tienen que pagarla” (a person who is late may be fined, but Ecuadorians living abroad do not have to pay it).

What you cannot do from the US

  • Get a first-time cédula. gob.ec: “La emisión de la cédula de identidad por primera vez, únicamente se podrá efectuar en las oficinas de la Dirección General de Registro Civil, Identificación y Cedulación (DIGERCIC) en las diferentes ciudades del Ecuador.”
  • Renew online or by mail. The only channel gob.ec lists is in person, and the applicant must be present in every case.

Why a valid cédula matters

Other consular procedures rely on the cédula. The Washington consulate’s page lists “Cédula vigente (original)” as a passport requirement. Registering to send 4x4 family packages to Ecuador is done with the cédula number; see 4x4 family package shipping. For the passport, see Ecuador passport renewal.

The cédula and the consular ID card are different

The cédula is the national identity document issued by the Civil Registry. The carné de identificación consular is a separate card issued by the consulate for Ecuadorians living in the US. See Ecuador consular ID.

Your US immigration status

The gob.ec requirement list for the renewal does not ask for US immigration documents. gob.ec summarizes Article 16 of the Regulation to the Organic Law on Human Mobility as saying Ecuadorians and foreigners can receive consular services “sin importar su condición migratoria” (regardless of their immigration status).

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Fees, the consulates offering the service, and requirements change. Verify directly with your Ecuadorian consulate before booking. Not legal advice.