Mexico is a top cruise destination for many travelers, and ports such as Cozumel, Costa Maya, Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, and more welcome millions of passengers each year. These destinations might soon become empty ports, however, if a proposed new tax is not reconsidered.
The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), a not-for-profit trade organization that represents 23 cruise lines, has reached out to Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, requesting that a new $42 per person “immigration fee” for cruise passengers be eliminated.
The tax – officially titled the “Non-Resident Fee” is slated to take effect in 2025 and the FCCA is taking action to see if adjustments are possible. Cruise bookings for both 2025 and 2026 are already underway and many travelers will have booked their cruises long before the fee was suggested.
Specifically, the organization is writing on behalf of Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Each of these major cruise lines operates hundreds of sailings that include Mexican ports of call each year. Depending on the exact itinerary, one ship may visit several destinations in Mexico on a single sailing.
According to Reportur, the FCCA letter explains that cruise lines may adjust itineraries if the fee goes into effect, which could have a significant financial impact on local Mexican economies.
“Cruise lines are already actively considering significantly altering itineraries, which would reduce the more than 10 million passengers and 3,300 cruise ship arrivals expected to visit Mexico in 2025,” the letter stated.
Mexican destinations are included on itineraries from 3-7 nights and longer from various homeports, including Long Beach, Galveston, Mobile, New Orleans, Tampa, Miami, and Port Canaveral. The country is also visited on repositioning sailings before and after the Alaska season, as well as on longer, more diverse itineraries.
The letter also notes that not only might cruise ships slow or stop visiting Mexico, but applying the fee might then jeopardize different cruise lines’ investments in Mexico as a top destination.
“This proposed tax could also jeopardize the cruise industry’s investments in the country, including billions in planned developments and other projects,” the letter reads.
This could include Royal Caribbean’s recent announcement to create “Perfect Day Mexico” in Mahahual, adjacent to Costa Maya, as well as other port improvement and development projects.
Mexico’s Non-Resident Fee – Why Are Cruisers Now Impacted?
Mexico has actually imposed a non-resident fee on tourists since 1999. In 2024, the fee is $687 Mexican pesos, or approximately $33 USD. If visitors want to leave and reenter the country several times, or if they will be carrying out paid activities while in Mexico, different fees apply.
Read Also: One of These Mexico Cruise Ports Could Be on Your Itinerary
Cruise passengers have largely been exempt from this tax, however. The biggest provision exempting cruise travelers is that if an individual’s stay in Mexico is less than seven days, the fee has not previously applied.
It should be noted that this tax on passengers is in addition to other taxes imposed on cruise lines, such as docking fees and other taxes based on ships’ overall capacity.
Furthermore, this new tax is not the same as the previously approved $5 (USD) per person tax in Quintana Roo – home to both Costa Maya and Cozumel – that will take effect from January 1, 2025. That is a state tax rather than a national one.
Tourism taxes generally help support further tourist development in a nation, such as ensuring proper infrastructure for visitors and improving attractions to encourage longer stays and repeat visits.
While $42 per person may not be excessive for a single traveler, it can add substantially to a family’s cruise travel budget, especially if the tax is levied at each individual Mexican port of call on an itinerary.
Note: This article originally stated that the non-resident fee was to begin in 2026. This has been corrected; the fee will begin in 2025.
