Importing Products from ECUADOR

Location: Ecuador is situated along the north-west coast of South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its three largest cities are Quito (its capital), Guayaquil, and Cuenca.

Is there a trade agreement betwenn Ecuador and UK? Yes, as part of the trade agreement continuity between the United Kingdom and the Andean countries. The Ecuadorian government, along with Colombia and Peru, signed a free trade agreement with the UK in May 2019, maintaining at present the same tariff preferences that are contained in the treaty with the European Union.

Ecuadorian national currency: US dollar.

Official language: Spanish (93%).

Shipping from Ecuador to the UK

Transit time via air from Ecuador to airport in the UK is approximately 3 days. Ecuador’s main cargo international airports are located in the cities of Quito (Mariscal Sucre airport), and Guayaquil (Jose Joaquin de Olmedo airport).


Transit time via sea from Ecuador to port in the UK is approximately 28 days. Ecuador’s main sea port is Guayaquil.



Import documents required include packing list, commercial invoice, and health / organic / origin / phytosanitary certificate(s) where applicable. Requirements for the Ecuadorian exporter include Unique Taxpayer Registry (RUC), and registration as exporter in Ecuapass. Requirements for the British importer include having an EORI number.

Top-10 product types imported from Ecuador to United Kingdom in 2024

Meat, fish and seafood preparations ….. $168.10M
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatics invertebrates ….. $74.55M
Edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons ….. $73.69M
Live trees, plants, bulbs, roots, cut flowers ….. $17.88M
Vegetable textile fibers not specified elsewhere, paper yarn, woven fabric ….. $10.29M
Cocoa and cocoa preparations ….. $7.26M
Vegetable, fruit, nut food preparations ….. $6.19M
Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers ….. $5.71M
Miscellaneous edible preparations ….. $5.59M
Animal, vegetable fats and oils, cleavage products ….. $1.18M

M: Millions USD. Source: TRADING ECONOMICS

Where to search for ecuadorian products/exporters

Visit PRO ECUADOR, the official institution in charge of the commercial promotion of exports in Ecuador.

Exporter's guide

If you are and exporter based in Ecuador, download here a comprehensive exporter's guide.

Import taxes/restrictions in the United Kingdom

Visit the UK Trade Tariff (official UK tariff classification site) to consult the applicable import taxes and restrictions (if any) to Ecuadorian products. This is done by entering either the tariff code or the description of the particular commodity on the site's search tool.

Contact us for cargo transport from Latin America and the Caribbean to the UK