Ecuador VAT on digital services Sept 2020

  • Aug 10, 2020 | Richard Asquith

Ecuador has imposed 12% Value Added Tax on digital services from 16 September 2020. This includes non-resident providers who must register for VAT locally or suffer withholding VAT by payment providers to consumers.

Any electronic or digital service procured via the internet or similar electronic platforms / technologies are subject to VAT. See Avalara's global VAT on digital services tracker.

Digital services subject to VAT

The following services are subject to VAT, and must involve no manual support or intervention:

  • Website hosting
  • Data hosting, including data warehouses
  • Online advertising
  • Online software, including downloads and SaaS
  • E-books
  • E-learning where entirely automated (no live webcast lessons)
  • Online dating and other membership clubs
  • Accommodation, auction, gig and sharing economy services
  • Online news, blogs and journals
  • Automated technical and administrative support
  • Data processing based on information input or uploaded by the user

Foreign providers – withholding VAT

Non-resident providers of digital services to consumers are subject to VAT. They must either register with the tax authority or have VAT withheld by payment providers. These include: credit cards; bank transfers; mobile payments; ewallets; and payment acquirers.

Alternatively, the foreign provider may register as a non-resident VAT payer. They must charge and collect the 12% VAT, and remit it directly to the tax authorities each month.

For B2B transactions, the customer is assumed to be the importer and liable for VAT. They may apply the reverse charge reporting mechanism to self-assess the VAT due.


Sales tax rates, rules, and regulations change frequently. Although we hope you'll find this information helpful, this blog is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal or tax advice.
VP Global Indirect Tax
Richard Asquith
VP Global Indirect Tax Richard Asquith
Richard Asquith is the former VP Global Indirect Tax at Avalara
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