Mexico's lower house approves 1,158-peso fee for foreign tourists; 2027 Federal Fees Law heads to the Senate
The full Chamber upheld the non-resident fee set in committee, along with higher airspace, visa and railway charges. If you live in Mexico, you don't pay it.
Mexico's Chamber of Deputies approved the 2027 Federal Fees Law (Ley Federal de Derechos) on the floor and sent it to the Senate. The bill sets the Non-Resident Fee (Derecho de No Residente, DNR) at 1,158 pesos. That fee is paid by foreign visitors who enter Mexico without permission to work, which covers most of the international tourists who arrive in Cancún, the Congress Channel (Canal del Congreso) reported on Wednesday, October 14.
The vote was 329 in favor and 117 against in general, and 339 in favor, 113 against and one abstention on the specific articles. The floor thereby upheld the figure the Finance and Public Credit Committee approved on Monday, October 12: a 17.8% increase over the current 983-peso fee, instead of the roughly 36% hike in the original Economic Package proposal.
What else the bill includes
According to the Congress Channel, the approved reform includes:
- A 10% increase in airspace-use fees paid by aircraft.
- A standardized ordinary visa fee of 1,639.80 pesos.
- An increase from 1.25% to 3% in the charge on railway concessionaires with more than 15 years of operation.
- A 12% cut in some radio-spectrum fees.
- Updated fees for certain coastal zones.
- A Sunday fee exemption for Mexicans and foreign residents at sites with museums, monuments or archaeological zones.
DNR revenue will be split 57% to the Ministry of National Defense, 15% to the National Migration Institute and 28% to the Federal Treasury.
What comes next
The Senate can approve the bill as received or amend it; if it makes changes, the text goes back to the Chamber of Deputies. The Federal Fees Law is part of the 2027 Economic Package, and under the constitutional calendar the Senate must approve the Revenue Law by October 31. The new fees would apply starting in 2027 and become final only once published in the Official Gazette (Diario Oficial de la Federación).
What it means for you in Cancún
- Residents don't pay the DNR. It does not apply to Mexican citizens or foreigners with a residency card.
- For tourists flying in, the DNR is normally built into the ticket price, so the change would show up in international airfares to Cancún starting in 2027.
- If you have relatives abroad who need a Mexican visa, the ordinary visa fee would be 1,639.80 pesos.
- Fee-free Sundays: the exemption matters in Quintana Roo, where sites such as the Tulum archaeological zone sit inside a protected natural area. Wait for the published text to confirm exactly which sites are covered.
Noticias Cancún will follow the Senate debate.
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