Ecuador

Ecuador does not operate a sex offender registry. A 2019 law creating a confidential register of offenders against children was shelved after the Constitutional Court found it unconstitutional. Ecuador's immigration law has no ground that refuses entry for a conviction alone, but a traveller considered a threat to public security may be refused, and the government reports refusing U.S. travellers with Angel Watch alerts.

Brief profile · Last verified: October 30, 2026 · All countries

Each statement is labelled Law (statute, regulation or court ruling), Policy (official guidance) or Reported practice (what officials report doing). Items marked Recheck could not be fully confirmed from a primary source.

The country's own registry

Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. No public sex offender registry was found.
Reported practice In December 2019 the Constitutional Court upheld the President's objection to the Ley Orgánica del Registro Ecuatoriano de Violadores, Agresores y Abusadores de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes (Revaas), reasoning that a person's judicial record cannot be a basis for discrimination. The National Assembly's Justice Commission accepted the ruling under protest and the bill was shelved.
Source: Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador: Se acepta dictamen de Corte Constitucional sobre Ley de Registro de Violadores (12 December 2019)
Recheck: Cite the Court's opinion itself (reported as Dictamen 5-19-OP/19) and confirm that no later registry proposal has been enacted.

Entry and admissibility

Law Refusal of entry (inadmisión) is the State's sovereign power to deny a foreigner entry because of an act or omission by that person (LOMH, art. 136).
Source: Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (R.O. Suplemento 938, 6 February 2017), consolidated Lexis text with reforms to 13 February 2025 (ESPOL repository copy)
Law The grounds for refusal include presenting inaccurate or destroyed documents, a no-entry order after earlier deportation or refusal, lacking a valid travel document or a required visa, or not justifying one's immigration status (num. 6), and being considered a threat or risk to public security and the structure of the State on information held by the competent authorities (num. 7) (LOMH, art. 137). The October 2025 reform makes numeral 7 rest on information provided by the relevant unit of the National Police (Ley Reformatoria 2025, art. 39).
Source: Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (R.O. Suplemento 938, 6 February 2017), consolidated Lexis text with reforms to 13 February 2025 (ESPOL repository copy); Ley Orgánica Reformatoria a la Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (Séptimo Suplemento del Registro Oficial 151, 24 October 2025), Ediciones Legales copy on gob.ec
Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. Article 137 contains no ground that refuses entry for a criminal conviction as such.
Reported practice The Ministry of the Interior reports that from 1 January to 19 September 2026 it recorded 2,097 immigration alerts, including alerts from the U.S. Angel Watch system, and refused entry to 1,811 people. It does not give a breakdown by nationality.
Source: Ministerio del Interior del Ecuador: Más control en territorio: Gobierno de Daniel Noboa ejecuta 18.961 operativos migratorios (Boletín 102, 22 September 2026)
Reported practice On 1 December 2024 a U.S. citizen was refused entry at Quito airport after an active Angel Watch alert was detected. According to the report, the ministry cited article 137, numeral 6, of the LOMH, and he was returned immediately.
Source: El Universo: Inadmitido en Quito ciudadano estadounidense con alerta internacional por delitos sexuales (1 December 2024)
Recheck: Press report; the ministry's original post could not be fetched.

Visa / travel authorisation

Law Tourists may stay up to 90 days in the year counted from their first entry, extendable once in Ecuador by up to 90 further days on application and payment of a fee (LOMH, art. 56, as replaced by Ley Reformatoria 2025, art. 15).
Source: Ley Orgánica Reformatoria a la Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (Séptimo Suplemento del Registro Oficial 151, 24 October 2025), Ediciones Legales copy on gob.ec
Policy U.S. citizens travelling for business or tourism do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 12-month period. Travellers entering by land from Colombia or Peru must present an apostilled criminal record check covering the past five years, with an apostilled Spanish translation. Without it, the Ecuadorian system checks electronically for previous convictions.
Source: U.S. Department of State: Ecuador International Travel Information (archived copy of 18 February 2026)
Recheck: The live State Department page returned 403; confirm against the current page.
Law Residence visa applicants must present a certificate of no criminal record from their country of origin or of previous residence, translated into Spanish and apostilled or legalised, valid for 180 days. They must also have no final conviction in Ecuador for an offence punishable by imprisonment (LOMH, art. 64(5) and (7), as amended by Ley Reformatoria 2025, art. 17).
Source: Ley Orgánica Reformatoria a la Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana (Séptimo Suplemento del Registro Oficial 151, 24 October 2025), Ediciones Legales copy on gob.ec

What U.S. rules still apply

Law U.S. law still applies to the trip itself: registrants must report international travel at least 21 days in advance, and the U.S. may notify the destination country before arrival. See the U.S. travel guide for the notice rule, the passport identifier and how notifications work.
Source: ComplianceAtlas: Traveling Abroad as a U.S. Registrant

Read Traveling Abroad as a U.S. Registrant before booking.

Sources

Legal Disclaimer

International laws, immigration policies, and registry requirements change frequently and may vary depending on citizenship, visa type, offense history, and purpose of travel. Entry decisions are made solely by each country's immigration authorities. Always verify current requirements using official government sources before traveling. This page is not legal advice.