The Visitax Quintana Roo charges every foreign tourist who visits Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel or anywhere else in the state. It’s set at 2.5 UMA, Mexico’s official unit of measure, which Riviera Maya News put at 285 pesos per person in August 2026, roughly 15 US dollars depending on the exchange rate. You pay it on the state’s official portal, visitax.gob.mx, and you get a QR receipt for each passport. It’s a separate thing from your airport transfer and from the federal fee in your airfare.
The Short Version
| Question | Answer, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Who pays | All foreign tourists, per the official site, children included |
| How much | 2.5 UMA per person, reported as 285 pesos in August 2026 |
| Where to pay | visitax.gob.mx or companies authorized by the state tax office (SATQ) |
| Proof | A QR receipt per passport, downloadable from the site |
| Legal basis | Article 51 octies of Quintana Roo’s Law of Rights |
| Changed for 2026? | No. The amount and the collection system stayed the same |
Who Has to Pay
The official site’s wording is blunt: the tax is mandatory and “must be paid by all foreign tourists.” Its FAQ adds that it applies regardless of how you leave the state, including through Cozumel, and when asked about children it repeats that all foreign tourists pay. The site doesn’t list any exemptions.
Mexican citizens don’t pay the Visitax. If you hold a Mexican residency card, the rule is less clear on the public site, so check with the SATQ contact address on the portal before assuming either way.
How Much It Costs, and Why the Peso Figure Moves
The fee isn’t written in pesos. It’s written as 2.5 UMA, and the UMA value is updated every year. That’s why you’ll see slightly different numbers depending on the date of an article. Riviera Maya News said in December 2025 that it worked out to almost 283 pesos at the 2025 value. Its report from Cancún Airport on August 23, 2026 gave 285 pesos per person and said the rate stayed the same for 2026.
For a family of four, that’s around 1,140 pesos in total at the 285 figure. Pay the amount the official portal shows on the day you pay, not a number from a blog, including this one.
How and When to Pay
Go to visitax.gob.mx, enter the details for each traveler, pay by card and download the QR receipts. The site says the payment record stays available for at least a year after your departure date, and a “recover your receipt” option finds it again by passport number. Riviera Maya News also describes payment modules inside the airport terminals.
The official site doesn’t fix a single moment for paying. Most travelers do it online before their flight home, and paying a day or two early is the calm option. Don’t leave it for the security line on departure day.
One warning is worth repeating. Deep Arrival reported in June 2026 that third-party websites have charged 30 to 40 dollars for a fee set near 15. Check that the address ends in .gob.mx before you type a card number.
What Happened to the Hotel Collection Plan
In late 2025 the state government proposed making hotels collect the Visitax at check-in, because most visitors never paid it online. The hotel sector opposed it. On December 18, 2025, Riviera Maya News reported that the plan was dropped and that the current scheme would stay in place for 2026, with the state collecting directly through the website and airport modules.
The same outlet reported in December 2025 how the money is meant to be split through a trust: 10% to tourism promotion and crisis control, 40% to sargassum control and beach cleaning, and 50% to strategic tourism projects. So part of the fee is earmarked for the beaches you came for.
Visitax, the Federal Fee and Your Transfer
Three different charges get mixed up. The Visitax is the state fee and you pay it yourself. The federal non-resident fee, known as DNR, is usually already included in an international air ticket, and Deep Arrival listed it at about 983 pesos per person for 2026. Your airport transfer is neither of these.
Our drivers don’t collect the Visitax, and it isn’t part of the fare. From Cancún Airport it’s from $32 USD to the Hotel Zone, from $69 to Playa del Carmen and from $125 to Tulum town, per vehicle, one way, for 1 to 6 passengers, as checked against our published table on October 13, 2026. If an agent at the airport asks to see your Visitax QR before security, having it saved on your phone keeps that step to a few seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Visitax in Quintana Roo in 2026?
It’s set at 2.5 UMA per foreign tourist. Riviera Maya News reported it as 285 pesos per person in August 2026, roughly 15 US dollars. The official portal shows the exact amount when you pay.
Do children have to pay the Visitax?
The official site’s FAQ says all foreign tourists must pay and lists no exemption for children.
Where do I pay the Visitax?
On visitax.gob.mx or through companies authorized by the Quintana Roo tax office, SATQ. Riviera Maya News also reports payment modules inside the airport terminals.
Is the Visitax included in my flight or hotel price?
No. For 2026 the state kept direct collection, after dropping a plan to have hotels charge it. The federal DNR fee, by contrast, is usually inside your airfare.
Do I pay the Visitax to my transfer driver?
No. Drivers don’t collect it and it isn’t part of the transfer fare. Pay it yourself on the official portal.
Related Guides
- What Time Should I Leave for Cancun Airport?
- Cancún Airport Immigration Wait Times
- Sargassum in Cancún and the Riviera Maya
- Cancún Private Transfer Safety Guide
Sources: Who pays, where to pay, receipts and legal basis from the official Visitax portal. 2026 amount and airport modules from Riviera Maya News, August 23, 2026. 2.5 UMA, 2025 value and fund split from Riviera Maya News, December 3, 2025. Hotel collection plan dropped from Riviera Maya News, December 18, 2025. Third-party site warning and DNR estimate from Deep Arrival, June 2026. Transfer rates from the Yesmytransfer.com published rate table, verified October 13, 2026.
