IESS FOR FOREIGNERS..
This topic is the one that make our expats feel unsecured because there is not much information about it ( in English) but it is very important to know if you are thinking to live in Ecuador for a long therm.Recently the Ecuadorian government eliminate age limits to join it and medical exams for people who wants to join to this service.
The possibilities for you to be part of the Social Security Health Service in Ecuador are real and with a good advise , it could be simple.
BUT HOW DOES IT WORKS FOR FOREIGNERS ?
- First you need to get the cedula ( Ecuador´s ID)
- If you work part time or full time somewhere in Ecuador you need to get the RUC ( Business number)
- Then enter to this following link: http://www.iess.gob.ec/ to sett up your own owner account. and follow the next step to access to your portal.
- After this you have chose the salary rank, this is necessary and it will determine your monthly quote to pay.
- The minimum wage in Ecuador is USD 340 so I can recommend to select this amount in therms of not paying much every month. As an example you have to pay like 20 % out of the salary registered , it means that you will pay approx USD 68 ( I took USD 340 as a reference )
WHAT DOES IESS DO FOR ME ?
- Full Health Coverage after 3 months of your registration ( Hospitals, Clinics, Health Centers part of IESS)
- Full Health Coverage immediate when is an emergency case such as: car accident or any type of accident occur within Ecuador.
- Retirement Pension after 10, 20, or 30 years ( it depends of your age and how many quotes you pay after this time)
- After 3 years, you can access to get a credit from Biess ( IESS bank) and buy a new property somewhere in Ecuador.
- If you already have a catastrophic or chronic decease the limit age to access to this social service is 60 years old.
