Galapagos News requements for travellers from AGUST 2024

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS – MIGRATION CONTROL (TCT)
1. What is the Transit Control Card?
The Transit Control Card (TCT) is a mandatory requirement that must be met by all persons who wish to visit the province of Galapagos, whether as tourists or as passers-by. This document is a measure taken for the immigration control of persons and must be presented both upon entering and leaving the province of Galapagos.
2. Who should obtain the Transit Control Card?
“Any person wishing to be admitted into the province of Galapagos as a tourist or transient must have a transit control document issued by the Special Regime Government Council of the province of Galapagos.” (Art. 44 of the LOREG)
3. What are the requirements that I must present at the airport in Guayaquil or Quito to be able to enter the province of Galapagos as a tourist?
The requirements that tourists, whether national or foreign, must present at the airport to enter the province of Galapagos:
• Personal identification: ID card or passport (valid).
• Personal, non-transferable round-trip airfare between the mainland and the province of Galapagos. Not exceeding 60 days corresponding to the category.
• Cancel payment of the fee (TCT) $20.00.
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4. How many days can I stay in the Galapagos province as a tourist?
National or foreign tourists can stay in the province of Galapagos and enter several times, up to 60 non-extendable days in the year, counted from the date of their first entry to said province. For each trip made, they must pay the value of the Transit Control Card (TCT).
5. What happens if I exceed the number of days of my stay in the Galapagos province as a Tourist?
Any national or foreign tourist who exceeds the number of days (up to 60 days) permitted will be considered to be in an irregular situation and will be subject to administrative sanctioning proceedings and, if applicable, will be expelled from the province with the support of the National Police.
6. What activities are allowed to be carried out as a tourist?
National or foreign tourists entering the province of Galapagos are only allowed to visit its protected natural areas and populated areas, and not to carry out any lucrative activity within them.
7. Where do I pre-register my information if I am traveling as a tourist?
If you want to speed up your process at the airport, you must pre-register online at the following link: https://www.gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec/para-ingresar-a-la-provincia-de-galapagos/ and thus know the procedures to be prepared for the day of your trip. Can I purchase the Transit Control Card in advance if I am traveling as a tourist?
Yes, you can do it. The procedure must be submitted 48 hours before your flight, by pre-registering online. Follow the steps below https://www.gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec/para-ingresar-a-la-provincia-de-galapagos/ .
After entering the information into the system, you must send a scan of all the documentation (copies of personal documents and round-trip tickets) for Guayaquil write to the email tecnicosguayaquil@gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec and for Quito write to requisitostct@gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec your documentation will be reviewed and after generating the validation, you will receive an email so that you can come and purchase and pay the value of the Transit Control Card fee. This applies if you are going to leave the José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport – Guayaquil or Mariscal Sucre-Quito, The TCT card,
9. I am going to travel as a tourist, and when I pre-register I get an alert indicating that I am within the province of Galapagos and it does not allow me to continue with this process. What should I do?
If you have any problems when pre-registering, you can write to the email address asesoras.consultas@gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec indicating your problem so that you can receive the corresponding support.
10. I have an approved transit procedure. What requirements must I present at the Guayaquil airport to be able to enter the province of Galapagos?
The requirements that national or foreign passers-by must present at the airport to enter the province of Galapagos:
• Personal identification or passport (valid).
• Personal and non-transferable round-trip airfare between the mainland and the province of Galapagos in the same date range as your transit permit has been approved.
• Certificate of Transient issued by the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos.
• Cancel the payment of the fee (TCT) except for those passers-by whose procedure has been authorized as a “public servant”.
11. How long can I stay in the province as a transient?
Natural persons who enter the province of Galapagos as transients may only remain within the province for a total period of up to ninety days in a calendar year, whether in one or several visits.
This period may be extended, only once, exclusively for the fulfillment of the activities that motivated the applicant’s entry into the province of Galapagos under this immigration category.
For foreign persons who do not reside in Ecuador, the granting of transit immigration status, as well as its extension, will only take place if their stay in the country has been legally authorized by the competent national authority.
12. Can I purchase the Transit Control Card in advance if I am traveling as a transient?
You cannot do this because your Transit Certificate is validated according to the date of entry into the Galapagos Province, therefore, it could not be done before your Transit Permit comes into force.
13. Who is considered a Transient?
A transient is considered to be any national or foreign person who is in transit in the province of Galapagos for a period of no more than ninety days in one year, for the following reasons:
• Public servants who enter Galapagos to fulfill institutional service licenses, for a period of less than ninety days.
• Professionals from all branches, athletes and artists who enter the province of Galapagos to attend to matters related to their profession or trade.
• Partners, shareholders, directors, and employees of legal entities who enter Galapagos to carry out activities related to the ordinary course of business of said entities.
• Persons who enter the province of Galapagos in order to assist in the care and prevention of catastrophes, natural disasters, shipwrecks, spills, fires and other circumstances of a similar nature, for the duration of the emergency.
Volunteers, scholarship holders and interns who enter the province of Galapagos to provide their services within conservation, research, training, education or social assistance programs carried out by public institutions or private non-profit entities duly registered, must have the agreement with the sponsoring entity, the supporting documentation of the scholarship. For their entry, they will not require a public competition.

In an extraordinary meeting, on February 24, 2024, with five votes in favor and four against, the Plenary of the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos approved the update of the entry rate for the conservation of protected areas in the archipelago. The figure had not been modified in the last 26 years.
The collegiate body is made up of the highest authorities of the institutions: Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos; Municipal GAD of San Cristóbal, Isabela and Santa Cruz; National Planning Secretariat; Ministries of: Agriculture and Livestock; Environment, Water and Ecological Transition and Tourism. A representative of the parish GADs also participates.
The decision responds to the objectives of promoting a tourism model in line with the conservation actions already undertaken, generating citizen benefits and stabilizing the number of tourists arriving in the island province. Thus, the cost for entry to the protected areas in Galapagos will be USD 30 (thirty) for nationals and USD 200 (two hundred) for foreigners. The application of the new rate will take place after six months.