Adult Entertainment in Ecuador

Ecuador treats prostitution by adults as lawful and regulates the venues where it takes place. Under Ministerial Agreement 0069 of 2019, "centros de tolerancia" are category 1 establishments that need an annual operating permit from the Ministry of Government through the provincial police intendancies, on presentation of a sanitary permit from ARCSA, a municipal licence, land-use and fire permits; the ministry lists an annual fee of USD 539.56 for this category. The penal code (COIP) does not punish selling or buying sex between adults. It punishes selling, lending, profiting from or exchanging another person for sexual acts (sexual exploitation, 13 to 16 years), forcing or inducing someone against their will into sexual acts (forced prostitution) and trafficking. In October 2026 the National Assembly passed a reform raising trafficking penalties. Source: Prostitution Laws (prostitutionlaws.org), https://prostitutionlaws.org/countries/ecuador/, reviewed 2026-11-04, CC BY 4.0.