Summer vacation planning is in full swing, and if you’re eyeing a cruise to Mexico this year you might want to be aware of this new fee.
Starting July 1, 2025, the country will be charging all cruise passengers an entry fee to visit the country.
That’s right, anyone arriving at Mexican ports via cruise ship will charged $5, a tax intended to help support infrastructure and tourism services in Mexican port cities.
This fee applies to all international cruise travelers disembarking at any Mexican port, including popular destinations like Cozumel, Progreso, Ensenada, and others.
Originally, the Mexican government proposed a much higher fee of $42 per passenger, but after significant pushback from the cruise industry, especially the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, the fee was lowered and the rollout delayed until July 1, 2025.
This is only just the beginning…
If you think this is a bit outrageous, you may have not heard about this ongoing “tourism tax” that many countries around the world have been doing.
Over the course of the past couple years alone, many cities and countries have implemented the additional cost, like Venice in Italy, Greece, and many more.
In terms of Mexican cruise fees, the new tax coming in July is only just the beginning. The fee is set to increase even more in the coming years:
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$5 per person starting July 1, 2025
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$10 per person from August 2026
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$15 per person from July 2027
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$21 per person from August 2028
How will travelers pay the fee?
So you may be wondering how you pay this additional fee? Don’t worry, it will be included your cruise booking you so won’t have to pay it separately.
Fees will all be handled by the cruise lines, who are in turn, responsible of paying the collective fees to the Mexican government.
Therefore, when passengers purchase their cruise, they’ll be paying the either during booking or potentially as an additional charge added to their onboard account if it was booked before the tax got implemented.