Ecuador travel advice
A summary of the UK government’s (FCDO) travel advice for Ecuador, last updated by the FCDO on 2 October 2026. The full advice on GOV.UK is the authoritative version.
FCDO status
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country
Latest FCDO update (2 October 2026): New information about the 2026–2027 El Niño weather event ('Safety and security' page).
FCDO notice
State of Emergency
The Ecuadorean government has declared a 60-day state of emergency as of 15 September, for security reasons in the following 8 provinces:
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Guayas
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Manabí
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Santa Elena
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Los Ríos
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El Oro
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Pichincha
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Esmeraldas
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Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas
The state of emergency includes the following cantons:
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La Maná (Cotopaxi province)
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Las Naves (Bolívar province)
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Camilo Ponce Enriquez (Azuay province)
The State of Emergency will mean greater police and military presence on the streets. It includes curfew hours (from 12am to 5am) for the provinces of El Oro, Guayas, Los Rios and Manabi, from 17 to 30 September. Follow the advice of local authorities and monitor local media.
Warnings (from the FCDO, word for word)
Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Areas where FCDO advises against all but essential travel
Coastal Region
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Coastal Region provinces of:
- Esmeraldas
- Manabí
- Santa Elena
- Guayas
- El Oro
- Los Ríos
- Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas
This does not apply to airside transit within Guayaquil Airport in Guayas province.
Within 20km of the Ecuador-Colombia border
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to areas within 20km of the Ecuador-Colombia border, except for these areas in Carchi province:
- El Ángel Ecological Reserve
- Rumichaca border crossing
- the town of Tulcán
- the Pan-American Highway
Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel.
Passport validity
To enter Ecuador, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
From FCDO: entry requirements. Written for British passport holders.
Recent FCDO updates
- 2 October 2026: New information about the 2026–2027 El Niño weather event ('Safety and security' page).
- 16 September 2026: Updated information about State of Emergency ('Warnings and insurance' page).
- 10 July 2026: Updated information on land border crossings with Colombia and Peru ('Entry requirements' page).
Plan your trip
This page shows the FCDO’s headline status and quotes its text word for word; we don’t reword safety advice. It refreshes automatically, so it can lag GOV.UK by up to a day. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: FCDO foreign travel advice on GOV.UK. FCDO advice is written for British nationals; other nationalities should also check their own government’s advice.