Mexico doubles cruise fee for passengers – with tax set to double again in 2028

A controversial cruise fee for passengers docking in Mexico has doubled from 1 August – and is set to double again in 2028.

From 1 August, the fee for cruise passengers visiting Mexican ports increased from $5 (£3.70) to $10 (£7.40) per person.

From 1 July 2027, the fee will increase again to $15 (£11.10) per person, with the fee rising a third time to $20 (£14.80) per person from 1 August 2028.

Passengers travelling on a multi-destination itinerary that involves multiple port calls during the same cruise to visit other countries before re-entering Mexico are not required to pay the fee twice, providing it is part of the same cruise itinerary.

A passenger on a cruise itinerary that sailed from Miami to Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Miami, for example, would only need to pay the fee once.

The fee, which is known as a “Non-Resident Duty” or “Tax Incentive”, will be collected from passengers by cruise lines or shipping agents.

The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which represents 23 major cruise operators such as Carnival, P&O and Royal Caribbean, was heavily involved in negotiations with the Mexican government regarding the tax.

In 2024, the FCCA wrote to Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum stating that the proposed $42 dollar tax would make cruise tourism in Mexico 213 per cent more expensive than the average Caribbean port and that the country would be priced out of the market.

In a statement following confirmation of the revised fees, FCCA said: “On behalf of the FCCA and our member cruise lines — representing over 95 per cent of cruise capacity in the Caribbean and Latin America — we thank the Federal Government of Mexico for working with us to reach an ‘in transit fee’ agreement.”

In January, the Secretary of Tourism for the Mexican Government, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, announced that 11.2 million cruise passengers arrived at Mexican ports in 2025, an increase of 12 per cent from 2024.

“Cruise tourism is a powerful tool for bringing development to regions, diversifying tourism activity, and ensuring that economic growth reaches those who depend on tourism,” he stated. “When tourism thrives, communities thrive.”

The Independent has contacted FCCA for comment.

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