Get the measurements and weight of your vehicle. You can find this information in the manual or on the inside panel of the driver's door. Make sure to get the vehicle measurements in both feet and meters.
Apply for and obtain authorization to ship the vehicle from the Ministry of Finance and get an import license from the Central Bank of Ecuador. The Central Bank's mailing address is: Banco Central del Ecuador, Avenida 10 de Agosto y Briceño, Quito, Ecuador and their telephone number is (02) 583-054. If calling from the United States, dial 011 to make an international call and 593, which is the country code for Ecuador, before dialing the actual phone number. You have to wait for your import license before you can ship the car to Ecuador. To contact the Ministry of Finance, visit their website (see Resources) and click on the "CONTÁCTENOS" tab to send them an email. The site is in Spanish.
Gather proof of ownership documents. You will need to have registration or a title to the vehicle to prove ownership. You will also need two original invoice copies for the purchase of the vehicle.
Select a shipping company and ports. U.S. ports available for shipping a vehicle to Ecuador are New York, Philadelphia and Miami. East Coast ports are the only ports that should be used. ShipMyVehicle.com can be used to get a quote for shipping. ShipMyAuto.net also offers quotes on shipping a vehicle to Ecuador. You can choose from Container or Roll On Roll Off (RORO) shipping. RORO is typically done on barges, cargo ships and ferries, where there is a ramp that the cars can be rolled up and down. Container shipping is where the vehicle is strapped down into a covered, sealed container and lifted onto and off a ship by a crane. Container shipping is more popular in long haul shipping. Ecuador ports you can choose as the destination are Guayaquil, Cuenca, Machala, Santo Domingo and Quito.
Obtain a verification certificate at the origin port. To be able to get your car in Ecuador, it must leave the origin port with a verification certificate from a checker at the port. All vehicles that are shipped are verified by checkers at the port.
Prepare to pay duties on the shipment. Duties at the port in Ecuador will amount to around 65 percent. You will also probably have to pay a fee for the original bill of lading from the shipping company at the origin port. Some shipping companies also charge a loading fee at the origin port.
