Cuenca-Based Visa Agency EcuaPass Makes First Full-Time Hire

EcuaPass, the American-owned visa agency that has operated out of Cuenca since October 2025, announced today that it has hired its first full-time employee.

Estefanía González, a Cuenca-born attorney and graduate of the Universidad del Azuay, joins the company as its first team member beyond founder Chip Moreno, who has run the operation solo since launch.

From Solo Operation to Two-Person Team

Moreno, a 27-year-old American expat, founded EcuaPass to help foreign nationals navigate Ecuador's residency visa process. The agency handles document preparation, certified translations, notarization, and e-visa filing for clients applying under various residency categories — professional, pensioner, rentista, investor, and others.

Until now, Moreno handled every aspect of the business himself. The hire signals a growth phase for the small agency.

"It was time," Moreno said. "The workload outgrew one person, and more importantly, the service needed someone with a legal background and native fluency in the system we work inside every day."

A Legal Background Meets a Technical One

González studied law at the Universidad del Azuay and has been practicing for a year. Her role at EcuaPass will focus on document review, client communication, and navigating Cancillería requirements.

The hire addresses a question Moreno says he fields constantly from prospective clients: whether the agency has an attorney on staff.

"Ecuador's visa process is a legal process," Moreno said. "It runs through the Cancillería, it involves notarios públicos, and every document has to meet specific legal standards. Having Estefanía on the team means we now have someone with formal legal training reviewing every file."

González described her role as bridging the gap between the technical side of visa filing and the human side of the experience.

"People are making one of the biggest decisions of their lives — moving to another country," González said. "They deserve to understand what's happening with their file at every step, not just be told it's being processed."

Local Hire, Local Roots

González is Cuencana — born and raised in the city where EcuaPass operates. For a company that works within Ecuador's government systems daily, having a team member who grew up in those systems and speaks the language natively adds a layer that Moreno, as an American, acknowledges he can't replicate on his own.

The Universidad del Azuay, where González earned her law degree, is one of Cuenca's leading private universities with a well-regarded law faculty.

What It Means for the Expat Community

EcuaPass says its pricing and service model are not changing with the hire. The company continues to work from digital document scans and serves clients remotely.

The agency is one of several visa service providers operating in Cuenca's expat ecosystem, which has grown steadily as the city attracts retirees, remote workers, and other foreign nationals seeking Ecuadorian residency.

Disclosure: EcuaPass and Cuenca Expat are both operated by Chip Moreno.

Source: EcuaPass