Obtaining a passport takes up to two months with a shift system; Users question delay and the Civil Registry offers to increase quotas

Obtaining a passport in Ecuador requires patience and even a bit of luck.

On the morning of Thursday, February 2, people who, for example, had taken a turn to carry out the procedure between November and December of last year, went to the offices of the Civil Registry, in the north of Quito.

Renato Morales, 44, went to renew his document. He had taken a shift in the last month of 2022. He waited half an hour to be called to one of the windows. He foresees a trip, for work reasons, to the United States this year.

While Mireya Cevallos, 43, scheduled an appointment in November. She will travel to Argentina.

If a person paid for the document on the last day of January of the current year and looked for a shift as close as possible, it was assigned for the first days of April. That is, for approximately two months.

According to Goldy Montenegro, zonal coordinator 9 of the Civil Registry, there are shifts for the end of March and all of April, but – she added – each week certain shifts are increasing.

“We cannot say that we are still the same as in June, when the waiting time was three months (…). The waiting time for a shift, as of today, is one month,” said Fernando Alvear, director of the entity, in November of last year.

The procedure is done through two modalities, with a payment at an agency in person in cash or online. Then the agency, the day and the time are selected.

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Goldy Montenegro mentioned that the Military Geographic Institute (IGM) provides them with the input and based on that they increase the shifts, in addition to considering their operational capacity.

The high demand for the document was attributed to the economic reactivation and a shortage -at a general level- that existed of inputs.

The IGM gives them booklets and sheets, because inside the passport there is a laminate where the photo is, which is shiny. A chip is also included.

Since 2022 it has a validity of ten years, previously it was six.

Montenegro pointed out that the decision was made to schedule shifts because in April 2021 people arrived in a disorderly manner.

How can people who urgently need to travel abroad get a passport?

In mid-2022 they delivered 2,000 shifts a day, then 2,300, and currently 2,500 nationwide. The Civil Registry plans to increase the shifts in February and March.

The official mentioned that there are urgent situations that are addressed due to health, education, work, sports, visa appointments and air flights.

In July of last year, a woman who had to travel abroad took an additional shift under the emergency situation modality due to work, but estimated a delay of around five hours.

“We still have a lot to do, to continue increasing shifts, days, everything we can to level off now, as soon as possible, to be able to deliver a closer shift of passports,” Montenegro explained.

A total of 66,798 passports were delivered as of Friday, January 27, 2023.

The normal cost is $90. Half is the value to be paid by the elderly. The cost waiver applies to citizens with disabilities of 30% or more.

This newspaper requested an interview with IGM authorities and is waiting for the request to be met. (YO)