Do Mexican passport holders need a visa for Ecuador?
By Saurabh Pathare · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
No. Mexican citizens do not need a visa to visit Ecuador. Mexico is not on the Cancillería’s list of nationalities that must present a visa, so you are admitted as a tourist on your passport for up to 90 days in any one-year period, extendable once. The 2024 break in diplomatic relations did not change this, but it does mean there is no Mexican embassy or consulate in Ecuador to turn to if something goes wrong.
Quick facts
Visa-free- Visa required
- No, visa-free entry
- Length of stay
- Up to 90 days in a year from first entry, extendable once by 90 days
- Purpose covered
- Tourism; no paid work
- Passport validity
- At least 6 months
- Cost
- Free on entry; extension USD 80 in fees
- Overland from Colombia or Peru
- Apostilled police-record certificate required
Entry requirements
- A Mexican passport valid for at least six months.
- Nothing else when arriving by air or sea. Mexico does not appear on Ecuador’s list of nationalities that need a visa, so no application, authorisation or fee is involved.
- If crossing by land or river from Colombia or Peru, an apostilled criminal-record certificate from your country of origin or of residence in the last five years, in Spanish or with a legalised Spanish translation. Children and adolescents and holders of diplomatic, official or service passports are exempt.
- Your remaining allowance of the 90 days per year counted from your first entry, if you have already visited Ecuador in the previous twelve months.
What happens on arrival
Present your passport at immigration. Mexicans are admitted as tourists without a visa and the stay is drawn from a fixed allowance: up to 90 days in the year counted from your first entry, not 90 days per trip.
To stay longer, apply for the one-time extension of up to 90 additional days before the first period ends. It is a Cancillería procedure with a USD 50 application fee and USD 30 on approval, and it does not permit work.
If you arrive overland from Ipiales or Tumbes, have the apostilled police-record certificate ready at the border post. The Interior Ministry’s guidelines make it a condition of entry for every foreign nationality on those crossings, with no exception for Mexicans.
Good to know
- Ecuador and Mexico have had no diplomatic relations since April 2024, and Ecuador’s Cancillería confirms its consulates in Mexico City and Monterrey were closed and its affairs are handled through an Interest Section at the Swiss embassy. The same applies in reverse: there is no Mexican embassy or consulate in Quito or Guayaquil, so a lost passport or an arrest means dealing with a Mexican mission in a neighbouring country, at a distance. Carry a copy of your passport and note the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores emergency line before you go.
- The police-record certificate trips up people doing the classic overland route. It was introduced in January 2024 under the internal armed conflict decree, applies to every foreign nationality entering by land or river from Colombia or Peru, Mexicans included, and the ministry’s guidelines say it stays in force until withdrawn; no withdrawal had been published when this page was checked. It must be apostilled, which for a Mexican certificate means arranging the apostille at home before you leave. Flying in, including from Bogotá or Lima, avoids the requirement entirely.
- The 90 days are counted per year from your first entry, not reset by leaving. A Mexican traveller who spends 60 days in Ecuador, hops to Colombia and comes back has 30 days left, not a fresh 90. The extension can be used once in that year and has to be requested before the first period runs out.
Frequently asked questions
Do Mexicans need a visa for Ecuador?
No. Mexico is not on the list of nationalities Ecuador requires a visa from, so Mexican citizens enter as tourists on a valid passport.
How long can Mexican citizens stay in Ecuador without a visa?
Up to 90 days in the year counted from your first entry, extendable once for up to 90 more days on application and payment of the fee.
Did the break in relations between Mexico and Ecuador change the visa rules?
No. Mexico has not been added to Ecuador’s visa-required list since April 2024. What changed is consular cover: neither country has an embassy or consulate in the other.
Do Mexicans need a police-record certificate to enter Ecuador?
Only when entering by land or river from Colombia or Peru. It must be apostilled and in Spanish. Arrivals by air or sea are not asked for it.
How long must a Mexican passport be valid to enter Ecuador?
At least six months.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana (Ecuador) — Lista de países que deben presentar visa al ingresar al Ecuador: Mexico does not appear on the list. Read 2026-08-21.
- Gob.ec, Guía Oficial de Trámites, MREMH — Concesión de visa de visitante temporal turista 90 días and prórroga turista: stay of up to 90 days in the year from first entry, extendable once by up to 90 days; passport with at least six months validity; fees USD 50 and USD 30. Read 2026-08-21.
- Ministerio de Gobierno (Ecuador) — Requisitos para ingresar a Ecuador: passport with six months validity. Read 2026-08-21.
- Subsecretaría de Migración, Ministerio del Interior — Lineamientos para la aplicación del Acuerdo Ministerial Nro. 0007-2024 (16 January 2024): apostilled criminal-record certificate mandatory for all foreigners entering by land or river from Colombia and Peru, not applicable to air or sea arrivals. Read 2026-08-21.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana — Ecuador en México: closure of the Ecuadorian consulates in Mexico City and Monterrey, services via Guatemala, Houston and Phoenix and the Interest Section at the Swiss embassy. Read 2026-08-21.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
