Travel Tips - International Airport Taxes
When traveling internationally, there is nothing more annoying than those pesky airport taxes.
An easily-forgettable afterthought, airport taxes are fees charged to travelers, usually departing, for "use of the airport" or some other such nonsense.
Although, in the olden days, most international airports had silly little kiosks where one had to queue up to pay the price and retain a ticket to prove they'd paid their way out, most have now converted to a system where these taxes are included in the price of your airfare.
Now only a few countries around the world still utilize those obnoxious airport tax kiosks that can really put a damper on the last few minutes of your trip.
Airport taxes, also known as departure taxes or entry taxes, are essentially a way for countries around the world to exploit travelers for those last few bits of cash.
Since most countries now use the airfare-inclusive system, it is easy to forget about these taxes when traveling in a country where you must still pay them at a kiosk in the airport.
Airport departure fees range in amount and can be anywhere from just a few bills of the local currency to over $100 USD, as is the case for North American and Australian travelers to Argentina, who must pay a "reciprocity fee".
This tax is the equivalent of what Argentine citizens must pay for a visa to their country.
So, in the case of Americans traveling to Argentina or Chile, they must pay $131 - the same price that Argentine and Chilean travelers must pay for a visa to the United States.
If you are unsure about whether or not a departure tax is in use in the country that you're traveling to, be sure to check online for country-specific information about airport fees.
Travel Nation has also compiled a useful list of countries where you must still pay an airport tax in person, but bear in mind that fee amounts and general tax practices are subject to change, so it's best to check with the U.
S.
Department of State's Country Specific Information sheets for the most up-to-date info about departure taxes.
An easily-forgettable afterthought, airport taxes are fees charged to travelers, usually departing, for "use of the airport" or some other such nonsense.
Although, in the olden days, most international airports had silly little kiosks where one had to queue up to pay the price and retain a ticket to prove they'd paid their way out, most have now converted to a system where these taxes are included in the price of your airfare.
Now only a few countries around the world still utilize those obnoxious airport tax kiosks that can really put a damper on the last few minutes of your trip.
Airport taxes, also known as departure taxes or entry taxes, are essentially a way for countries around the world to exploit travelers for those last few bits of cash.
Since most countries now use the airfare-inclusive system, it is easy to forget about these taxes when traveling in a country where you must still pay them at a kiosk in the airport.
Airport departure fees range in amount and can be anywhere from just a few bills of the local currency to over $100 USD, as is the case for North American and Australian travelers to Argentina, who must pay a "reciprocity fee".
This tax is the equivalent of what Argentine citizens must pay for a visa to their country.
So, in the case of Americans traveling to Argentina or Chile, they must pay $131 - the same price that Argentine and Chilean travelers must pay for a visa to the United States.
If you are unsure about whether or not a departure tax is in use in the country that you're traveling to, be sure to check online for country-specific information about airport fees.
Travel Nation has also compiled a useful list of countries where you must still pay an airport tax in person, but bear in mind that fee amounts and general tax practices are subject to change, so it's best to check with the U.
S.
Department of State's Country Specific Information sheets for the most up-to-date info about departure taxes.
Source...