The question usually comes up near the end of a trip, with a rum punch finished, a bag of Marie Sharp’s hot sauce wrapped in a T-shirt and a few leftover Belize dollars in a pocket. Leaving Belize does carry exit charges. Flying out of the airport in Ladyville brings two of them, and the water taxi to Chetumal has its own border fees.
Is there a departure tax in Belize?
Yes, travelers leaving Belize pay exit charges, and the ones that matter depend on how you leave. By air, the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport lists a Passenger Service Fee and a Protected Areas Conservation Trust fee, usually called the PACT fee. By water taxi to Mexico, border management collects a departure fee and an entrance fee.
The airport sits in Ladyville, about 10 miles from downtown Belize City. It is the gateway for nearly every international flight, and it is also where the domestic hops to the cayes begin, so many travelers meet these fees on the last morning of a trip that started on a small boat or a puddle-jumper.
Flying out of Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport
Two names to know. The Passenger Service Fee is the standard airport charge, the kind of fee you find at airports around the world. The PACT fee is the more Belizean of the pair: the Protected Areas Conservation Trust is the body behind conservation work in the country’s parks, reserves and reef, so this charge connects your departure to the places you may have just visited.
The airport splits its traffic between two terminals. Terminal 1 handles COPA, Sun Country, Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos, Maya Island Air and Tropic Air. Terminal 2 serves Air Canada, Alaska Air, American, Delta, Southwest, United and Westjet. Check-in counters for all airlines are in these two terminals, so knowing which one your carrier uses saves you a lap of the building.
Heading home to the United States, you will leave through Terminal 2 if you fly one of the U.S. carriers named above. TSA PreCheck is not available at this airport, so travelers who are used to a faster lane at home go through the regular line here.
Leaving by water taxi for Chetumal, Mexico
Some travelers leave Belize by sea. San Pedro Belize Express runs a route between Belize City, Caye Caulker, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye and Chetumal, Mexico, and on the way out of Belize the border has its own charges.
The departure fee can be paid in Belize dollars or U.S. dollars, in cash only, and the entrance fee for Mexico is set in Mexican pesos and paid by credit card only. Both go to border management.
The boat leaves from San Pedro on a crossing that takes about an hour and a half. In Chetumal the water taxi uses the Terminal Maritima Internacional Filiberto Sabido Padilla. The city makes a pleasant first stop in Mexico, with a walk along Boulevard Bahía by the bay, local food at the restaurants along it, and the Museum of Mayan Culture, which is divided into several sections of regional exhibits.
Why the road to the airport matters too
Roadwork and dredging are underway on the airport access road, which means slower traffic and uneven surfaces on the way to the terminal. Drivers are asked to reduce speed, follow the flaggers in the work zone and watch for dredging equipment and workers near the roadway. Travelers heading to the airport are advised to leave extra time.
None of this changes what you pay, but it changes how your last morning feels. A calm drive in, a coffee before the counters and a relaxed look around the terminal are worth more than a rushed arrival with fees still to sort out.
How much is it and who pays?
Departing passengers at the airport pay a Passenger Service Fee and a PACT fee, and travelers crossing to Chetumal pay border fees, with the amounts set out in the table.
| Fee | Where | Amount | How it is paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger Service Fee | Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport | US$53.50 | Listed by the airport |
| PACT fee | Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport | US$20.00 | Listed by the airport |
| Departure fee, Belize to Chetumal | Border management | BZ$40.00 or US$20.00 | Cash only |
| Entrance fee, Belize to Chetumal | Border management | 861 Mexican pesos | Credit card only |
Who pays at the airport
The two airport charges apply to passengers departing from Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport. Because the airport lists them as passenger fees, plan on each person in your party being responsible for their own, including family members traveling together.
Many travelers like to think of the PACT fee as a small contribution back to the places they enjoyed, whether that was a reef, a cave or a wildlife sanctuary. It is a charge you pay once on the way out, rather than an entry ticket at each park.
Who pays at the water taxi crossing
Anyone traveling from Belize to Chetumal faces the border fees in the table, paid to border management. The water taxi fare is a separate matter.
On the domestic routes between Belize City, Caye Caulker and San Pedro, infants under one year travel free as lap children, children from four to ten pay a children’s rate and anyone older pays the regular fare. On the international route to Chetumal, ages one and above pay the regular fare.
Groups of more than twelve people qualify for one free ticket on San Pedro Belize Express. Customers with disabilities can board first by letting a supervisor or captain know before boarding, and wheelchairs are available if necessary. These are fare and boarding details, not exit fees, but they help when a whole family or a large group is leaving together.
Other costs on the way out
If you are coming from the cayes, shared transportation from the airport to the Belize City water taxi terminal costs US$25.00 for the first person and US$10.00 for each additional person, one way. The Ladyville Airport Taxi Association runs the taxi service at the airport, taking passengers to Belize City and other destinations around the country.
The boat from Belize City to Caye Caulker takes about 45 minutes, and from Belize City to San Pedro about an hour and a half. Caye Caulker to San Pedro is roughly 30 minutes. Those times help you work back from a flight, since the water taxi is the link many travelers use between the islands and the mainland.
How is it collected?
At the water taxi crossing to Chetumal, border management collects the fees directly, the departure fee in cash and the Mexican entrance fee by credit card. The airport fees are listed by the airport as part of its passenger information, and your day at the terminal is organized around check-in, security and boarding.
At the border crossing to Chetumal
Carry cash in Belize dollars or U.S. dollars for the departure fee, because it cannot be paid by card. Carry a credit card for the entrance fee, because it cannot be paid in cash. San Pedro Belize Express accepts most major credit cards, Visa, Mastercard and Discover, for walk-in purchases at its terminals, which covers your fare but is a different payment from the border fees.
Passengers coming back from Chetumal must overnight at either Caye Caulker or San Pedro before taking a morning vessel on to Belize City. The boat from Chetumal reaches San Pedro in about an hour and forty minutes, followed by another half hour to Caye Caulker after customs and immigration. Built into a trip, that overnight is a pleasant reason to linger on an island.
In Chetumal, expect heat, so pack light clothes, a hat, sunscreen, a water bottle and a light wrap, even in winter. Beyond the bay walk, the old district has dozens of colonial homes in beautiful condition on sand-ridden roads, Zoo Payo Obispo shows regional and global animals, and Kohunlich, just outside the city, is home to the Temple of the Masks.
At the airport
The airport is open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with services beyond those hours available on request. Passengers are encouraged to arrive three to four hours before the scheduled departure. With roadwork on the access road, that cushion earns its place.
The terminal measures 110,000 square feet and includes the international and domestic terminals, with ten departure gates in all. Your airline’s counter is in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, and the airport posts a downloadable PDF of arrivals and departures that is updated through the year, including the one for October. Smoking is allowed only outside the terminal building, as it has been since 2003.
Liquids and gels in carry-on luggage must be in containers of 3 ounces or less, all fitting in a clear zip-lock bag no larger than one quart. Anything larger must be checked, which matters for bottles of rum, hot sauce and jars of honey from the market.
Items left in the terminal go to the Security Office in Terminal 1 and are kept for 60 days before being donated or destroyed. COVID testing is no longer available at the airport for departing passengers.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.
Passengers entering or leaving Belize must declare currency above US$10,000. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so an October departure falls inside it. Drivers leaving a car at the airport use Car Park A, since Car Park B is for airport employees, and car rental agencies are across from the terminal at the Rental Services Center.
| Fee | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Daily parking, Car Park A | US$2.00 per day | Drivers parking a car at the airport |
| Overnight parking, Car Park A | US$9.00 per night | Drivers leaving a car overnight |
Sources
- Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize), FAQ (https://www.pgiabelize.com/about-us/faq/), checked October 11, 2026
- Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize), Quick facts (https://www.pgiabelize.com/passenger-info/quick-facts/), checked October 11, 2026
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, FAQ (https://belizewatertaxi.com/information/faq/), checked October 11, 2026
- San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, Chetumal (https://belizewatertaxi.com/destinations/chetumal/), checked October 11, 2026
- Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize), Arrival and departure (https://www.pgiabelize.com/arrival-departure/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026