- Digital nomad visa
- Yes
Overall3/10Harder visas than about 90% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- Ecuador's official currency is the US Dollar, so there's no currency conversion to worry about for any of these fees.
- Passing Ecuador's 90-day visa-free mainland entry does NOT cover the Galápagos — you'll still need the separate Transit Control Card and pay the $200 National Park fee in cash on arrival at the islands.
- Bring exact-amount, clean USD cash for the park fee — there are no reliable ATMs or card readers at the Galápagos arrival desks.
- As of 2025–2026, both the Transit Control Card and the biosafety declaration moved to online-only pre-registration — complete these before you get to the airport, not on the day.
- There's real ambiguity in public sources about exactly how the 90-day mainland tourist clock resets (some describe a calendar year, others a rolling 12-month/entry-anniversary window) — track your entry stamp date carefully and don't rely on informal day-counters.
- If you plan to stay in the Galápagos itself for an extended period, check current island-specific stay limits directly with the Galápagos Governing Council, since some sources cite a stricter limit than the mainland's 90 days.
- Holding Ecuador's national Digital Nomad Visa does not let you simply move to and live in the Galápagos Islands long-term — a separate Galápagos Special Law regime caps stays at 60 days/year (tourist) or up to 90 days (transitory visitor), tracked via the mandatory Transit Control Card, regardless of your mainland residency status.
- The income threshold for the digital nomad visa is pegged to 3x Ecuador's minimum wage and changes yearly, so confirm the current exact figure before applying rather than relying on an older guide.
- Your apostilled criminal background check has a strict 180-day shelf life counted to your final entry date into Ecuador — timing this correctly avoids a common rejection reason.
- If you plan to spend more than 183 days a year in Ecuador, get tax advice before you arrive — Ecuador's temporary tax-residency regime (in force since January 2024) is the main way to keep foreign income shielded from worldwide taxation, but it isn't automatic.
Visa Free Entry
- Country
- Ecuador
Baseline Mainland Entry
- Days Allowed
- 90
- How It Works
- No advance application needed for visa-exempt nationalities; entry is via a tourist stamp (T-3) issued on arrival at any airport or land border, requiring only a passport valid at least 6 months, and sometimes proof of onward travel or funds.
- Who Qualifies
- Citizens of most countries worldwide — including the US, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea — do not need a visa to enter Ecuador for tourism.
- Extension Process
- A one-time 90-day extension can be requested at a migration office/Cancillería zonal office before the initial 90 days expire; some sources cite roughly a $50 fee plus proof of funds, insurance, and a clean criminal record, though exact current fees should be confirmed directly with Cancillería.
- Official Rule Text
- Ecuador's official government portal states the tourist entry period is granted for ninety (90) days counted from the date of entry into Ecuadorian territory.
- Overstay Consequences
- Overstaying triggers automatic fines (commonly cited as starting around $200) and can result in an entry ban; officers have no discretion to waive this.
- Nationalities Requiring A Visa
- A published list of 'Régimen Especial' countries — including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cuba, Haiti, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Venezuela, and roughly 40 others — must obtain a visa before travel; a full current list is on the official Cancillería site.
Galapagos Additional Requirements
- Other Requirements
- A round-trip ticket between mainland Ecuador and Galápagos, luggage inspection by biosecurity staff before check-in on the mainland, and (per some sources) an extra blank passport page since the national park sometimes stamps passports separately.
- Max Stay In Islands
- This is genuinely disputed across sources — some sources describe a 60 non-extendable days per calendar year limit specific to the islands (tracked via the TCT), while an older source describes a 90-day maximum matching the mainland tourist limit. Nomads planning an extended island stay should verify the current limit directly with the Galápagos Governing Council before booking, since this differs from the mainland 90-day tourist allowance.
- Note
- The 90-day mainland tourist entry does NOT by itself grant Galapagos access — additional, Galapagos-specific steps and a separate (shorter, in some sources) island stay limit apply on top of the national visa-free rule.
Biosafety Declaration
- Process
- Fully digital as of January 31, 2026 (paper version discontinued); completed online within 48 hours before the Galápagos flight.
- Requirement
- A free sworn biosecurity declaration (DJM) covering food, plants, animals, and recent contact with farms/wildlife, administered by the Galápagos Biosafety Agency (ABG).
- Official Portal
- declaracion.abgalapagos.gob.ec
Transit Control Card Tct
- Cost
- $20
- Process
- As of May 2025 this shifted to an online pre-registration system (previously purchased at an airport counter in Quito/Guayaquil); it must be completed shortly before the flight and is checked before boarding the Galápagos flight.
- Required For
- Every tourist entering the Galápagos (residents are exempt).
- Issuing Authority
- Galápagos Governing Council (Consejo de Gobierno de Régimen Especial de Galápagos) / INGALA legacy system
National Park Entrance Fee
- Payment Method
- Cash only (USD), paid to a park ranger desk on arrival at Baltra or San Cristóbal airport; cards are not reliably accepted.
- Cost Foreign Adult
- $200
- Cost Foreign Child Under 12
- $100
- Note
- This fee doubled from $100 to $200 for foreign adults in August 2024.
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Visa Name
- Rentista Trabajador Nómada ("Visa Nómada" / Digital Nomad Visa), a national Ecuadorian temporary residence visa — applies to mainland Ecuador and, on paper, the whole country including Galápagos, but see “Galapagos Specific Restriction” below for why it does not function as a normal residency route on the islands themselves
- Visa Ease Tier
- Very low
- Application Path
- Applications are filed online through Ecuador's official Virtual Consulate portal (selecting the "Rentista Trabajador Nómada" visa type), with supporting documents uploaded digitally and then a consular appointment at an Ecuadorian embassy/consulate in the applicant's home country to verify identity and paperwork before entering Ecuador on the visa.
- Visa Length And Renewal
- Initial grant is a 24-month (two-year) temporary residence permit, renewable for further two-year periods provided you re-submit updated proof of income, health insurance, and residency compliance.
- Permanent Residency Path
- After roughly 21 months of continuous physical presence in Ecuador on the Digital Nomad Visa (with cumulative time abroad not exceeding 90 days), holders become eligible to apply for permanent residency.
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Even though mainland Ecuador's Digital Nomad Visa itself has a low income bar and a workable two-year renewable structure, Galápagos-specific residency law caps any visitor (regardless of national visa status) at 60–90 days per year on the islands and requires a separate, narrowly-quota'd local residency credential to actually live there long-term.
- Galapagos Specific Restriction
- Galápagos is governed by a separate Special Law (LOREG) administered by the Galápagos Governing Council (CGREG) and INGALA, which caps ALL visitors — Ecuadorian citizens and foreigners alike, including holders of the national Digital Nomad Visa — to a maximum stay in the islands of 60 non-extendable days per calendar year as a "tourist," or up to 90 days under the "transitory visitor" category, tracked via the mandatory Transit Control Card (TCT). Actually living in Galápagos long-term requires qualifying for one of a small set of separate residency categories (e.g., legal representative of a locally domiciled company, temporary resident tied to a verified local labor shortage, scientific researcher, or volunteer, each capped at set year limits) — holding the national Digital Nomad Visa alone does not grant a right to reside on the islands.
Fees
- Application Fee
- $50
- Visa Issuance Fee
- $400
- Cedula ID Card Fee
- $15
Tax Notes
- Special Regime
- Since January 2024, a newcomer without prior Ecuadorian tax residency can elect a temporary tax-residency regime that shields them from worldwide taxation, being taxed only on Ecuador-source income for a 5-year term — this is the main legal mechanism (rather than automatic exemption) for keeping foreign income untaxed even past 183 days.
- Tax Residency Trigger
- You become an Ecuadorian tax resident if you are physically present more than 183 days within a 12-month period (days need not be consecutive); tax residents are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates from roughly 5% up to 37%, with the first tranche of income (around $11,000+) untaxed.
- Foreign Income Treatment
- The visa itself only authorizes earning from foreign sources (working for Ecuadorian clients/companies is explicitly prohibited), and Ecuador does not tax non-residents on foreign-source income, so most holders pay no Ecuadorian tax on their remote income.
Documents Required
- Passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of application
- Proof of qualifying foreign-sourced income (employment contract, client contracts, or foreign business ownership documentation)
- Health insurance coverage valid for Ecuador
- Apostilled criminal background check from home country/place of residence — must be less than 180 days old at final entry into Ecuador
- Passport-style photo (5x5cm, white background)
Income Requirement
- Primary Applicant
- $1,446
- Per Dependent Addition
- $250
- Note On Amount
- Requirement is defined as 3x Ecuador's legal minimum monthly wage, so the exact USD figure shifts each year as the minimum wage is adjusted; recent sources show figures ranging from roughly $1,275 to $1,446/month depending on the year cited.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.gob.ec
More About Galápagos
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.