Practical · 5 min read
Galápagos entry requirements: the TCT card and the park fee, explained
Two things stand between you and the islands: the Transit Control Card you buy online before the flight, and the national park fee you pay in cash when you land. Here is exactly what each costs, who pays what, and how the arrival works.
Published May 2, 2026 · Updated Sep 12, 2026
Every visitor to Galápagos deals with the same two things: a Transit Control Card, bought online before the flight, and the Galápagos National Park entry fee, paid in cash after landing. Neither is complicated, but both catch people out when they are left to the last minute, because the airline checks the first at the mainland airport and the park checks the second before you leave the island terminal.
This post covers both in the order you meet them, with the full fee tariff, the documents you need, and what the arrival hour looks like at Baltra and San Cristóbal.
The two payments at a glance
| Transit Control Card (TCT) | National Park entry fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Every traveller, children included | Every traveller (children under 2 are free) |
| How much | $20 per person | $200 for most foreign adults; see the tariff below |
| When | Before the flight, online | On arrival at the island airport |
| How | Registration and payment on the official site | Cash only, US dollars |
| Shown at | Check-in on the mainland, then arrival and departure | The park counter after landing; keep the receipt |
The Transit Control Card
The TCT (Tarjeta de Control de Tránsito) is the islands' way of knowing who comes and goes. It exists for the same reason as the park itself: Galápagos limits the number of visitors and needs a record of every entry and exit.
You register on the official TCT site of the Consejo de Gobierno, the islands' governing council. The form asks for your passport details, your flights and where you are staying, and the card costs $20 per person, children included. Do it a day or two before you fly and keep the confirmation on your phone: the airline will ask for it at check-in in Quito or Guayaquil, and it is checked again when you land and when you leave the islands.
If you arrive at the mainland airport without it, the council's counter there issues the card before check-in. It works, but it is a queue you do not want on top of the luggage inspection, so allow an extra hour.
The National Park entry fee
The park covers 97 percent of the land and all of the surrounding sea, and the entry fee funds it. You pay it once, at the park counter in the arrivals hall, in cash and in US dollars. Cards are not accepted, and the airport has no reliable way to get cash, so land with the amount in your pocket.
The tariff depends on nationality and age. This is the official tariff since 1 August 2024:
| Visitor | Park entry fee |
|---|---|
| Foreign tourist | $200 |
| Foreign tourist under 12 | $100 |
| National of a CAN or Mercosur country | $100 |
| CAN or Mercosur, under 12 | $50 |
| Foreign student enrolled at an Ecuadorian institution | $50 |
| Ecuadorian, or foreign resident of Ecuador | $30 |
| Ecuadorian or resident, under 12 or over 65 | $15 |
| Children under 2 | Free |
CAN and Mercosur here means Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Age counts on the day you arrive, and residents pay the lower rate only with the Ecuadorian residence card in hand.
You get a receipt. Keep it for the whole trip: guides sometimes ask for it at visitor sites, and it is checked when you board the inter-island ferries.
Documents to have ready
- A passport valid for at least six months past your trip. Bring the passport itself to the islands, not a copy: every tour boat files a passenger list with the coast guard, and the names come from it.
- A return or onward ticket. Stays are limited to 60 days, and the airline checks the ticket when you board on the mainland.
- Your accommodation. The TCT registration asks where you are staying; a hotel name and town is enough.
- The TCT confirmation on your phone, and the cash for the park.
The luggage inspection
Galápagos keeps out seeds, fresh food, plants and animal products, and the biosecurity agency (ABG) inspects luggage at the mainland airport before the flight. Checked bags go through a scanner and are sealed with a tag; hand luggage is looked at too. Fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, seeds and anything living stay on the mainland. Sealed, packaged snacks are fine.
On the islands the inspection repeats when you fly between islands or take a ferry, so keep the sealed bag closed until you are through.
What arrival looks like
Both airports handle it in the same order. Count on about an hour from landing to leaving the terminal, more in high season.
- TCT check. Your confirmation is scanned and the card marked as used.
- Park fee. You pay at the counter, in cash, and get the receipt.
- Luggage. Bags come off the belt with their biosecurity tags; an officer may open one.
- Out. At Baltra the airport bus to the Itabaca Channel leaves from the door; at San Cristóbal the taxis wait outside.
From there the arriving chapter of the travel guide has the way to your hotel, and a private transfer does the whole chain from the terminal door, some with a stop at the giant tortoises on the way.
In short
Buy the TCT online before you fly, $20 each, and keep the confirmation. Land with the park fee in cash, $200 for most foreign adults and the full tariff above for everyone else. Keep both receipts. Nothing fresh in the bags. Allow an hour after landing. That is the whole process, and once through it the islands are yours.
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In the travel guide
Entry fees and documents
What you pay to enter, who pays what, and the two documents you cannot fly without.
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