The $42pp immigration fee will now begin at $5pp when the tax is introduced on 1 July. From August 2026 until July 2027, it will increase to $10pp and then $15 in 2027/28.

From November 2028, it will then rise to $21 per passenger, according to industry journal The Maritime Executive – half the originally proposed levy. The tax, known as the Non-Resident Duty, was due to have been introduced on 1 January, with the original fee some three times the average at Caribbean ports.

However, negotiations with the industry led to the delay, and now a further compromise has now been reached following lobbying by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association. TTG has contacted the association for full details.

For the past decade, cruise passengers visiting Mexican ports have been exempt from paying any immigration fees as they are considered “in transit”. When the tax was proposed, the Mexican Association of Cruises said the impact would be “disastrous”, leading to “a progressive drop in arrivals”. 

“Less income means fewer jobs and lower tax revenues for the government," it said. "Mexico will lose its competitiveness, becoming one of the most expensive cruise destinations in the world."

In return for lowering the proposed $42 fee, cruise lines are said to have agreed to support infrastructure projects, including a proposed fourth pier in Cozumel. They will also promote Mexican goods aboard their ships and buy more local goods and produce.