Ecuador Schengen Visa Exemption Has Backing From Some EU States, Minister Says
POLITICS · ECUADOR
Key Facts
- —The country Ecuador is one of the few Latin American countries whose citizens still need a visa for short trips to Europe’s Schengen area. Neighbours Colombia and Peru were exempted about a decade ago.
- —What happened On 2 October 2026 Foreign Minister Roberto Kury said on radio he is “positive” Ecuador will be exempted. He said some EU states back the request and gave no date.
- —The numbers Refusals of Ecuadorian short-stay applications rose from 15 percent in 2019 to 31 percent in 2025, Primicias reported in July 2026, citing EU data. That was over 32,000 of more than 106,000 requests.
- —What it means for you Nothing changes yet. Ecuadorians travelling to Europe for up to 90 days must still apply for a Schengen visa under the current rules.
- —Still open Which EU states back Ecuador, which are still weighing it, and whether the European Commission has begun any formal assessment. No timetable exists.
Ecuador’s foreign minister, Roberto Kury, said on 2 October 2026 he expects Europe to grant Ecuadorians a Schengen visa exemption. “I am positive that they will exempt us,” he told a morning radio interview, according to El Universo and La República.
He offered no date and called it a process that takes time. The hurdle Europe has named before is not diplomatic support but the share of Ecuadorian applications it refuses.
What Kury said
Kury said the exemption “is not decided by one country but by the Parliament.” He said Ecuador already has the support of some European states, while others are still analysing the proposal.
He grounded his optimism in the reputation of Ecuadorians abroad. “Ecuadorians living abroad have a very good image, of hard-working people,” he said, El Universo reported.
The remark came when he was asked whether Ecuador’s image abroad had improved. He cited recent visits by the presidents of Paraguay, Panama and Argentina, and by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The push belongs to President Daniel Noboa’s foreign policy agenda, La República noted. For background on the president, see Who Is Daniel Noboa, Ecuador’s President Explained 2026.
The refusal rate is the obstacle
Refusals of Ecuadorian short-stay applications rose from 15 percent in 2019 to 31 percent in 2025, Primicias reported on 18 July 2026. Expreso repeated the same figures on 2 October.
In 2025 more than 106,000 Ecuadorians applied and over 32,000 were refused, according to Primicias’ reading of EU data. Among Latin American countries that still need the visa, only Bolivia (43 percent) and Haiti (35 percent) fared worse.
Expreso wrote that the European Commission, the EU’s executive, has recently said this rate must fall before any exemption is considered. The same point was made in December 2022.
Then the EU home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said Ecuador was “not ready” because of a very high refusal rate. The European Parliament was then considering adding Ecuador to the visa-free list.
How a Schengen visa exemption works
Visa policy is set for the whole bloc, not by single states. Johansson said in 2022 that the proper route is a Commission assessment and formal proposal, followed by adoption by EU lawmakers.
That means the Parliament and the Council of EU governments must both agree. If Ecuador were added, its citizens could stay up to 90 days for tourism, family visits, business or short study.
Visa-free travellers will still face Europe’s new entry rules. See Europe Keeps Its New Border System and Delays the €20 Travel Permit (about US$22.50, at 0.889 euros per dollar on 2 October).
Reasons for caution and for hope
Primicias noted that three Ecuadorian governments have promised the exemption without delivering it. Kury himself only took over the ministry in June, after Gabriela Sommerfeld resigned.
On the other side, Ecuador has issued biometric passports widely since 2022 and moved most consular processing to outside agencies, Primicias reported. Both followed the forged documents and middlemen that Primicias linked to the 2022 jump.
What Is Not Yet Known
Kury did not name the EU states that back Ecuador or those still weighing the request. No Commission proposal to exempt Ecuador has been reported.
The 2025 refusal figures come from press reports citing EU data and were not checked against the Commission’s own tables. Whether the rate has fallen in 2026 is not yet public.
Sources: La República EC, 2 October 2026; El Universo, 2 October 2026; Expreso, 2 October 2026; Primicias, 18 July 2026; El Universo, 13 December 2022.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief