Health Insurance No Longer Required for Ecuador

Foreign tourists entering Ecuador will no longer be required to have health insurance. The elimination of health insurance, promoted by the head of the Ministry of Tourism, Enrique Ponce De León, and fully supported by the President of the Republic, Lenin Moreno Garcés, seeks to maintain the country’s tourism competitiveness without increasing costs for the people who come to enjoy Ecuador.

Health Insurance Required for Ecuador

We’d like to inform you that according to the Ecuadorian Mobility Law updated last February 2017, any person who enters the country as a tourist must have public or private health insurance for the duration of his/her stay in Ecuador. A migration agent may ask for proof of insurance coverage upon arrival. If the visitor cannot provide documentary proof of insurance, the migration agent has the right to deny the visitor entry to the country.

All you need is Ecuador…

Galapagos flights fuel surcharge

Update on Ecuador Airline flight prices set to increase effective January 1, 2012

We had informed you earlier that fuel subsidies for local airlines would be eliminated as announced by President Correa. On December 16, 2011 after analyzing this presidential decree #968, Aerogal Airlines informed us that all passengers traveling to Galapagos as of January 1, 2012 with Aerogal will be subject to an airfare fuel surcharge of USD $50.00 per passenger, each way from Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE) to the Galapagos Islands, the rate will be the same from either city. This fuel surcharge will be applied even to tickets that have already been paid for and/or issued when traveling on January 1 or thereafter (and will also apply to those returning from the Islands Jan 1 who’s cruises initiated Dec 25). For any tickets without the fuel surcharge included, the fee will be collected at the Aerogal counter upon check-in payable in cash or credit card (Master, Visa, Am Ex, Diners).

TAME Airlines will charge a fee of $70 US each way for passengers departing from Quito and $60 from Guayaquil.

Airfares are always subject to change up until the day of departure and therefore, passengers will be responsible to cover any increase in the cost of the ticket.

Increase in Cost of Galapagos Flight

The Ecuadorian government has decided to stop subsidizing the cost of jet fuel for the airlines in 2012. As a result, airlines will face a 15 to 20 percent increase in the cost of fuel starting January 1st, 2012. Local airlines have not yet said anything regarding how these costs will affect ticket rates but we are expecting to see a resulting increase of 15 to 20 percent which will result in price adjustments from January 1st ,2012.