Ecuador adds visa requirements to 45 countries, China included
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said travelers from 45 countries must apply online and from abroad for the Temporary Transit Visitor Visa before entering the country. The visa costs USD 80 in total (USD 50 application + USD 30 issuance) and stems from the National Solidarity Organic Law, which amended Article 66 of the Human Mobility Law. China is included among the listed countries, alongside Cuba, Venezuela, India, Iran and Afghanistan. Authorities frame the measure as part of efforts to strengthen migration control and state security.
For China-Ecuador ties, this follows the June 2024 suspension of the reciprocal visa-waiver for Chinese citizens, originally in place since 2016, amid rising irregular flows. At that time, the ministry reported 66,189 Chinese arrivals between 2023 and 2024, compared with 34,209 recorded departures via regular channels, indicating a significant gap and concerns about onward routes through the region.
The new requirement codifies and systematizes those tighter controls by mandating a specific visa category, digital processing, out-of-country filing and explicit fees. It does not directly modify trade or investment arrangements with Beijing, but it reframes mobility within the bilateral relationship by conditioning entry on prior screening. Whether this reduces irregular flows, and how it affects tourism, business travel and short-term exchanges, remains to be seen.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
Main Source:
Ecuador exigirá visa temporal a ciudadanos de 45 países desde el próximo lunes – Infobae
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