Import and exportwith the real cost in writing.

You pay 50% when you accept the formal quote, which goes to the supplier and international freight, and the remaining 50% before customs clearance, which covers duties and taxes, the customs broker, local delivery and the balance of the commission. Every payment goes to D-Legacy SAS corporate accounts. Daleki Trade does not advance capital or offer financing, and an ATLAS estimate does not replace the formal quote.

You need a RUC, Ecuador's taxpayer number, and an importer registration in ECUAPASS, because the import is declared in your name; that can be a company or an individual with a RUC. Registration requires an active RUC, an electronic signature and a user account on the SENAE portal, and the team guides you through it the first time. A personal courier shipment follows different rules and does not work for goods you plan to resell.

Some goods are prohibited and others can only be imported with a prior-control document, which is checked by tariff line before you buy. Depending on the product, ARCSA (food, cosmetics and medicines), AGROCALIDAD (plant and animal products), INEN (products under a technical regulation), ARCOTEL (telecom equipment) or the ANT (vehicles) gets involved. Most of these documents are processed through the Ecuadorian Single Window in ECUAPASS, and it pays to have them before shipment.

SENAE assigns every declaration an inspection channel based on its risk profile: automatic, electronic, documentary or physical. A documentary review checks the paperwork, while a physical one opens and examines the goods, which adds days to clearance. The customs broker handles the review and observations are answered with supporting evidence; storage costs during inspection are reviewed under the quote and the Terms, and nobody can guarantee a fixed release date.

ATLAS suggests a tariff line by matching recorded codes against the product description, material and function. It is guidance, not an official classification: the customs broker must confirm it before filing. If there is real doubt between headings, you can ask SENAE for an advance classification ruling.

FOB and CIF are Incoterms for sea freight. Under FOB the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the port of shipment and the buyer pays freight and insurance from there; under CIF the seller also contracts freight and minimum insurance to the destination port, although risk still passes to the buyer at loading. In Ecuador duties are calculated on the CIF value even if you buy FOB; for air cargo or multimodal containers, the equivalents are FCA and CIP.

For imports into Ecuador, FOB for sea freight or FCA for air and container cargo usually give you the most control, because you choose freight and insurance and compare costs. EXW makes the buyer handle export clearance at origin, which a foreign buyer often cannot do, and DDP rarely works because the seller would have to declare the import in Ecuador. Ask for the quote to state the Incoterm, its 2020 version and the exact place of delivery.

Yes: with consolidated cargo (LCL) you only pay for the volume or weight your goods take up in a shared container. It suits small volumes, but it adds waiting time at origin and deconsolidation charges at destination. As your volume grows, always compare the LCL cost with a full container before deciding.