Cancun Cracking Down On Tourists Who Don’t Do This When Visiting Cancun 

Last Updated 3 days ago

When visiting any foreign country, it’s important to be aware of the rules and regulations that tourists must follow.   

In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where the destinations of Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Tulum, among others, are located, one of those things is paying the VISITAX.   

It’s a tax that visitors must pay sometime before departing, and Cancun is cracking down on tourists who don’t do this when visiting Cancun or other destinations in the state.   

Read on to learn more about the tax, what it’s for, and how to pay it.   

Enforcing The Payment Of The VISITAX 

According to recent reports, VISITAX agents have been inside Cancun Airport enforcing the payment of the fee that tourists must pay before leaving the state.   

Tourists are asked to show proof of tax payment when arriving at the airport.   

Prior to this crackdown, officials were reportedly lax in enforcing the payments, but apparently, that is not going to be the case moving forward.   

What Is The VISITAX? 

The VISITAX was implemented by the state of Quintana Roo starting in April of 2021.   

It’s a tax charged to tourists to generate revenue to be used for infrastructure, tourism, and development projects within the state.   

Currently, the VISITAX fee is 271.00 MXN, which is equivalent to about $13.43.   

Who Has To Pay The VISITAX? 

Travelers visiting Cancun and other destinations in the state of Quintana Roo from any foreign country are required to pay the tax.   

It is not optional, but a mandatory fee to be paid to the state.   

The tax must be paid for all travelers over the age of 15 years old.   

How And Where To Make VISITAX Payments  

There are two ways that travelers can pay for VISITAX.   

It can be paid online here at the official VISITAX website, where you can fill out a simple form with your name, birth date, and departure date and submit payment.   

The other option is to pay the tax at kiosks located within Cancun and other Quintana Roo airports.   

The tax can be paid by credit or debit card.   

What To Do Once You Pay The Tax 

Once you pay the VISITAX you have to have proof that you paid it to show to airport agents.   

After you submit the form and your payment information, you’ll be given a QR Code.   

You’ll need to be able to access that code to show to agents upon request.   

What Happens If You Don’t Pay The VISITAX? 

As mentioned above, agents have been lax in requiring proof of paying the tourist tax, but if you get away without paying it there are consequences.   

The full extent of the consequences that you might suffer if you don’t pay it are a bit obscure, though.   

One possible repercussion that has been mentioned is “observations” being applied to your passport, which may affect future visits in some way, but even that isn’t very clear.   

Either way, the last thing you want is for your passport to be flagged in any way, especially for such a small amount of money.   

How To Avoid Getting Scammed When Paying The Tax 

The two methods mentioned here are the only ones that are legitimate ways to pay for VISITAX.   

People have reported being asked to pay cash in person at Cancun Airport by scam artists asking for three or four times the amount.   

It’s important to keep in mind that this is not how the tax is collected and to avoid being scammed during your Cancun vacation.

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