Taking my Mavic to Ecuador

Adcotteleer · May 8, 2017

Hey guys,

In a few weeks here I'll be headed down to Ecuador for a week and a half for vacation and the original plan was to take my Mavic for some cool videos. Doing a little bit of research has led me to find that in the past people have had problems with bringing them and have gotten stuck with a 30%-40% import tax just to bring the quad into the country. All of those stories involved Phantoms and happened over a year ago so I'm wondering if anyone might have any insight as to what the current situation is now and if I might have better luck given the Mavics size.

Thanks!

OldNomad · May 9, 2017

Adcotteleer said:
Hey guys,

In a few weeks here I'll be headed down to Ecuador for a week and a half for vacation and the original plan was to take my Mavic for some cool videos. Doing a little bit of research has led me to find that in the past people have had problems with bringing them and have gotten stuck with a 30%-40% import tax just to bring the quad into the country. All of those stories involved Phantoms and happened over a year ago so I'm wondering if anyone might have any insight as to what the current situation is now and if I might have better luck given the Mavics size.

Thanks!

I have the exact same question. Flying to Quito on the 22nd and want to bring my Mavic. Second option is I have friends that live there. Would it be cheaper to mail it to them?

Ecuador Live · Jun 22, 2017

I live in Ecuador and do have some experience with Ecuadorian customs. Short version: a Mavic is probably safe, but if they find it, you'll pay around $350 in tax.

An "official" answer would be that current Ecuadorian customs laws (recently updated in May 2017; used to be more restrictive) allow you to bring in a drone valued up to $500 USD and you have to pay tax on any product valued over that amount. The tax includes a laundry list of government cookie jars and it does in fact result in approximately 35% of the entire commercial value (not just the excess over $500).

The "unofficial" response is that customs is extremely unlikely to find a Mavic because it doesn't look like a drone under the X-ray machine. The way customs works is that they check about half of the passengers, selected by a machine at random. If selected, you have to put your bags on a conveyor belt that goes under an X-ray machine. The customs officers are scanning loads of bags so the scrutiny is nothing like a security check in the US, and in my experience they will only open a bag when they see certain telltale signs of items owing customs duties. i.e., multiple iphones, perfumes, alcohol, video game systems, firearms, and.... drones.

The most common drones like phantoms have a real telltale shape which is why they are always pulled during x-rays, but I highly doubt a Mavic would be. I've gone through about 20 times over the last ten years and only had my bag opened twice - once when my wife had several bottles of perfumes and once when I had about 25 sets of tires for RC race cars (about 100 tires). Didn't pay tax in either case, but the tires were a close thing. Very dumb on my part...

Here's a tip: be aware of how your bag will look under an x-ray machine and keep your remote and even batteries in another carry on if possible. If you have any oddly shaped items, pack them in a different bag in case they cause it to be opened. I doubt the Mavic itself would trigger an inspection because it would look more like a video camera than a drone under x-ray....good luck!

kabledesigns · Jun 23, 2017

Would love to know how you guys made out. Have a trip booked in August and would love to bring my Mavic. Did you make it in without any tax?

Adcotteleer · Jun 23, 2017

So anyone coming to this thread and wondering, I made it without any issues. Ecuamojo pretty much nailed it right on the head. I had the quad in its own case without any props or battery and buried in my checked bag while all my other gear was in my carry on. I'm told by my friend who lives there that normally Guayaquil Customs only randomly scans peoples bags so maybe you'd get lucky that way but for us though they scanned all of them and looked at each one for about half a second before moving on. Grabbed my bag and exited the terminal. No issue's and I'd do it again but I would say there is a little risk you'd need to be aware of that some hard *** would spot it.

OldNomad · Jun 23, 2017

No issues for me. I had the Mavic fully assembled, two extra batteries, 2 gopros, and an OSMO in my carry on.

Ecuador Live · Jun 27, 2017

Glad to hear you guys made it through! I'm thinking about bringing in a Mavic on my next trip...I'm betting on an 80% chance of getting in without tax and 20% chance of having to pay up.

I was even considering a Spark just because the $499 price point puts it below the customs threshold of $500, so legally no import duties apply, but after buying all the accessories it seems like a Mavic is a whole lot more drone for a relatively small amount more money...unless you're a total beginner, if you're going to splash out for a Spark, might as well get a Mavic!

Another thing to be aware of in Ecuador is that if you are going to the Galapagos, you will not be able to fly your drone, they're banned there except for scientific use.

On the other hand, there are virtually 0 drone laws in Ecuador outside of the Galapagos (and obvious places like airports, etc.), and there is some amazing scenery wherever you end up (coast, mountains/volcanoes, jungle, etc.) so you will be rewarded with some pretty amazing footage!

I've had my Autel up 2,000 feet and 1.5 miles distant..no FAA here

Here's a little drone footage on my Ecuadorian vlog...using an Autel X-Star Premium..
.

Another thing...if you DO get stuck with the customs duty, or if you are the entrepreneurial type, or if you just want to upgrade, you could even sell it on your way out...they cost way more in Ecuador because of those customs duties/import costs/middle men.... this is what they are currently selling for in Ecuador... Dji Mavic Pro en Mercado Libre Ecuador. People here also use "OLX" alot, you can download it on your phone, post up a free classified, and probably sell it the same day if the price is fair.

tfrank48 · Jun 27, 2017

My wife's family lives in Guayaquil and we visit several times a year.
We really enjoy going to Cuenca and would love to bring my Mavic,
however, I don't want to pay $350 (maybe) to do so. At Guayaquil's
airport, I have noticed they are pretty quick with the x-ray scanning
procedure which we usually have to do on every visit. I wonder what
would happen if they caught it (w/x-ray) on the "way out", assuming
I got it in! Any idea?

Ecuador Live · Jun 28, 2017

So you've got an Ecuadorian wife too, eh? That's great that you come to Cuenca every now and again! I'll be Guayaquil next week, it's a great place : )

If you do the drive from Cuenca to Guayaquil, you should DEFINITELY bring along your Mavic, there are some amazing flying opportunities as you leave the coastal plains and head up the mountains... don't want to spam you with my YouTube vids, but this vlog episode is exactly that, the drive from Cuenca to Guayaquil, with plenty of drone footage...

Customs doesn't do any sort of scanning on the way out, as far as I know, just standard airport security scanning, but security doesn't care about drones. Definitely don't worry about anything on your way out.

From what I gathered from this thread, and another about taking the Mavic into Peru, I don't think you have anything to worry about, and even if they did "get you", for tourists, i.e., entering on a 90-day tourist visa with a return air ticket, I think you might even be able to get the tax back on your way out. It's more like a deposit to prevent illegal imports, which kinda makes sense I guess.

I say bring it, you'll be fine!

tfrank48 · Jun 29, 2017

Thanks for your reply. Watched the video(s). Nice!
We will be here in Guayaquil till the 7th of July. Hope to
bring MP next time ... with crossed fingers, of course.
Regards.

Dorin · Jan 20, 2018

Thank you for this thread! I’ll be going to Ecuador next year and Galapagos. Just a quick question on the import tax, $350, is it like in Peru where you pay the tax and get your money back when you leave the country and show them the drone?

Cheers,
Dorin

Gpk68 · Feb 14, 2018

Im going to Ecuador in two weeks, flying into Guayaquil. For those who have brought their Mavic, do you recommend putting it in a checked bag or carry on? I'm worried about it being damaged in a checked bag. Thought about putting the props and batteries in a checked bag and keeping the drone in my carry on. Any thoughts? Only have the black DJI case also, should I get a hard case?

Gpk68 · Feb 14, 2018

Also thinking about putting the RC in a separate bag and putting a small digital camera in with the drone to make it seem like it's a video camera

Dorin · Feb 19, 2018

Gpk68 said:
Im going to Ecuador in two weeks, flying into Guayaquil. For those who have brought their Mavic, do you recommend putting it in a checked bag or carry on? I'm worried about it being damaged in a checked bag. Thought about putting the props and batteries in a checked bag and keeping the drone in my carry on. Any thoughts? Only have the black DJI case also, should I get a hard case?

Pls pls share your experience! If you decide to put it in the checked luggage, make sure the batteries are in carry-on is forbidden to have them in checked in for obvious reasons.
Cheers,
Dorin

Gpk68 · Feb 19, 2018

Dorin said:
Pls pls share your experience! If you decide to put it in the checked luggage, make sure the batteries are in carry-on is forbidden to have them in checked in for obvious reasons.
Cheers,
Dorin

I will update when I get back, leave next Monday night. Thanks I will keep the batteries in my carry on. I think i'm going to take the drone in my carry on too.

eek · Feb 19, 2018

Wtf are customs for personal items? If you wear clothes that are over 500, do you pay taxes in Ecuador?

Gpk68 · Mar 13, 2018

Just got back. Didn't have any issues, but my bag wasn't inspected by customs other than going through the x ray scanner. Not sure if this helped avoid raising suspicion but I took the RC and put it in a separate bag and put my digital camera in with the drone hoping that whoever was looking at the monitor when it passed through would see the camera and assume the folded up drone was another camera or video camera. Definitely glad I brought it, was able to get some cool shots

.

Dorin · Mar 17, 2018

Thanks a mil for the update, now only thing left is to find out abt Cuba, I know is a no-go but hopefully I can store it in the airport

newnan3 · Jun 27, 2018

Anyone gotten hassled by locals for flying?

Gpk68 · Jun 27, 2018

newnan3 said:
Anyone gotten hassled by locals for flying?

Didn't get hassled. Definitely some very interested onlookers though. I tried to pick my spots as best as I could to try not to attract too much attention.