Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Travel authorities have agreed that the up-and-coming Non-Resident Duty (DNR) tax for cruise passengers will be $5 USD. The tax per person entering Mexico by cruise ship is down from the initial proposed fee of $42 USD per passenger.
The collection of $42 USD per cruise ship passenger docking in Mexico was set to begin January 2025, however, it quickly became a concern for port towns. In December of 2024 when the tax was announced, residents in Cozumel voiced their concern saying it was “a decision that will affect the arrival of cruise ships to our port.”
The following day, Governor Mara Lezama Espinoza announced the postponement of the DNR cruise passenger tax. Lezama said the federal government, who approved the tax, had agreed to postpone its collection for six months.
Instead of a January 1, 2025 start date, Lezama reported the new federal tax collection date for cruise ship passengers will begin July 1, 2025. As of July 1, cruise ship passengers docking in Mexico will be charged $5 USD, a fee that will be collected by the cruise companies.
According to State Senator Eugenio Segura Vázquez, the Derecho de No Residente (DNR) fee will gradually increase. The initial fee for the remainder of 2025 will be $5 USD, however next year, that fee will be increased to $10 USD and in 2027, to $21 USD.
The tax amounts have been agreed upon by the Federation of Cruise Services and Related Activities (FSCA) and the Mexican government, he said. According to Segura Vázquez. The DNR tax is the result of efforts by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Governor Mara Lezama and Federal Tourism Secretary Josefina Rodríguez, with the goal of ensuring that cruise tourism contributes more significantly to the country’s economic development.
In addition to the new fee, the agreement includes commitments from the cruise ship companies to increase the number of cruise passengers to Mexican ports, promote infrastructure projects such as the fourth pier in Cozumel and the acquisition of domestic supplies, especially artisanal products, for sale on cruise ships.
