Mr. Sharma is super excited. He is finally going on his dream vacation with his family to the picturesque locales of Bali, rated as one of the best beach islands globally! Bookings done, all meals and internal travel expenses already paid for in advance, the Sharma’s are carrying limited forex…. that too in a smart forex travel card! Cash is unsafe and so passé!
So far so good…The flight was comfortable and now they are waiting for immigration at the Bali airport. Imagine their shock when they are asked to dole out US $35 fee per person and that too in cash!! They hadn’t been informed about this!!
After a lovely leisurely week, when they head back home, the Sharma’s have to shell out departure tax @ 200,000 IDR (~ $16.38 USD) per person, yet again!!
Moral…..
When travelling abroad, do not be surprised if you are asked to pay an entry/ exit fee in any country. This fee can range from anywhere between US $10 to US $200.
This entry fee could be charged for various reasons: to promote tourism in Mexico (US$22), as tourist card fee in Dominican Republic (US$10) or reciprocity fees in Argentina (up to US$160). It is payable as cash in some places and online in others.
The exit fee could be a tourist tax as in Dominican Republic (US$20), or departure tax for Mexico (US$25) or Kenya (US$40). Some of these taxes are to be paid in cash and some via prepayment method. Yet others are included in the airline tickets.
It helps to be aware and well prepared about such travel tips when heading abroad and makes one a SMART TRAVELER. Knowing about the applicability of entry/exit fees for your travel destination will ensure that the expense doesn’t come as a surprise (or should we say a ‘SHOCK’) and dampen the excitement of your overseas trip.
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