Ecuador is a country full of cultural wealth and places to see, so visiting it is highly recommended. However, as in any trip we make, we must take into account the requirements that we must meet and the documentation that we will need throughout the process. Therefore, we advise you to read the following to prepare everything you need and thus be able to travel peacefully to this country.

Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.

Article Index

Tips, documentation and requirements to travel to Ecuador

Required Documentation

  • Passport Number: all those tourists who wish to travel to Ecuador will have to carry a valid passport with them; It is highly recommended even for those tourists who come from countries for which it is not required to carry it. Minors are included in this group. We recommend bringing at least two photocopies per passenger of the passport. It will also be essential to present it if we make flights within Ecuador.
  • National Identity: If you belong to the Andean Community (CAN), of which Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru are members and to which Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay are associated, you can cross the border just by presenting your national identity document .
  • Return ticket to our country of origin: although if we come from Latin American countries (except Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Cuba), the European Union (EU) or the United States, we do not need a visa, it is very likely that when we enter the country they will ask us to show our exit ticket from it in order to show that we leave before the 90 days allowed for tourists.
  • Driving license: The Organic Law of Transport, Traffic and Road Safety (LOTTTSV) of the Government of Ecuador establishes that Ecuadorian citizens and foreigners who reside in the country and have a valid driving license, whether professional or non-professional, issued by a government foreigner, they have the possibility of exchanging said card for its equivalent from the Ecuadorian government. To do this, you will have to fill out a redemption request. You can find the exchange request form and more information about it by clicking on this link.
  • Travel medical insurance: It is highly recommended to take out travel medical insurance that covers all medical expenses, given that the level of public health is relatively low.

Visa

  • Countries that do not need a visa: Latin American countries (except Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba and Honduras), the European Union and the United States. However, tourists from these countries will have to apply for a visa if their stay exceeds 3 months (90 days). The rest of tourists have to obtain a visa to be able to cross the border of Ecuador.
  • Countries that require a visa: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Somalia. They must apply for a visa regardless of the duration of their stay.
  • Procedure: we can apply for a visa to travel to Ecuador at the Ecuadorian Embassy in our country of origin or at the Ecuadorian consulate. Clicking on this link You can check the addresses of the different Ecuadorian Embassies around the world. We will have to complete the necessary application, provide two passport-size personal photographs, the passport with a minimum of 6 months of validity, the return ticket to our place of origin, pay the established fee to obtain it and pass an economic solvency test.
  • Cost: tourists from Spain, Paraguay, Colombia or the United States are exempt from paying. For the rest of nationalities, the rate may vary depending on the country. You will have to inform yourself at the Embassy of Ecuador or the Consulate of Ecuador that is in your country of origin.
  • Terms of validity: tourist and business visas are valid for a maximum of 6 months; Student and cultural exchange visas last up to 12 months.
  • Tourist visa: the information mentioned above must be provided.
  • Student visa: In addition to the data mentioned above, those who are going to travel to Ecuador for academic reasons will have to present a certificate of enrollment in a study center in Ecuador and also a certificate of financial solvency.
  • Cultural exchange visa: to the above information, a letter from the Ecuadorian organization, institution, study center or authority that will take charge of the person traveling, whether student or teacher, must be added. If it is a professor, you will also have to write a letter stating that you are aware that you will not receive any salary from any Ecuadorian institution.
  • Business visa: they will have to add to the general processing data a letter from the applicant's company in which it states that it will be responsible for the expenses of its employee.

It is important to indicate that volunteer activities with tourist status it is considered an immigration crime.



Labor authorization

The Ministry of Labor Relations of the Government of Ecuador authorizes the foreign citizen to carry out the labor activity in the country, but for this they must first obtain the following documents:

  • Labor Visa 12-VI: those professions subject to admission are professionals of technical level and specialized workers; the presidents or managers who are called by companies; persons or institutions established in the country to carry out temporary work in their specialty or in industrial training work; close relatives of the person who is going to carry out the work activity in the country (second degree of consanguinity and first degree of affinity). The validity of this visa has a maximum of 2 years. Requesting it has a cost of USD $ 30 (€ 25,88) and its expedition is USD $ 200 (€ 172,61). For dependent family members, the cost is USD $ 50 (€ 43,15).
  • Occupational Card: its cost is USD $ 5,00 (€ 4,31).

For more detailed information, you can click on this link.

Visit the Galapagos Islands

If we want to visit these islands we must bear in mind that the National Galapagos Institute, under the Special Law for Galapagos, has established as mandatory that all visitors have the Traffic Control Card (TCT) Transit Control Card), which we can request at Quito airports, Guayaquil, Isabela, San Cristóbal and Baltra.

To obtain it, we will have to register at the Galapagos Government Council Office. We must keep it during our entire stay on the islands, which cannot exceed 3 months (90 days). The cost of this card is USD $ 10 (€ 8,61).



At the airport, we will also have to go through a strict baggage check at the Agrocalidad Room, in order to avoid the introduction into the Galapagos Islands of species considered invasive that threaten to deteriorate the biodiversity of the islands.

Some of these prohibited products are: domestic and wild animals, seed plants, plant and propagation materials (except those approved by the Committee) and material of organic origin, soil and straw, including those materials that may be attached to plants (except those approved by the Committee), among others.

Vaccines

If we come from Europe, the application of any vaccine is not mandatory to enter the country. If our country of origin is considered an endemic country (Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Panama or Colombia and some African nations), we must take more precautions.

Here we name some of the most recommended vaccines whether you come from Europe or from another country.

  • Yellow Fever Vaccine: recommended for tourists from Europe, especially if they are going to visit any of the following areas of the country: Morona-Santiago, Pastaza, Napo, Orellana, Zamora-Chinchipe and Sucumbios. For people coming from a country considered endemic (mentioned above), this vaccine is mandatory. Tourists in the latter group will have to present an International Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever upon arrival at the Ecuador airport. The vaccine must be applied within 10 days prior to your trip.
  • Typhoid Vaccine: This vaccine is highly recommended, especially if we are going to visit parts of the country that have poor hygienic conditions related to poor water quality and poor food handling.
  • Hepatitis A and B vaccine: people who have not contracted it before or have not been vaccinated against it will have to be vaccinated against this disease.
  • Tetanus-Diphtheria Vaccine: It is advised that all travelers, wherever they come from, get vaccinated against this disease, as it is considered a worldwide spread disease.

If you travel with children under 2 years of age, it is also advisable to vaccinate them against rabies and diphtheria, since these diseases exist in Ecuador, in addition to other countries such as Bolivia, the Philippines, China, etc.

This article has been shared 1037 times. We have spent many hours collecting this information. If you liked it, share it, please: