A No-nonsense Guide on How to Get Ecuador Tourist Visa for 90 Days

Ecuador is a beautiful country with so much to see, be it the famed Galapagos Islands, the Amazon, the volcano of Cotopaxi, picturesque towns like Otavalo & Baños, and Quito, the capital, that’s a UNESCO world heritage city.

While Ecuador’s visa policy is pretty lenient that allows citizens of most countries to enter visa-free, citizens of 36 countries need an Ecuador tourist visa or 12-IX visa to enter Ecuador.

Here are the countries whose citizens need a visa to travel to Ecuador. If you are not one of them, you can enter Ecuador without a visa.

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Angola
• Bangladesh
• Cameroon
• Cuba
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Haiti
• India
• Iraq
• Iran
• Ivory Coast
• Kenya
• Libya
• Mali
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• Pakistan
• Senegal
• Syria
• Somalia
• Sri Lanka
• Tajikistan
• The Philippines
• Uzbekistan
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yemen

You can confirm whether or not you need a tourist visa for Ecuador by visiting the official website of its foreign ministry.

Ecuador Tourist Visa requirements

The requirements for an Ecuador tourist visa can vary a bit depending on the country you are applying from.

1. Round-trip Flight tickets

A ticket from your country to Ecuador, and a confirmed return travel ticket, proving you intend to leave Ecuador after your visa ends. There are many ways to book refundable flight tickets.

2. Proof of Accommodation

Proof of accommodation can be provided in the form of hotel reservations or a letter of invitation from a friend who would host you.

3. Travel Health Insurance

International travel health insurance is a mandatory requirement if you are planning to apply for any visa for Ecuador, and an Ecuador tourist visa is no different.

You can buy travel health insurance from a reliable provider like Safety Wing, which also covers COVID and has great coverage that can suit your needs.

4. Police Clearance Certificate or Criminal Background Check

A clean criminal record is a must when applying for a 12-IX visa for Ecuador. You can get it from the authorities in your country. It must be apostilled as well. In case, you are applying for Ecuador tourist visa from India, you need to get a police clearance certificate from India in a Passport Seva Kendra.

5. Proof of Financial Stability

Proof of sufficient financial funds to cover the duration of your stay, such as in the form of bank statements from the last six months.

6. A Signed Cover Letter

You must submit a signed cover letter explaining the purpose of your visit, the places you will be visiting, and a brief itinerary to the Ecuadorian embassy along with your visa application.

7. Proof of Legal Presence

In case you are applying from a country you are not a citizen of, you need to provide proof of residency or a visa that proves that you are there legally.

8. Ecuador Visa Application Form

You need to fill in an Ecuador visa application form for your tourist visa and sign it. It is a simple one-page form that doesn’t take too long to fill in. You can get it from the consulate of Ecuador.

9. Photo Requirements

You would need to affix a 2 x 2 Color Passport-size picture on the application form. This must be on white background, without any headgear.

10. Valid Passport

A passport with at least 6 months’ validity is needed for your Ecuador tourist visa.

For Minors

• The birth certificate- apostilled and translated.
• In the absence of one of the parents, you must present a special power of attorney or authorization, apostilled and, if applicable, translated.
• A valid passport

How to Apply for a 12-IX Visa Ecuador?

The first step to apply an Ecuador tourist visa is to know whether or not Ecuador has an embassy in the country you are applying from. If there is no embassy, try to find out the closest Ecuadorian embassy and check with them about the details.

Here is a list of  Ecuadorian embassies.

If the embassy where you are applying needs you to submit the application online, then here is the process of how that would go.

1. Register for Ecuador Visa Application Online

If the Ecuadorian consulate asks you to apply online, then you need to register through the portal of Ecuador’s foreign ministry. The browser works well in Firefox and Chrome. Note that the portal is down and flaky sometimes.

You need to use Google translate every now and then if you don’t know Spanish.

Step 1: Register

You will need to fill in your details like name, email, date of birth, security questions, residence, address, occupation, and level of education.

Step 2: Log in and Change your Password

Once you are registered, you would receive an email with a temporary password. Use the password and the email to log into the portal.

Once you log in, you will be prompted to change the password immediately.

Step 3: Fill in the Application

Choose Tramites Consulares/ Consular Procedures.

On the next page, choose Aqui Solicite Sus Tramites Consulares/ Here apply for your consular procedures.

Then choose the country and consulate from the dropdown as shown below. Then click on SOLICTUD DE VISAS.

Then on the next page, you need to provide some personal details and choose the visa type.

Step 4: Upload all the Documents

For Ecuador 12-IX Visa, you would need to upload the documents in PDF format in the portal if you are applying online.

The consulate will examine your documents and then get back to you with the details of the fee payment.

If by any chance, you are getting any errors as shown below, you can always send the application and then wait for them to get back to you.

The first one ( bank statements) and the third one ( Police clearance certificate) are what you need to upload really at this stage. Make sure you apostille and translate the PCC to Spanish before uploading.

3. Pay the Fees & Get an Appointment

A consular officer will review your application and then you will be able to make the payment for the visa. Once the payment is done, you can upload the receipt.

The way you make the payment depends on the consulate that is processing your Ecuador tourist visa application.

After this, you can get an appointment with the Ecuador consulate by phone or email. They will provide you with all the details of what to bring for the appointment.

4. Attend the Interview

An interview is not mandatory. You will be informed in case one is needed. Make sure to answer all the questions honestly.

After the interview, they will let you know whether your visa is approved or rejected. The interview is not necessary in all cases, however.

Ecuador Tourist Visa: F.A.Qs