Sent a letter ot postcard to your family is easy with Ecuador postal service offices in Quito, if you need to send or receive documents fast, courier services are available, check our guide to Quito Ppostal and courier services

Communicating to the rest of the world from Quito is relatively problem-free, but it does have its challenges. Business or leisure travellers may need to send important documents to other parts of the world. If you find yourself in this situation, you have three main options:

• Professional courier service, which is fast, reliable and very expensive
• National Postal System: slower, not 100% reliable, relatively cheap
• International Faxes: Fast, not 100% reliable, can be cheap or expensive depending on location

Couriers in Quito

If you need to guarantee the speedy arrival of a package or letter, you may want to use a courier service. Athough it is expensive (two-day delivery of a letter to the US costs around $25), it is the only way to absolutely guarantee the delivery of your package or letter, since the regular post office does not have ways to certify mail. There are various companies in Quito that can send and manage packages all over the world. The following are some of the most reputable.

DHL International del Ecuador, S.A.
Republica, C.C.I, Airport,
Hilton Colon, Colon Ave.
Quito - Ecuador

(593) (2) 250 8088
(593) (2) 226 5076
(593) (2) 292 2687

Laar Courier Express S.A. - UPS
Calle de los Cipreses Lote 26 y de las Avellanas
entre Ave. Eloy Alfaro y Ave. 10 de agosto
Quito, Ecuador   
Phone: (593 2) 396 0000
Phone: (593 2) 396 0085
Fax: (593 2) 396 0000 ext. 348 / 349 / 354

Fedex Express
José Orton 142 entre Paul Rivet y Noboa Caamaño Quito - Ecuador (593) (2) 290 9201

TNT Global Express
Av. Eloy Alfaro s/n y Anonas Quito - Ecuador (593) (2) 328 0982 (593) (2) 328 0983 (593) (2) 328 0984

International Faxes

Another way to avoid the delays posed by the Ecuadorian postal system is to fax your documents. There are two options for this: Faxing from a company specially equipped to send international faxes, or dialing up yourself on a fax machine using a calling card.

Using an AT&T calling card to make a fax is very expensive: around $9.25 connection charge each time you dial up, and $2 per minute, so that even the shortest fax is sure to cost $11 or more. However, Andinatel and other companies can help you send faxes for around 30cents/minute, with no connection charge.

Places you can send international faxes:
Andinatel main offices:
Eloy Alfaro y 9 de Octubre

National Post System in Quito

The Ecuadorian national postal system has various offices throughout Quito. National post offices may have a sign reading "Correos del Ecuador." Mail can also be sent through the national system at "PostNet" locations. Post offices are open M-F 7:30 AM-7:30 PM and Saturdays 8 AM - 2 PM, with the exception of the Mitad del Mundo office, which is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Prices for sending letters and packages range from 20 cents per 20 grams to $10 per kilo. National post service is very reliable for delivery and less reliable on getting mail from the exterior through to Ecuador. There is only one delivery option (no bewildering array of choices like in US Post offices, but also no priority, registered or certified mail). Delivery, on average, takes the following amount of days, though there are often delays:

• To U.S.A., 8-10 business days
• To Europe, 10-15 business days
• Asia and Middle East, 18-22 business days
• LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, 5-6 business days

Packages exceeding 2 kg have to be mailed in person between 8 am and 4 pm, or received in person between 8 am and 12 pm in the post office N3 located at Ulloa y Ramírez Dávalos.

Some Correos del Ecuador offices are at the following addresses:

Mon-Sat 8 AM-6:30PM

From Wednesday to Sunday 8 AM to 6:30 PM

Ciudad Turística Mitad del Mundo, inside the Mitad del Mundo complex

Rates

The standard national rates are described in detail below:

Postcards and letters

** plus 12% IVA