Galapagos Islands Entry Requirements

The Covid-19 entry rules that once applied to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands have been lifted. There is no vaccination certificate requirement, no PCR or antigen test requirement, and no mask mandate for visitors. What follows is what you actually need in order to travel today. If you have a question we haven't covered here, please do contact us — we are based in Ecuador and we will be happy to help.

Entering Ecuador

Everyone flying into Ecuador arrives on the mainland first, usually at Quito or Guayaquil, so the mainland rules apply to you even if the Galapagos is the only place you plan to visit.

• Passport validity. Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months beyond the date you arrive, with a blank page for the entry stamp.
• Visa. Citizens of most of North America, the UK, the EU and Australia do not need a visa for tourism and receive a stamp valid for up to 90 days in any 12-month period. A number of other nationalities do need a visa arranged in advance, so check your own country's position before you book.
• Onward travel. Immigration can ask to see a return or onward ticket and evidence of where you are staying. In practice this is rarely requested, but have it to hand.

Flying On to the Galapagos

The Galapagos is a province of Ecuador, so this is a domestic flight rather than an international one — but the archipelago is a protected national park, and it has its own entry procedure on top of the mainland one.

• Transit Control Card: USD $20 per person. This is the INGALA card that registers you as a visitor to the province.
• Galapagos National Park entrance fee: USD $200 per adult, USD $100 per child under 12. This is paid in cash, on arrival, at Baltra or San Cristobal. The fee rose from $100 in August 2024, so older guides you may find elsewhere will quote you the wrong figure. Bring clean, undamaged US dollar bills.
• Baggage screening. Your luggage is inspected before departure to keep seeds, fresh produce and animal products off the islands. Do not pack fruit, plants or unprocessed food.
• Length of stay. Visitors may spend up to 60 days in the Galapagos within a 12-month period.
• Travel insurance. We ask every traveller we book to carry travel medical insurance covering the whole trip. The islands are remote and an evacuation to the mainland is expensive.

For a fuller breakdown of what these costs sit alongside, see our guide to the best Galapagos cruise for your trip.

Health Requirements

No vaccination is required to enter Ecuador as a tourist arriving from Europe, North America or Australasia. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended if you are travelling on into the Amazon, and may be required if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present — worth checking with a travel clinic well before you fly. Quito sits at 2,850 metres, and altitude affects some visitors on their first day; our guide to altitude sickness in Quito covers how to handle it.

Rules Change — Ask Someone Who Is Here

Entry procedures and fees are set by Ecuadorian authorities and the National Park, and they do change. We live and work here, and we handle these formalities for our travellers every week, so the quickest way to get a current answer for your own nationality and dates is simply to ask us.

For questions about the booking itself rather than entry rules, see our Galapagos booking FAQ.

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