Can you bring a drone to Ecuador?

• Drones

  allowed, within limits

  Customs: one drone (new or used) worth up to USD 1,000 enters duty-free as a personal effect. A second drone, or one worth more, is taxable.

  SENAE personal-effects list: 'se consideran como efectos personales hasta 1 unidad, nueva o usada de los siguientes artículos: ... Dron, cuyo valor no supere los USD 1.000,00. En caso de encontrarse dos o más unidades... se la considerará bienes tributables'. This row covers customs only. Rules for flying a drone in Ecuador (civil aviation authority DGAC, protected areas such as Galápagos) were not verified — check with DGAC before you fly. Anything above an allowance, or not on SENAE's personal-effects list, is a 'bien tributable': declare it on the online Formulario de Registro Aduanero (FRA) and pay duties; taxable goods up to USD 2,000 can be cleared in the arrivals hall, above that they must go through a formal import. Goods not otherwise listed that have no volume/quantity restriction still count as personal effects up to USD 500 in total.

  Also covers: drone, drones, quadcopter, uav, dji

  Download border card (PDF)

  Source Listado de bienes que puede ingresar al Ecuador sin pago de impuesto (efectos personales del viajero) — SENAE, PDF uploaded May 2026Checked against the source on 2026-10-10

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Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history