Puerto Vallarta expects to begin collecting a new fee from foreign visitors in November, but only after the city finishes one last piece of homework: seating the committee that will manage the money. Mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía says the body must be installed before any charge goes live, with collection planned at the city’s international airport and maritime terminal. The message is simple for travelers arriving now—no one is being charged yet—but the city wants the system ready before the holidays.
Puerto Vallarta tourist tax
Let’s pin down what exists on paper. Earlier this year, Jalisco’s official gazette published Puerto Vallarta’s new charge as part of the city’s 2025 revenue law. The fee is set at 1.25 UMA—about 141.40 pesos—suitable for a whole year from the date of payment and tied to the individual traveler. The law also lists who doesn’t pay: children under 14, people with disabilities, licensed guides and tour operators doing their jobs, airline and cruise crew, tourism workers on duty, and foreigners with temporary or permanent residency in Mexico. The city can take payment through methods authorized by the council and disclosed in due form. Those details come straight from the publication notice and local coverage that summarized the decree. See NTR Guadalajara’s breakdown for the legal basis, amount, validity, and exemptions.
The city frames the charge as a contribution to improve services that visitors use and residents rely on—think maintenance of public spaces, tourist infrastructure, and related projects. City hall estimates the program could raise hundreds of millions of pesos per year once the mechanism is running. Officials have said the fee will be collected at points of entry to keep the process simple for travelers, and they’ve floated a digital payment pathway to make the process quick.
What changes at the airport and port
If the committee is seated this month, the city says collection would start in November at the airport and the port. That’s where most visitors pass through, and it’s where an early rollout is easiest to standardize. For travelers, the practical takeaway is straightforward. Expect to be informed of the fee when you land or disembark, pay once, and receive coverage for a whole year if you return within that window. If you’re a foreign resident, a child under 14, or fall into a listed exemption, you won’t be charged. The mayor has emphasized that the committee’s go-ahead is the last checkpoint before any of this actually happens. Those logistics—and the committee’s rules—matter, because they will govern how the funds are collected, audited, and spent. The city’s latest public statements underline that timeline and the need for a formal committee decision before the first peso is taken at a counter or via an app, as reported by Quadratín.
There is one more wrinkle: a national rights watchdog has asked Mexico’s Supreme Court to strike down the specific article in Puerto Vallarta’s revenue law that creates this charge. The CNDH’s challenge argues the fee violates constitutional principles and isn’t framed with sufficient legal clarity. The case doesn’t automatically freeze the city’s plans, but it does hang over the rollout. City officials, for their part, describe the charge as a lawful municipal contribution intended to fund services tied to tourism. The court will decide if the law stands as written. Local outlet Tribuna de la Bahía reported the filing and key claims in the case.
For now, here’s the bottom line for visitors: the Puerto Vallarta tourist tax exists in law with clear exemptions and a set amount. It hasn’t been collected yet because the fund-management committee isn’t seated. The city’s goal is to flip the switch at the airport and port in November once that governance step is complete. Until then, nothing is due upon arrival. When collection begins, you’ll pay once, and your receipt will cover you for a year.
