Fees and taxes
Tourist taxes and entry fees, country by country.
The charges that catch US travelers out are the ones that move on political timelines: city accommodation levies, and entry fees like the UK ETA. This page keeps the ones we watch most closely in one place, with the amount, when it took effect, and a link to the official source. Every figure is pulled from a country guide and carries the same checked date. This page is the per-night levies and entry fees. For everything else that lands on an accommodation bill, the service charges, resort fees and municipality levies that are not per-night taxes, see hotel taxes and fees. For the everyday taxes and tipping in a country, the full guide has the detail.
Tracked entry fees and city levies
The 47 high-churn charges we check against their official source and date. Type a country to jump to it, and the chip shows whether a charge is in effect now, coming, or only proposed. Each links to the official source and to the full country guide.
ED Card and sustainability fee
Mandatory online form before boarding, 20 dollars per person (under 8 exempt)
Tourist levy on accommodation
12.5% of the room rate, plus about 3 dollars per room per night environmental levy
Card surcharge ban
Surcharges on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard end nationwide; Amex and PayPal surcharges can continue
ETA (entry authorization)
Required for US visitors, AUD 20 service fee, applied for only in the official Australian ETA app
Bahrain visitor visa (US citizens)
Required and not free. Two routes: a visa on arrival at Bahrain International Airport, single entry, for stays of up to 14 days, or an eVisa in advance through the NPRA portal, which reaches 90 days a visit on multiple-entry versions. We publish no amount because the portal is the only current source for it
Brazil visitor e-visa (US citizens)
about 81 dollars, on the official VFS portal before boarding
Cambodia tourist visa (30 days, US citizens)
About $36 on the official e-visa site (a $30 visa plus a $6 processing fee), or $30 as a visa on arrival at the airport, with clean US dollars and a passport photo. A free e-Arrival Card is also required within 7 days of arrival.
240-hour visa-free transit
Up to 10 days without a visa only if continuing to a third country, via a designated port
Tourist (L) visa for US citizens
Required for a normal round trip, roughly 185 to 250 dollars all in, applied for in advance
Galapagos National Park entrance fee
200 dollars per foreign adult, 100 per child, cash on arrival
Galapagos transit control card (INGALA)
20 dollars per person, bought in cash at the mainland airport
Egypt tourist visa (30-day, US citizens)
about 25 to 30 dollars single entry, as an e-visa on the official portal or on arrival
Mandatory travel insurance (Decree 602)
Required for all tourists from 1 Jan 2026, at least 30,000 GEL of medical and accident cover
Hotel Accommodation Tax
3% on the room charge, usually shown in the hotel bill; exemptions include stays of 28 or more consecutive nights and guesthouses with fewer than 10 rooms
India e-Tourist Visa (30-day, US citizens)
about 25 dollars April to June, about 40 dollars July to March, on the official portal before you fly
Indonesia visa on arrival (30-day, US citizens)
IDR 500,000 (about 35 dollars), as an e-VOA on the official portal or on arrival, extendable once
Tax-free shopping switches to a refund
You will pay the 10% consumption tax in store and reclaim it at the airport
Laos tourist visa (30 days, US citizens)
About $40 as a visa on arrival at the airport, or roughly $50 via the official e-visa, plus two passport photos and the fee in clean US dollars or Thai baht. A free online Lao immigration form is also required before arrival.
Closed currency
The dirham is a closed currency: you cannot buy it abroad or spend it once you leave, so withdraw it on arrival and convert any leftover before you fly home. Carrying dirhams out is tightly limited (2,000 MAD in cash), so plan to exchange the rest at the airport
Tourist tax (taxe de sejour), set by Law 47-06 on local taxation, published by the DGI (Morocco's tax authority)
About 10 to 30 MAD per person per night depending on the property class and city; children under 12 exempt; usually paid in cash at your hotel or riad. A separate municipal or tourism-promotion tax can add a little more
Cruise day-visit fee (Walvis Bay and Luderitz)
N$300 per cruise passenger disembarking for a day visit at Walvis Bay or Luderitz harbours.
Namibia tourist visa (US citizens)
Required since 1 April 2025 at N$1,600 (about US$88), via the online e-visa portal or visa on arrival at main airports and border posts. Default stay is generally 30 days, sometimes up to 90 at the officer's discretion. Bring a printed approval if you apply online.
Card surcharge ban
A ban on in-store card surcharges was promised for May 2026, but the bill stalled without the coalition support to pass it, so surcharges still apply and there is no date to plan around
International Visitor Levy (IVL)
NZD 100 per visitor, paid with your NZeTA, non-refundable
NZeTA (entry authorization)
Required for US visitors: NZD 17 in the app or NZD 23 online, valid two years, multiple entry
Oman eVisa (stays over 14 days)
Required and not free once a trip runs past 14 days, applied for in advance through the Royal Oman Police portal. Most US trips here never meet it. We publish no amount because the figures we found were secondary and of varying dates, and the ROP portal is the only current source
Visa-free stay for US citizens (14 days or less)
No visa and no fee for a stay of up to 14 days, conditional on a passport valid six months, a confirmed hotel booking, health insurance and a return ticket. The 14 days cannot be extended or converted at the border
eTravel registration
Free and mandatory online, within 72 hours before arrival and again on departure
Tourist VAT refund (RA 12079)
12% VAT refundable on goods over 3,000 pesos from accredited stores, taken out within 60 days
Saudi tourist eVisa (US citizens)
Required and not free. A one-year, multiple-entry tourist eVisa from the official Visit Saudi portal, with mandatory medical insurance bundled into the fee, and a visa on arrival also available to US passport holders. We publish no amount because sources quote different figures for the two routes and the portal is the only current one
GST (sales tax)
9%, already included in displayed prices, and held at 9% for 2026 with no rise announced
SG Arrival Card (SGAC)
Mandatory and free, filed online within three days before arrival, with a short health declaration
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
Live for nationals of China, India, Indonesia and Mexico but not required for US visitors, who still get a free 90-day stamp on arrival; confirm on the official Home Affairs site before you fly
Tourist VAT refund
The 15% VAT is refundable to foreign visitors on goods over R250 taken out of the country; ask for a tax invoice and claim at the airport with your passport and the goods
e-Arrival Card
Mandatory and free, filed online before arrival if you do not hold a K-ETA
K-ETA (entry authorization)
Not required for US visitors through 31 December 2026, then required again from 1 January 2027
Sri Lanka tourist ETA (30 days, US citizens)
Free of charge for US citizens since 25 May 2026 under the 40-country fee-waiver scheme, but still mandatory: apply online at the official ETA portal before you fly. Valid 30 days with double-entry. Confirm the fee shows as zero for your passport before you rely on it.
Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC)
Free online arrival card required for entry, filed up to seven days before arrival, having replaced the paper card
Tourist VAT refund (TRS)
5% VAT refundable on goods of NT$2,000 or more per store per day, claimed before departure within 90 days
Air arrival fee
Proposed at 450 baht (about $14) for air arrivals, raised from 300 baht in August 2026, still not being collected, with the timeline slipped to late 2026 or early 2027
Edinburgh visitor levy
5% of the room price before VAT, capped at the first five nights
Vietnam e-visa (up to 90 days, US citizens)
$25 single entry or $50 multiple entry, on the official e-visa portal before you fly
No country by that name here yet. See all country guides.
We check these against official pages and date each guide, and how that works is on our methodology page. For how each country actually pays, day to day, see cash or card by country, and for the full stack on a hotel bill, hotel taxes and fees. Rules and fees change, so confirm anything critical on the official source before you rely on it.