TCT Card Galapagos: Iguana Code, Payment, & Airport Tips!

The TCT (Tarjeta de Control de Tránsito, or Transit Control Card) is a mandatory document issued by the Ecuadorian government that every tourist must have before boarding a flight to the Galapagos Islands.

No exceptions.

It was introduced in 2012 by what is now called the CGREG (the Governing Council of the Galápagos Islands) to monitor the flow of visitors to one of the most ecologically sensitive places on earth.

It tracks how long you stay, which islands you visit, and ensures nobody overstays the 60-day maximum allowed by Galapagos law.

Think of it as your personal Galapagos ID. You will show it multiple times when you board your mainland flight to the islands, when you arrive, and when you depart.

Do not lose it.

Cost: $20 per person

Do this before you leave home. Do not wait until you are at the airport.

The official registration site is:

https://siig-registro.gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec/app/tct/emitir/

The form walks you through three sections.

Section 1: Flight Details

• Airline (most travelers will be on LATAM or Avianca)
• Flight number
• Destination island (most arrive into Baltra or San Cristóbal)
• Boarding date
• Origin city (typically Guayaquil or Quito)
• Repeat all of the above for your departure flight

Section 2: Personal Information

• Full name
• Passport number
• Nationality
• Date of birth
• Nice touch: you take a photo of your passport and the form populates most of this automatically. One less thing to type at midnight.

Section 3: Accommodation Details

• Length of stay on each island
• The form gives you three options for each island: hotel, cruise, or Amigo/Familiar

If you are staying at an Airbnb (which we did in San Cristóbal and it was incredible!), use the Amigo/Familiar option and enter your host’s details.

Before you leave home, ask your Airbnb host for their Ecuadorian ID number.

You will need it to complete this section, and it is so much easier to get it in advance than to be frantically messaging your host from a Quito airport at 4:45 AM.

Here is where I want to be honest, because this is the part nobody explains clearly.

I tried to pay the $20 fee online when completing the form by clicking “pagar con tarjeta,” which means pay with credit card.

My credit card did not go through. I called Chase and confirmed there was no issue on their end. I tried switching to the Spanish version of the website, which some people said worked better. Nothing.

I also tried different browsers … Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. Still nothing.

So here is what to expect depending on how your payment goes:

If your credit card goes through: You will receive an email with a QR code featuring a little iguana (see below).

That is your TCT card. Screenshot it immediately and save it to your photos. More on why in a moment.

If your credit card does not go through: Just click “Pagar en Aeropuerto” which means pay at airport. You will receive a different message, also with a QR code, but showing the outstanding balance owed.

This happened to us (see our form below).

In our case that was $40 for two people. You pay the balance at the counter on the day of your flight.

Here is the part I did not realize until we were standing there at the TCT counter at the airport: there is a short line on the far right for people who pre-registered AND successfully paid the fee online.

I assumed pre-registering was enough to use that short line.

It is not.

If you pre-registered and were not able to complete payment, you go through the regular line. The short line is for PAID registrations only.

We went through the regular line, paid our $40 in cash, and instantly received an email with the iguana QR code right there at the counter. Then we showed it to our airline, LATAM.

Simple once you know how it works.

Try the online payment first. If it works, enjoy the shorter line. If it does not, no stress at all, just budget extra time.

Once you have that iguana QR code (whether you got it online or at the counter), do one thing immediately.

Screenshot it and save it directly to your phone’s photo library.

Wi-Fi and cell service in the Galápagos is limited, especially on Isabela Island where we spent five nights. If you are at an airport inspection point trying to pull up your email with no signal, that is an avoidable stressful moment.

Having it saved in your photos means you can access it instantly, every time, no internet required.

We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Quito Airport the night before our Galapagos flight. This is the only hotel I would recommend for this connection, which I will cover in a later post!

Standing at our hotel window that evening, I could literally see the TCT counter across the way (only a 2-minute walk!). It is in the domestic departures area of Quito airport and opens at 5:00 AM.

Here is the full sequence once you are there:

1. TCT counter

Present your QR code and passport. Pay if you have an outstanding balance.

2. Bag Inspection

Just to the right of the TCT counter as you leave. Very short walk.

Before you travel, fill out the Biosafety Sworn Declaration form at the official site:

Biosafety Form

Have it printed and ready to show the officer (see photo below of my form). The inspection itself is quick and standard, checking for fruits, plants, and anything that could disrupt the islands’ ecosystem.

3. Airline check-in

LATAM or Avianca counter, right there in the same area.

4. Security

At Quito airport, secutiry is all the way to the right (assuming you are facing the airport) toward the bag inspection side. Easy to miss if nobody tells you.

After security, walk through a beautiful Spanish courtyard-style terminal with fountains running. For an early departure morning, that calm walk is a genuinely nice way to start the trip.

You could spin in a circle and hit every stop. We arrived at the TCT counter at 5:05 AM and were completely done with the TCT, bags inspection, and airline check-in by 5:30 AM.

Present your TCT again at passport control on arrival.

This is also where you pay the $200 Galapagos National Park entrance fee, so have your card ready.

We paid by credit card without any issue, despite what some older posts say about cash being required. I always try the card first.

The TCT and the National Park entrance fee are two completely separate charges. Both are mandatory.

• TCT: $20 per person, paid when you register online or at the counter
• National Park fee: $200 per adult, paid at passport control when you arrive in the Galapagos

Keep your TCT for the entire trip. You will need it again when you depart the islands.

✔️ Register online ahead of time:

https://siig-registro.gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec/app/tct/emitir/

✔️ If staying at an Airbnb, get your host’s Ecuadorian ID number in advance

✔️ Try online credit card payment first (success = shorter airport line)

✔️ If payment fails, bring cash to the airport ($20 per person)

✔️ Screenshot your iguana QR code and save it to your phone’s photo library

✔️ Fill out the Biosafety Form online ahead of time: https://siabg.abgalapagos.gob.ec/declaraciones/nueva

✔️ Sequence at airport: TCT counter, bag inspection, airline check-in, security (on right side when you are facing the airport)

✔️ Keep TCT for the entire trip needed at arrival AND departure

✔️ Budget separately for the $200 National Park entrance fee

The TCT card sounds intimidating until you actually do it. Then it is a form you fill out at home, a quick airport stop, and one QR code you screenshot and forget about until someone asks for it.

Here is the truth: I spent more time worrying about the TCT card than the actual process took.

Once you know about the payment options, the short line rule, and the Airbnb host ID number, the whole thing is quick and painless. We were through the TCT section, bags inspected, and checked in by 5:30 AM.

Do it early, screenshot it, move on. You have a Galapagos trip to think about. 😊 🐧 🐠 🐢

REACH OUT, FOLLOW, OR SHARE THIS POST WITH A FRIEND!

Questions about our experience with the Galapagos TCT card process?

Let me know in the comments below!