Ecuador

Regulations on entry, stay, residence, and treatment access for people living with HIV

The categories of restriction are:

  • No restrictions on entry or staying.

Restrictions on entry to Ecuador

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Ecuador based on HIV status.

According to the US Department of State and UNAIDS, there is no evidence that Ecuador has entry restrictions based on HIV status.

The official website for governmental procedures of Ecuador has a list of supporting documents that should be included with the visa application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant. 

The visa application form published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not contain questions or fields in relation to any health condition or status.

Restrictions on short-term stay in Ecuador

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on short-term stay in Ecuador based on HIV status.

Specific requirements for each visa type for temporary stay are available on the government official website here

Restrictions on long-term stay in Ecuador

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on long-term stay in Ecuador based on HIV status.

The official website for governmental procedures of Ecuador has a list of supporting documents that should be included with the application for a permanent residence permit and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant.

Anecdotal information shared by a user supports the information that we have on the restrictions in Ecuador. See the case studies section below.

Treatment access in Ecuador

The following summarises available information on access to healthcare for people living with HIV in Ecuador. There is no evidence that non-nationals are restricted from accessing treatment in the same way as nationals.

According to the information available on the website of the UNHCR country office in Ecuador: “you can access free HIV treatment in the public health system, regardless of your nationality or whether or not you have documents. If you have a certificate with your HIV diagnosis, issued in any country, you can go to a Comprehensive HIV Care Unit (UAI) and request treatment. To find out which are the HIV care units, see this document. If you don’t have a certificate or if you suspect you are living with HIV, go to your nearest health facility and ask for an HIV test.”

According to IOM, as of 2018, the Ministry of Public Health began allocating budget funds specifically to meet the growing demand for health services of the migrant population. For example, health posts were set up in the Rumichaca region (border with Colombia) to provide preventive medical attention, vaccination services, and general medical and psychological care for Venezuelan migrants. Care is provided without discrimination, and no identity documents are required. Irregular migrants are not registered; and when the nationality of the person being treated is recorded, this information is handled confidentially. In the absence of a personal identification number, the Health‐care Registration Platform (Plataforma de Registro de Atención en Salud, PRAS) assigns the patient a universal code in order to avoid any limitation of access to health services.

According to user feedback, there is access to free medical care paid by the government, including HIV treatment, for temporary or permanent residents. See the case studies section below.

Case Studies

I'm an expat living in Ecuador for 7 years, and I have gone through all the processes to become a legal resident. Never have I been asked to submit any medical test results, let alone an HIV test, to change migratory categories (from temporary to permanent resident status, for instance). There are no restrictions whatsoever for people living with HIV here. Actually, once you're a resident (temporary or permanent) you can access free medical care paid by the government and HIV treatment is part of that.

The HIV Justice Network's Global HIV Criminalisation Database

People living with HIV are criminalised in Ecuador. There are HIV-specific criminal laws in force which target alleged HIV ‘exposure’, non-disclosure, and/or transmission. We are not aware of any reported prosecutions under these or other laws.

UNAIDS Global AIDS monitoring data

This information about access to HIV services comes from UNAIDS https://lawsandpolicies.unaids.org/, a platform to view data on HIV-related laws and policies. This is information provided by national authorities and civil society and may contradict other sources.

Migrant populations

Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens Yes
Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) Yes
Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens Yes
Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) Yes
Migrants are able to access HIV services Yes

Refugees and asylum seekers

Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens Yes
Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) Yes
Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens Yes
Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) Yes

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This site focuses on information about HIV travel. Please also consult your own Foreign Office/Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, or the local consulate of the country you are visiting, to see what restrictions there are specifically for you as a citizen of your country, regardless of your HIV status.