Mexico Doubles Cruise Passenger Fee to $10, With Hikes to $21 Planned

Q: Why do cruise passengers visiting Mexico have to pay a new immigration fee even if they never leave the ship?

Because Mexico’s new charge is tied to the ship’s call at a Mexican port, not to whether an individual passenger goes ashore. The fee is a federal non-resident immigration duty, known as the DNR, that Mexico applies to foreign cruise passengers when their vessel visits ports such as Cozumel, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Costa Maya. In practice, cruise lines or their agents collect it and usually fold it into the “taxes, fees and port expenses” portion of the fare. That is why passengers generally still pay even if they stay onboard. The government treats them as visitors arriving in Mexican territory by cruise ship once the ship makes the port call. The charge is assessed per passenger on the manifest, rather than only on those who disembark. This is similar to how other cruise-related port charges work: they fund immigration processing, port operations and destination infrastructure connected to the ship’s visit, and they are mandatory for the sailing. Travelers typically cannot opt out based on personal choice to remain on the vessel. The current $10 fee, which rose from $5 on Aug. 1, is part of a phased rollout after Mexico and the cruise industry negotiated down an initially proposed much higher levy. Unless the agreement changes, it is scheduled to rise again to $15 in 2027 and $21 in 2028.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 11

$10 per foreign cruise passenger is now being charged at Mexican ports after the fee doubled from $5 on Aug. 1 under a phased tax plan.
The levy applies at destinations including Cozumel, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Costa Maya, and cruise lines or their agents can collect it.
Mexico will raise the charge again to $15 on July 1, 2027, and to $21 on Aug. 1, 2028, extending that rate through Sept. 30, 2030.
The fee is far below the roughly $42 immigration levy approved in 2024 after cruise-industry pushback led to a negotiated rollout that began at $5 in July 2025.
Travel analysts say the increase is unlikely to deter most cruisers immediately, but it adds to broader industry cost pressures and could make Mexico trips noticeably pricier for families.