Embrace It Tax

MEXICO taxes/fees
Mexico Tourism Tax: $45.15
Mexico Departure Tax:$68.30
Mexico Immigration Fee DSM:$11.47

TOTAL $124.92

This gives us yet another gratuitous opportunity to remind everyone that the fees for direct flights from Tijuana are far lower. You can find your way to the San Diego / Tijuana region and spend a day or two or more in our neck of the woods, maybe even check out the Mexican wine growing region, Valle de Guadalupe. You then take a direct flight from Tijuana to Zihuatanejo, paying just the airport fee and the national transit tax. If you are staying seven days or less, you can get a free tourist visa as you walk across the border in San Ysidro. (The free 7-day tourist visas are not available at the airport.) The six-month tourist visa at the border crossings and in the airport is roughly US$35. (They want you to pay with a credit/debit card now.)

Those wanting the ultimate in convenience should check out the Cross Border Express that allows you to walk across a bridge that dumps you into the airport. Returning to the U.S. using the Cross Border Express typically saves a few hours as the free border crossing in San Ysidro can have waiting times of 2 to 4 hours. However, there are buses at San Ysidro that can avoid the pedestrian lines for a fee, of course. The Cross Border Express is not inexpensive.

An added bonus is you don't have to go through customs in Zihuatanejo as it is a domestic flight. The complaints of egregious behavoir by the customs agents in Zihuatanejo have lessened considerably lately. However, one never knows about the future.