Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
President Daniel Noboa named Roberto Kury as Ecuador's new foreign minister after Gabriela Sommerfeld resigned for personal and health reasons. The change matters to expats because the Foreign Ministry oversees mobility, consular services, visas, and Ecuador's international agenda.
A legal reform moving through Ecuador's Assembly aims to clear about 12,000 abandoned containers from the country's ports. The backlog includes roughly $450 million in retained cargo and average wait times of 365 days.
Ecuador’s National Transit Agency has temporarily suspended issuing driver licenses abroad while it strengthens control, verification and security procedures. The agency says the pause is tied to institutional controls after a corruption investigation earlier this year.
The Jóvenes del Nuevo Ecuador 2026 program offers 3,276 scholarships for higher-education students age 18 to 29. Applications opened June 4 and close June 28 through the official platform.
The U.S. Trade Representative is proposing a 10% tariff for Ecuador and five other economies over enforcement of forced-labor import bans. Public comments are open until July 6, and Ecuador’s current 10% surcharge expires July 24.
HIV patients at Quito's Carlos Andrade Marin Hospital say they have gone more than 15 days without TLD antiretroviral medication. Patient advocates estimate 1,600 HIV patients are treated at HCAM, while national health figures put Ecuador's HIV population at 52,357 people.
Executive Decree 398 reforms Ecuador's tax-regulation framework to update identification, marking, authentication and fiscal traceability controls. SRI will implement and control the marking system for selected taxpayers, goods and services.
Primicias reports a new Ministry of Education agreement opened debate over Saturday activities for public-school teachers. The ministry says the activities are voluntary and compensated with vacation days, while the UNE says the text is not clear.
Primicias reports INAMHI meteorological warning 41 forecasts high-intensity rain from the afternoon of June 2 through June 5. The Amazon, north Coast and northern Sierra are the main areas to watch.
El Universo reports the government proposed transit-law reforms that would give the National Police control over the national road network and strengthen access to toll-road images and cantonal transit-agency information.
Primicias reports Ecuador's SRI rule requiring IVA declaration and payment at the same time began June 1. A declaration without full payment will not be valid before the tax authority.
El Universo reports Ecuador's national registration for public higher education runs from June 2 to 6 for the second 2026 academic period. The virtual process is mandatory for applicants seeking seats in public universities, polytechnic schools, institutes and conservatories.
