Galápagos permits, biosecurity and park rules: what visitors need

Which Galápagos permit do you need?

For an ordinary tourist trip, “Galápagos permit” usually means several separate requirements: the Transit Control Card (TCT), the protected-area entry payment and the ABG biosecurity declaration and inspections. They do different jobs. The TCT records your visitor status; the park payment is the conservation entry charge; ABG controls what you carry into and between the islands. Completing one does not replace the others.

An entry payment is not permission to visit any island, land wherever you choose or run a private excursion. Book the actual visitor sites through an authorised service where required. For the current tourist fees and transit-card process, use the separate arrival guide rather than treating this rules page as a second tariff table.

Before packing: check food and plant or animal products

ABG publishes a colour-coded list of products and subproducts of animal and plant origin. Green means permitted subject to inspection; yellow means restricted and subject to specific requirements; red means not permitted. The list also includes general and product-specific conditions. “Packaged” and “for personal use” are not substitutes for checking the exact entry.

Do not assume all food is banned, or that every sealed snack is allowed. Look up the product, processing and packaging requirements before putting it in your luggage. If the item is not clearly permitted, leaving it on the mainland is simpler than relying on an inspector to make an exception. Buy locally where practical.

For specialist diets, decide which essential foods need an exact ABG answer before travelling. A hotel agreeing to store food or an airline accepting your bag does not establish permission to import its contents into Galápagos.

Clean shoes and bags before the airport and each island move

The visitor code calls for luggage, footwear and clothing to be inspected and thoroughly cleaned before travelling to Galápagos or between islands. Remove soil, seeds and insects from shoe soles, pockets, bag seams and outdoor clothing. Do this before packing: a closed suitcase can still carry material from a mainland walk.

At Quito or Guayaquil, allow time for the Galápagos biosecurity inspection before airline check-in. The National Park arrival instructions also require checks at embarkation piers before transport between the populated islands. A bag inspected on the mainland does not bypass the later inter-island process. Keep it available for inspection rather than burying it under unrelated transfer luggage.

Complete the declaration and cooperate with inspection

ABG instructs arrivals to complete the sworn goods declaration correctly and give it to the biosecurity inspector at the destination. The National Park arrival page links the official online declaration service. Use that official route, keep the issued confirmation available and follow staff instructions if a paper form or further inspection is needed.

The declaration is separate from the TCT. Do not submit the transit-card confirmation in place of declaring what you carry. Allow inspectors to examine hand luggage and other bags when requested; an online declaration does not exempt the contents from inspection. If you are uncertain about an item, identify it to the inspector rather than assuming silence counts as approval.

Wildlife rules apply in town as well as on excursions

The National Park visitor code says to remain at least two metres from wildlife and never feed or touch animals. It applies across the province, including populated areas, transport infrastructure and protected areas. A sea lion beside the pier or an iguana beside a beach path is not an exception.

Leave space for animals to move instead of closing in for a photograph. Do not offer food, attract them towards a camera or treat a close approach by an animal as permission to touch it. Follow additional site instructions and the guide’s directions when a visit requires more distance.

Do not collect rocks, shells, sand or wood, or alter the physical environment. Keep souvenirs to lawful purchased items rather than natural material from a beach or landing. Reduce disposable packaging and use the local waste-separation arrangements.

Tour bookings and independent visits are different permissions

Use authorised accommodation, operators and accredited guides, as the visitor code requires. A booking-platform listing alone does not establish that a property is registered. Ask the business for its registered identity when the listing is unclear, rather than assuming a familiar platform has checked Galápagos authorisation.

Do not turn one independent site into a general guide exemption. Santa Cruz municipal tourism, for example, describes Tortuga Bay as accessible without a guide for individual visitors, while excluding organised groups from that statement. Other sites and activities have their own access conditions.

For a cruise or day tour, retain the named island, landing and activity in the booking. An advertised “Galápagos permit included” is too vague to establish which visitor charges or operating permissions the seller means. Get the inclusions itemised; do not buy a generic permit expecting it to unlock unrestricted access.