Digital-First Visa Firm EcuaPass Challenges Cuenca's Old Guard of Expat Consultants

Cuenca, Ecuador -- For years, the path to legal residency in Ecuador has run through a familiar gauntlet: expensive consultants, opaque processes, and a communication style best described as radio silence. Now, a new entrant is forcing a reckoning in Cuenca's visa services industry -- and doing it with an approach that looks nothing like the status quo.

EcuaPass.com, a digital-first visa services company founded in 2025 by American expat Chip Moreno, is building a reputation for something that sounds deceptively simple: actually answering the phone.

An Industry Ripe for Disruption

Cuenca has long been one of Latin America's most popular destinations for North American expatriates, drawn by its temperate climate, affordable cost of living, and UNESCO-listed historic center. But the infrastructure that has grown up around serving those expats -- particularly in visa and immigration consulting -- has not always kept pace with the demand for professionalism.

Reports from expats in online forums and community groups paint a consistent picture of frustration. Some consultants charge upward of one thousand dollars for services that amount to little more than an emailed checklist copied from the Ecuadorian government's own website. Others charge fifty dollars for a fifteen-minute phone call before a prospective client even understands the basics of the process.

More troubling are accounts of consultants who accept payment, then go quiet for weeks or months -- in some cases actively misleading clients about the status of their applications while doing little or no actual work. Missed appointments, both by consultants and their assistants, are a recurring complaint. Several firms maintain a Cuenca office address while the principals operate from another country entirely. Sloppy document handling has delayed or jeopardized cases that should have been straightforward.

A Different Operating Model

Moreno's background is not in immigration law. He is a computer science graduate and former mortgage broker who relocated to Cuenca and saw firsthand the gap between what expats needed and what the market was delivering. He is also currently pursuing the IRS Enrolled Agent certification, having passed Part 1 of the exam, with Parts 2 and 3 expected to follow soon -- a credential that will position EcuaPass to expand into tax services for Americans abroad.

What he brought to the visa business was a set of expectations shaped by American professional services: formal contracts, transparent communication, and a bias toward urgency.

EcuaPass operates as a registered American-owned LLC with a formal business structure. The company uses Mercury, a U.S. business banking platform, and accepts American credit cards -- removing a friction point that has long complicated transactions between U.S.-based clients and Ecuador-based service providers. Every engagement is governed by a written contract.

One Point of Contact, Zero Runaround

At EcuaPass, clients work directly with Moreno throughout the entire process. There is no handoff to a junior associate, no automated email funnel, no assistant fielding calls on behalf of a principal who may or may not be in the country. Moreno is the point of contact from the initial conversation through final visa approval.

That initial conversation, notably, is free. In an industry where some firms charge for the privilege of asking a basic question, EcuaPass offers complimentary consultations that can be booked online without friction.

The company's communication cadence would be unusual in any professional services context. It is nearly unheard of in Cuenca's visa industry. Moreno follows up with clients on a near-daily basis, pushing cases forward and ensuring clients understand exactly where their application stands at every stage.

EcuaPass invests heavily in client education, both during engagements and publicly. The company's website hosts a growing library of educational content about Ecuador's visa categories, documentary requirements, and procedural timelines -- information that Moreno shares freely, regardless of whether a visitor becomes a paying client.

A Generational Shift in Expat Services

Industry observers see EcuaPass as representative of a broader shift in how expat services are delivered in Ecuador. The traditional model -- a local office, word-of-mouth referrals, and informal business practices -- is giving way to digital-first companies that operate with the transparency and accountability that North American and European clients have come to expect.

The results, according to client feedback, speak for themselves. EcuaPass clients consistently describe the experience in terms that are rarely associated with bureaucratic processes in any country: fast, easy, affordable, and transparent.

Whether EcuaPass's model pressures established players to raise their own standards remains to be seen. What is clear is that for the growing number of expats navigating Ecuador's immigration system, the calculus has changed. The old choice between overpaying for poor service or going it alone is no longer the only one on the table.

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EcuaPass.com offers free consultations for anyone considering a move to Ecuador. Visit ecuapass.com to book a consultation or learn more about Ecuador's visa options.