Do Saint Lucian passport holders need a visa for Ecuador?

By Prajjwal Kohli · Travel Content Writer, Tripmojo · Updated August 31, 2026 · Reviewed by Simran Raheja

No. Saint Lucia is not on Ecuador’s list of nationalities requiring a visa, so a Saint Lucian passport holder enters as a tourist without arranging one. The cost on this route is not the visa, it is the Galapagos conservation fee, which Ecuador prices by regional bloc and charges a Saint Lucian at double what it charges a Colombian or a Brazilian for exactly the same islands.

Quick facts

Visa-free

Visa required: No
Passport validity: 6 months
Galapagos fee, Saint Lucian adult: USD 200
Same fee for a CAN or Mercosur adult: USD 100
Children under 12: USD 100, or USD 50 for CAN and Mercosur
Does CARICOM membership help: No

Entry requirements

A valid passport with six months of validity, which is Ecuador’s stated requirement at the migration control point.
No visa. Ecuador names the nationalities that need one in Acuerdo Interministerial No. 0000003, and Saint Lucia is not among them.
For the Galapagos specifically, the conservation fee for the protected areas, which is separate from anything to do with entering Ecuador.
Yellow fever vaccination if your itinerary includes the Amazon provinces, where Ecuador recommends it for all travellers.

Entering is free, the islands are not

Arriving on the mainland needs no preparation beyond the passport. Ecuador names the nationalities that require a visa, and Saint Lucia does not appear among them. The published list has been amended more than once, so check it close to departure rather than trusting a count quoted in an article.

The Galapagos are charged separately, and the rate depends on your nationality rather than on where you flew from. The Parque Nacional Galapagos conservation fee is 200 US dollars for foreign tourists over 12 and 100 for those under 12.

Nationals of the Andean Community and Mercosur pay half those amounts, 100 dollars for an adult and 50 for a child. The Andean Community here means Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; Mercosur means Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Saint Lucia belongs to neither, so the full rate applies.

Good to know

The Galapagos fee is priced by trade bloc, and this is the single largest number on the trip that your passport changes. Ecuador’s conservation schedule charges a foreign adult 200 US dollars, and an adult who is a national of an Andean Community or Mercosur country 100. The blocs named are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, plus Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. CARICOM confers nothing here, so a Saint Lucian and a European pay the same 200 while a Colombian on the identical boat pays half.
Two exemptions sit at the bottom of that schedule and are worth reading if either fits. Children under two, whether Ecuadorian or foreign, pay nothing. So does anyone entering under the transeunte migratory category, which is a status rather than a nationality, so it is the sort of thing to check against your own circumstances rather than to assume does not apply.
Entry to Ecuador and entry to the Galapagos are separate decisions with separate paperwork, and clearing the first tells you nothing about the second. The visa question is settled at the mainland migration control point on your passport alone. The islands then add both a transit control card, arranged before the domestic flight from Quito or Guayaquil, and the conservation fee itself, charged on arrival in the islands. A traveller who has budgeted only for flights and hotels can meet a substantial unbudgeted cost at the point of boarding.

Frequently asked questions

Do Saint Lucian citizens need a visa for Ecuador?

No. Ecuador lists the nationalities that require a visa in Acuerdo Interministerial No. 0000003, and Saint Lucia is not on that list.

How much is the Galapagos entrance fee for a Saint Lucian?

The full foreign rate: 200 US dollars for a tourist over 12, and 100 US dollars for a child under 12.

Why do some visitors pay only 100 dollars?

Because Ecuador halves the conservation fee for nationals of Andean Community and Mercosur countries. Saint Lucia is in CARICOM, which is not one of the blocs named on the schedule.

Is anyone exempt from the Galapagos fee?

Yes. Children under two, national or foreign, and people entering under the transeunte migratory category are exempt.

What passport validity does Ecuador require?

Six months, checked at the migration control point.

Other passports for Ecuador

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 31 August 2026.

Dirección Nacional del Parque Nacional Galápagos, "Tasa de ingreso por conservación de las áreas protegidas de Galápagos", schedule dated 14 April 2026: foreign tourists over 12 US$200 and under 12 US$100; nationals of Andean Community or Mercosur countries US$100 and US$50; children under two and those entering under the transeúnte migratory category are exempt. CAN is listed as Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru; Mercosur as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Read 2026-08-31. https://galapagos.gob.ec/2026/files/TASA_INGRESO_ESPANOL_INGLES_14042026.pdf
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Ecuador, requisitos para ingresar al Ecuador: valid passport with six months of validity at the migration control point, and the list of nationalities requiring a visa under Acuerdo Interministerial No. 0000003, which does not include Saint Lucia. Read 2026-08-31. https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/santiagodechile/requisitos-para-ingresar-al-ecuador/
Same source: yellow fever vaccination is recommended for all travellers whose itinerary includes the Ecuadorian Amazon provinces of Napo, Pastaza, Orellana, Sucumbíos, Zamora Chinchipe and Morona Santiago. Read 2026-08-31. https://www.cancilleria.gob.ec/santiagodechile/requisitos-para-ingresar-al-ecuador/

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

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