Quintana Roo Plans to End In-Person Visitax Collection at Cancún Airport

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo plans to remove in-person Visitax collectors and payment booths from Cancún International Airport after complaints that some departing travelers were charged substantially more than the official rate. The fee itself is not being eliminated.

Governor Mara Lezama said the state wants to replace collection at the airport with a digital process. “Anything that creates a bad experience must be removed,” she said, referring to the airport collection system. “It must be eliminated and made digital,” according to her remarks.

The distinction matters for anyone planning a trip to Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum or elsewhere in Quintana Roo: travelers should not interpret the removal of airport booths as permission to skip the payment. The state’s official Visitax portal says the charge applies to foreign tourists visiting Quintana Roo, including those departing by routes other than Cancún airport.

Complaints Focus on Airport Collection

Visitax was introduced in 2021. The official charge has been reported at 293 pesos per person in 2026, but tourism representatives say some travelers at Cancún airport were asked to pay as much as 550 pesos, with the difference described as a processing or management charge.

The airport collection operation has been handled by Urquitem S.A. de C.V., a private contractor. David Ortiz Mena, president of the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council, said his organization had received reports of charges more than 80% above the official amount. He argued that confronting travelers with an unexpected payment as they head toward security damages their final impression of the destination.

The governor’s announcement addresses that experience at the airport. It does not settle the wider debate over Visitax. Sergio González Rubiera, president of the Mexican Association of Inbound Tourism Agencies, has called for the charge to be abolished altogether, arguing that it makes Quintana Roo less competitive. Other tourism businesses have welcomed the proposed change in collection while waiting to see how the digital system will work.

What Travelers Need to Know

The state has not announced a date for removing every airport booth, nor has it published details of a new automated verification process. Claims that departing passengers will have to pass through Visitax-linked electronic gates are premature.

For now, travelers can pay through the official state website and save the resulting QR-code receipt. The portal also has a “Recover your Receipt” option for people who have paid but cannot find their proof of payment. Checking the web address before entering passport or card details is especially useful because third-party payment sites may charge additional service fees.

The proposed change could make departures less stressful if it removes confrontations and unexpected markups from the airport. Its practical effect will depend on when the state withdraws in-person collectors and how clearly it explains the replacement system to visitors before they travel.