Ecuador entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you arrive
Visa (FCDO): You can visit Ecuador without a visa for up to 90 days in any 12-month period. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – Ecuador travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 2 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Ecuador, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Ecuador with a British passport?
In short: You can visit Ecuador without a visa for up to 90 days in any 12-month period.
Our one-line summary of the first FCDO sentence below, which matches a wording we recognise. It applies to British citizen passport holders; read the full official text, which may add conditions.
You can visit Ecuador without a visa for up to 90 days in any 12-month period.
If you’re already in Ecuador and want to stay longer than 90 days, you can pay to extend your stay (in Spanish) by an extra 90 days. You must apply for an extension before the first 90-day period ends or you could be fined.
If you overstay your visa, you will get a fine when you leave. You will not be allowed to return to Ecuador unless you pay the fine before you leave the country.
For immigration information, see Ecuador Migration.
To stay longer, to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons, you must meet the Ecuadorean government’s entry requirements (in Spanish).
Applying for a visa
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility (MFAHM) has an e-visa application process (in Spanish). Find the relevant MFAHM district zone offices.
For general guidance contact ssmc@cancilleria.gob.ec or call (02) 299 3200 extension 23064.
Official source: GOV.UK – Ecuador travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 2 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
To enter Ecuador, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Official source: GOV.UK – Ecuador travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 2 October 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Ecuador
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 10 July 2026: “Updated information on land border crossings with Colombia and Peru ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 29 December 2025: “As of 24 December, only Rumichaca and Huaquillas international immigration checkpoints are open for land crossing from Colombia and Peru (Entry requirements)”
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 29 October 2025: “Updated information about a transit control card ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 29 August 2025: “New information on border control checks and regulations and Yellow Fever requirement eliminated for certain countries ('Entry requirements' page).”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Ecuador (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after arrival)
and 79 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status