Late last summer, stories began to circulate of tourists at Cancun International Airport receiving the “laptop fine.” emerges and goes viral On the Internet.
While Mexico's Tax Administration Service that oversees customs has a provision that limits international arrivals to bringing more than one laptop or electronic tablet into the country without paying taxes, the obscure rule has been applied rarely and inconsistently. over the years.
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As she described to the media, Florida resident Tammy Levent traveled to Cancun with her laptop and an iPad dozens of times without problems before an incident in September 2024 in which she was pulled aside to examine her luggage and imposed fined $200 after an officer found her. both devices in your bag.
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Amid the bad press that the unusual rule on laptops got in Mexico after several similar incidents in Cancun International in particular, the governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, announced that the tax on laptops has been eliminated effective on October 11 due to the “inconvenience and inconvenience it has created.”
Here's what you need to know about Mexico's obscure laptop rule (and its elimination)
With more than 32.7 million passengers passing through its doors in 2023, Cancun airport was left only behind the capital, Mexico City, as the busiest in the country, while many international tourists arrive loaded with technology to make a remote work (the country has been working to promote itself as a destination for digital nomads and other remote workers) or simply having fun while lounging at an all-inclusive resort.
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“Due to several situations detected at the Cancun International Airport regarding the charging of residents and tourists in a process that has affected the image of the destination, and has generated discomfort and inconvenience to our visitors… we have decided to eliminate the criterion that imposed a fee on incoming passengers to bring a computer and tablet to Cancun International Airport,” Lezama said in the original Spanish in a facebook message. (GOAL) video.
Federal law is written so that a traveler who brings two large electronic devices can be charged up to 19%, or whatever is less than $4,000, of the value of the most expensive device as a tax and may be denied entry. to Mexico if it refuses to pay it.
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'Tourism is a priority activity and the rationalization of service processes must be permanent'
While any airport that receives international arrivals (as well as any land and sea port of entry) can also enforce the rule, reports of travelers actually being forced to pay for it come only from Cancun. Airports in other Mexican states have not issued statements on whether they currently apply or will continue to apply the laptop tax.
“For Quintana Roo, tourism is a priority activity and the streamlining of tourist service processes must be permanent,” announced Lezama.
Cancun airport is also known to be strict about turning away travelers who have a passport with small marks or anything else that is not in perfect condition; As a result, airlines will also more frequently deny boarding to these travelers to avoid situations where they are not allowed entry at customs and the carrier has to take them home at their expense.
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