Foreign travel advice

Ecuador

Warning FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of Ecuador.

Getting help

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) cannot provide tailored advice for individual trips. Read this travel advice and carry out your own research before deciding whether to travel. 

Emergency services in Ecuador  

Telephone: 911 (ambulance, fire, police) 

Tourism police  

Quito has a tourism police unit with branches in the north, old town, airport and at bus terminals. There are also tourism police units in the cities of Guayaquil, Cuenca, Santa Elena and Galapagos provinces. Read more information on the tourism police from their website.

Reporting robbery and theft online 

You can report robbery and theft online in English to the Ecuador Attorney General’s Office (‘Fiscalía General’). 

Complaining about tourism services 

To complain about tourism services, email the Ministry of Tourism: [email protected]

Contact your travel provider and insurer 

Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do. 

Refunds and changes to travel 

For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first. 

Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including: 

  • where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider 
  • how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim 

Support from FCDO 

FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including: 

Contacting FCDO  

Help abroad   

See how to get help from the UK government abroad including in an emergency.  

Help in the UK   

You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.   

Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)   

Find out about call charges 

Get travel advice updates   

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.   

Follow and contact FCDO:  

Risk information for British companies  

The Overseas Business Risk service offers information and advice for British companies operating in Ecuador on how to manage political, economic, and business security-related risks.