Mexico has reduced the cost of the Non-Resident Duty (DNR) tax for cruise ship passengers, which was due to come into force in July.
Back in November, the country’s congress voted to impose a $42 (£32) per person fee on tourists entering Mexico on cruise ships.
The DNR tax was meant to come into force on 1 January 2025, but was postponed until 1 July 2025, following a backlash.
At the end of last year, The Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which represents 23 cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line, wrote to Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum to warn that cruise lines may adjust itineraries if the fee is implemented.
The DNR tax has now been reduced to $5 (£3.75) per person, and will come into force in July.
It will increase to $10 (£7.50) per person in 2026 and then to $21 (£15.75) per person in 2027, according to local newspaper Riviera Maya News.
The amounts have been agreed by the Federation of Cruise Services and Related Activities and the Mexican Government.
Cruise ship companies will collect the fee. In return for the reduced charge, cruise ship companies agreed to several other commitments, including increasing the number of cruise passengers to Mexican ports, promoting infrastructure jobs and selling artisanal products on board.
British nationals arriving in Mexico on planes already need to pay a £11 tourist tax.
