Ecuador’s Minister of Health, Ximena Garzón confirmed that vaccination certificates obtained abroad would be accepted in Ecuador.
The ministry later confirmed that foreign vaccination certificates can be used when entering the country and to gain entry to the mass public events that are currently set for re-opening on 30th October.
They’ve also confirmed that it is possible to register your overseas vaccination certificate with the MSP. However, this appears to be optional.
Impact on Ecuador entry requirements
Foreign vaccination certificates can be used when entering the country. This means if you have a vaccination certificate, you won’t need to provide a PCR test.
Impact on mass public events
Your foreign vaccination certificate is also valid to grant entry to mass public events that are currently scheduled for commencement by COE on October 30. This will apply to events like football matches & concerts.
Entitled to complete vaccination series & boosters in Ecuador
Ecuadorians that have completed part of their vaccination overseas or received a one-shot vaccination like the Johnson & Johnson are entitled to receive a Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine as a booster.
These can be obtained from any vaccination center of the Ministry of Public Health.
Negative PCR still required for non-vaccinated
This latest news has no impact on non-vaccinated residents who will still be required to provide a negative PCR test to enter the country or attend a mass public event.
Foreign vaccination certificates are NOT eligible for discounts
One publication has confirmed that foreign vaccination certificates cannot be used to obtain the same discounts or promotions offered by the government. These are only available to those vaccinated within Ecuador.
How will this be enforced?
The biggest question we have is how this policy is going to be enforced. For example, let’s say you go to a football match in Cuenca. How are the officials there going to know that my vaccination certificate issued in the US, Canada, Australia, or even China is valid?
We have our doubts as to how well this policy can be enforced in practice, but like many policy announcements in Ecuador, we’ll just need to wait and see.
Official Announcement
