How do I visit Ecuador with no return ticket?
August 26, 2020 1:42 PM Subscribe
I purchased a one-way ticket to Quito, Ecuador from LA for next week (I'm a U.S. citizen). Ecuador technically requires a return ticket (aka an "onward" ticket) to enter the country. But I am not ready to buy a return ticket yet (I don't know when I will need to return home). Is there any way to get around this requirement?
I have booked a one-way ticket to Quito, Ecuador (via Guayaquil) from Los Angeles for next week on Copa Airlines (I am a U.S. citizen). I would like to live in Ecuador for a while because of its low cost of living (I am finding it difficult securing affordable housing in the U.S.) as well as its cultural offerings. I secured a month-long airbnb in Quito, and I will be able to perform my remote job there. I purchased a one-way ticket because I don’t know how long I will be in Ecuador — I’m not sure exactly how long my remote work will last (I can be there for 90 days visa-free and it seems that I can easily apply for a visa if I want to stay longer than that).
Ecuador technically requires a return ticket (aka "onward" ticket) to enter the country. But as I said I am not ready to buy a return ticket yet. Is there any way to get around this requirement? I am definitely going back to the U.S. within six months. How likely is it that the airline and/or Ecuadorian customs will require me to show proof of a return ticket? If I am pressed for proof in Los Angeles or Guayaquil, do you all think they will let me have 10 minutes to buy a return ticket on my phone or (if on the Ecuadorian side) will they just immediately put me back on the plane home? Will they let me show them a bus ticket from Quito to Peru or Colombia to fulfill their requirement for an "onward" ticket? Of course this is much cheaper than a plane ticket.
There is some chatter online about this, but it is dated (and inconclusive) and it certainly came from before the current pandemic.
Note: I will be providing Ecuadorian officials with proof of a negative COVID test upon arrival, and I anticipate possibly having to take another one upon arrival in Ecuador.
I have booked a one-way ticket to Quito, Ecuador (via Guayaquil) from Los Angeles for next week on Copa Airlines (I am a U.S. citizen). I would like to live in Ecuador for a while because of its low cost of living (I am finding it difficult securing affordable housing in the U.S.) as well as its cultural offerings. I secured a month-long airbnb in Quito, and I will be able to perform my remote job there. I purchased a one-way ticket because I don’t know how long I will be in Ecuador — I’m not sure exactly how long my remote work will last (I can be there for 90 days visa-free and it seems that I can easily apply for a visa if I want to stay longer than that).
Ecuador technically requires a return ticket (aka "onward" ticket) to enter the country. But as I said I am not ready to buy a return ticket yet. Is there any way to get around this requirement? I am definitely going back to the U.S. within six months. How likely is it that the airline and/or Ecuadorian customs will require me to show proof of a return ticket? If I am pressed for proof in Los Angeles or Guayaquil, do you all think they will let me have 10 minutes to buy a return ticket on my phone or (if on the Ecuadorian side) will they just immediately put me back on the plane home? Will they let me show them a bus ticket from Quito to Peru or Colombia to fulfill their requirement for an "onward" ticket? Of course this is much cheaper than a plane ticket.
There is some chatter online about this, but it is dated (and inconclusive) and it certainly came from before the current pandemic.
Note: I will be providing Ecuadorian officials with proof of a negative COVID test upon arrival, and I anticipate possibly having to take another one upon arrival in Ecuador.
The bus ticket thing is a standard backpacker trick, not sure if it is still acceptable to the authorities.
posted by freethefeet at 2:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by freethefeet at 2:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Buy a ticket from US carrier (code shared even if actually operated by someone else) just before entering (checkin) and then cancel within 24 hrs. Buy from US based website (ideally from carrier directly).
posted by zeikka at 3:16 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by zeikka at 3:16 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
If they make you have a return flight of some sort, how about buying a round-trip plane ticket to a nearby country to visit for a few days and then re-enter Ecuador? (You can just show them the first ticket.)
I have been living in Argentina for a year and leave every three months or so to renew my tourist visa. This is common and absolutely accepted... until COVID happened and now I'm stuck in the US on what was supposed to be a quick visit, waiting to go back to Buenos Aires, wishing I had done the work for a residency permit. We'll see what happens when I try to enter again!
In any case, I think you'll get a lot of good suggestions: someone who has been doing what you plan to do can advise you the best but everything is up in the air right now in terms of international travel and mobility, especially for those of us from the US. I think you're smart to try living in Ecuador before committing to the official visa paperwork because living abroad in a place with a lower cost of living is often a lot harder and more expensive than we'd initially expect. Good luck, buena suerte!
posted by smorgasbord at 4:20 PM on August 26, 2020
I have been living in Argentina for a year and leave every three months or so to renew my tourist visa. This is common and absolutely accepted... until COVID happened and now I'm stuck in the US on what was supposed to be a quick visit, waiting to go back to Buenos Aires, wishing I had done the work for a residency permit. We'll see what happens when I try to enter again!
In any case, I think you'll get a lot of good suggestions: someone who has been doing what you plan to do can advise you the best but everything is up in the air right now in terms of international travel and mobility, especially for those of us from the US. I think you're smart to try living in Ecuador before committing to the official visa paperwork because living abroad in a place with a lower cost of living is often a lot harder and more expensive than we'd initially expect. Good luck, buena suerte!
posted by smorgasbord at 4:20 PM on August 26, 2020
Best answer: Have you heard of the 24 hour rule?
Under similar circumstances, but for another country, I bought a ticket right before boarding and returned it right after immigration on the other side.
posted by tinymegalo at 5:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Under similar circumstances, but for another country, I bought a ticket right before boarding and returned it right after immigration on the other side.
posted by tinymegalo at 5:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
If the 24-hour thing seems like cutting it too close, the other alternative is to buy a fully-refundable business ticket for some point in the future, and then just cancel. They are refundable for a reason. On the other end of the spectrum, if any low-cost Latin American airlines fly into Quito, you might be able to buy a one-way onward ticket and just not fly it if it's cheap enough.
posted by scolbath at 6:19 PM on August 26, 2020
posted by scolbath at 6:19 PM on August 26, 2020
I'm in the travel industry as a tour operator and have been to Ecuador many times, but never with a one way ticket, nor have I sent anyone there who had a one-way ticket. Let me check with my partners in Quito and see if they've got any insight.
posted by HeyAllie at 7:23 AM on August 27, 2020
posted by HeyAllie at 7:23 AM on August 27, 2020
Nobody likes a guest with no fixed plans to leave. I don't know about Ecuador specifically but most countries will deny you entry if they even suspect that you are not sincere about leaving when you say you will. The airline and the immigration people might have different interpretations of the rules as well, and the airline might be stricter since they are responsible for flying you back if you get denied.
The one thing I suggest from experience is that you print multiple copies of your tickets so you can show the airline at the desk. Waving a cell phone with an email confirmation is not going to cut any ice.
posted by AndrewStephens at 8:44 AM on August 27, 2020
The one thing I suggest from experience is that you print multiple copies of your tickets so you can show the airline at the desk. Waving a cell phone with an email confirmation is not going to cut any ice.
posted by AndrewStephens at 8:44 AM on August 27, 2020
Nthing booking a refundable plane ticket. The bus ticket thing isnt going to work now bc US citizens arent allowed into either of the countries bordering Ecuador.
posted by ananci at 8:45 AM on August 27, 2020
posted by ananci at 8:45 AM on August 27, 2020
Best answer: OK, I checked with a couple of my partners in Quito. The first question they asked was where you saw this requirement that you had to have an international round-trip ticket in order to enter Ecuador.
Their response: Regarding your question, during customs control in Quito & Guayaquil airports passengers will have to show the passport and inform the number of days that they will stay in the country. But at the moment a proof of a round-trip is not a requirement.
So check your source that says you need to have this round-trip requirement because it does seem a little unusual. Is it printed on your one-way airline ticket in the fine print? In my close to 20 trips there, I don't ever recall being asked to provide proof of it upon entering either Quito or Guayaquil.
posted by HeyAllie at 1:33 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Their response: Regarding your question, during customs control in Quito & Guayaquil airports passengers will have to show the passport and inform the number of days that they will stay in the country. But at the moment a proof of a round-trip is not a requirement.
So check your source that says you need to have this round-trip requirement because it does seem a little unusual. Is it printed on your one-way airline ticket in the fine print? In my close to 20 trips there, I don't ever recall being asked to provide proof of it upon entering either Quito or Guayaquil.
posted by HeyAllie at 1:33 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: @HeyAllie, I truly appreciate that you reached out to your contacts to help me out! This is valuable information to know that I won't be asked for proof of a return ticket when I arrive in Ecuador. However, this is only half of my problem -- I have heard folks mention the possibility that when I check in to my departing flight in Los Angeles, employees of the airline (Copa) might require me to show them proof of a return ticket, the idea being that the airline would be worried that if Ecuador agents ask me for proof of an onward ticket and I don't have it, they might refuse me entry into the country and Copa Airlines would have to fly me back home (this seems to be negated by your answer, but maybe the airline just wants to do this out of an abundance of caution).
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 4:14 PM on August 27, 2020
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 4:14 PM on August 27, 2020
Why not ask the airline?
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 5:24 PM on August 27, 2020
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 5:24 PM on August 27, 2020
Response by poster: @Geckwoistmeinauto I did. They are vague. They say it's the policy of each nation to require proof of a return ticket. But they couldn't say definitively whether it would be required at the gate at Los Angeles.
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 6:13 PM on August 27, 2020
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 6:13 PM on August 27, 2020
Response by poster: My problem was solved when I searched the cheapest airfare from Ecuador to the U.S., which happens to be on JetBlue. It turns out that JetBlue temporarily has a very generous cancellation policy due to the pandemic. According to their website:
We're waiving change/cancel fees for customers with existing bookings made through October 15. If you choose to rebook, you can do so on any flight through the end of our schedule. Fare difference may apply.
For voluntary cancellations, funds will be issued as a JetBlue Travel Bank Credit.
So I can book a flight on JetBlue from Quito back home to Los Angeles on any given date (I'll choose the date on which my AirBnb ends, which would let me have a month in Ecuador). This flight happens to cost only $364. I can always change it to any other flight on any other date on JetBlue, with no cancellation or change fees. So I can leave earlier or later than the ticket I buy, as long as I make this change by Oct. 15. This is basically a completely flexible return ticket, and of course I'll have a return ticket to show any airline personnel or customs agents. This is kind of a dream come true for a traveler who wants an open-ended itinerary. Freedom!
Problem solved! Thanks, Metafilter. I love you!
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 6:26 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
We're waiving change/cancel fees for customers with existing bookings made through October 15. If you choose to rebook, you can do so on any flight through the end of our schedule. Fare difference may apply.
For voluntary cancellations, funds will be issued as a JetBlue Travel Bank Credit.
So I can book a flight on JetBlue from Quito back home to Los Angeles on any given date (I'll choose the date on which my AirBnb ends, which would let me have a month in Ecuador). This flight happens to cost only $364. I can always change it to any other flight on any other date on JetBlue, with no cancellation or change fees. So I can leave earlier or later than the ticket I buy, as long as I make this change by Oct. 15. This is basically a completely flexible return ticket, and of course I'll have a return ticket to show any airline personnel or customs agents. This is kind of a dream come true for a traveler who wants an open-ended itinerary. Freedom!
Problem solved! Thanks, Metafilter. I love you!
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 6:26 PM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I made it to Quito!
In order to check into my flight in Los Angeles, COPA absolutely required proof of a return ticket (which, to their satisfaction, I had on my iPhone).
When I entered Ecuador in Guayaquil, no officials asked me for a return ticket. They just asked me how long I was staying in the country.
However, as an aside, I had my proof of a negative COVID test on my phone, which was not to their satisfaction. The officials made me go into a separate section of the airport to print out my COVID test before I could pass through the medical checkpoint. It seems that many travelers make this mistake, which is probably why they set up this operation in a separate room in the airport in which you can easily access wifi, email the COVID test to the officials, and have them print it out for you for no fee. Although this wasn't too much trouble, it did delay me for 45 minutes or so, but I ended up being admitted into the country. The lesson? Print out your COVID test!
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 4:07 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
In order to check into my flight in Los Angeles, COPA absolutely required proof of a return ticket (which, to their satisfaction, I had on my iPhone).
When I entered Ecuador in Guayaquil, no officials asked me for a return ticket. They just asked me how long I was staying in the country.
However, as an aside, I had my proof of a negative COVID test on my phone, which was not to their satisfaction. The officials made me go into a separate section of the airport to print out my COVID test before I could pass through the medical checkpoint. It seems that many travelers make this mistake, which is probably why they set up this operation in a separate room in the airport in which you can easily access wifi, email the COVID test to the officials, and have them print it out for you for no fee. Although this wasn't too much trouble, it did delay me for 45 minutes or so, but I ended up being admitted into the country. The lesson? Print out your COVID test!
posted by fenwaydirtdog at 4:07 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by metahawk at 1:53 PM on August 26, 2020