Park or area feeAmericasYourself or an operatorCheck · Sep 2026
Galápagos: transit card and national park fee
A Transit Control Card bought before the flight from the mainland, and a national park entrance fee paid on landing.
The permit
- Who issues it
- Galápagos Government Council (transit card) and Galápagos National Park Directorate (entrance fee)
- How to get it
- Yourself or an operator. Buy the transit card at the Quito or Guayaquil airport counter (or online) before checking in; the park fee is paid in cash at the arrival airport.
- Lead time
- 1 day+ · Book cruises months ahead; the card itself is bought on the day of the flight or a day or two before.
- Cost (check)
- Transit card US$20; park fee US$200 for most foreign adults since August 2024, less for Andean Community and Mercosur citizens (check).
- Documents
- Passport
- Return ticket
- Hotel or cruise booking
- Bag inspection certificate (biosecurity) at the airport
- If you skip it
- No card, no boarding; biosecurity breaches (fruit, seeds) bring fines, and overstaying the islands is treated as an immigration offence.
- Official site
- Galápagos National Park
Check before you pay
Fees, quotas and closed areas change, sometimes with days of notice. These figures were last checked in Sep 2026; confirm on the official site or with a licensed operator before you book flights.