Requirements for travelling to Ecuador

Important documents

• Passport: Tourists who wish to travel to Ecuador must carry their passport at all times. This is highly recommendable even for tourists who come from countries where passports are not mandatory. Children are included in this group if you travel within Ecuador, please carry two photocopies of your passport.
• Passport validity: Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry; this is a strict legal requirement from the Ecuadorean government. Without this minimum validity, entry to the country will be denied.
• Return ticket: Even if you come from Latin-American countries (except Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras), European Union (EU) or United States where you do not need a visa, it is very likely that you will be asked for the return ticket at entrance.  The purpose is to verify that you are leaving before the 90 days allowed for tourists.

Visa

• Countries that require Visa: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Senegal. People from these countries must request a visa independently of the time they will remain in the country. Tourists from other nationalities do not require a visa if their stay is less than 3 months (90 days). For further information click here.

Documents to travel to Galapagos Islands

• Transit control card (TCC): If you want to visit these unique islands, you must have the Transit Control Card, which can be requested in the airports of Quito, Guayaquil, Isabela, San Cristóbal and Baltra.To obtain it, you must first register online in the website https://siiws.gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec/siicgg_web/ingresoTCT.jsp. Then, visitors must go to a booth in the airport with their plane tickets to get the card, which costs $20 (cash only). The card is turned in at the end of the trip. 
• Agro quality inspection: At the airport, visitors must also go through a strict luggage control in the Agro quality loft to avoid the entrance of dangerous species. Some of the products and animals forbidden are domestic and wild animals, seed, vegetables, soil attached to plants among others.

If you want to know more about this requeriments click here

Weather in Guayaquil

The city of Guayaquil is located 4 meters above sea level with a tropical weather where the highest rainfall (winter) season is between January and May. The rest of the year is considered as the summer season where temperature may vary between 23 degrees Celsius (74.3 °F) and 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 °F), with nice windy nights. We highly recommend bringing cotton clothing and a light sweater for air-conditioned places and during the nights.

Currency

US dollar. It is possible to exchange euros and other currencies at authorized exchange offices located at the international airports, hotels and banks. ATM network is available and most of the international credit cards are accepted: Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diners Club. For more information click here.

VAT (Value Added Tax) refund in Ecuador

VAT refund is only made through a credit card, which must belong to the person requesting the tax refund. It applies for goods made in Ecuador and housing services in amounts higher than USD 50, 00 per invoice. Among the products subject to VAT refund are coffee, textiles, clothes, hats, chocolates, candies, shoes, leather articles, jewelry, wooden articles and articles made of marble, plaster, cork, glass, liquors, soft drinks and musical instruments. On your departure, from Quito and Guayaquil international airports, you should submit all the applicable invoices and a copy of your passport. To access this benefit, it is important to provide the information requested by the authorized establishments, identifies with the TAX-FREE logo and registers properly the information in the application.