El Salvador introduces $1,000 tax for travelers from Africa
• El Salvador has recently introduced a $1,000 fee for travelers coming from Africa, and India.
• The country serves as a vital hub for one of the region’s most important airlines, offering direct connections to over 30 destinations in 14 different countries.
• El Salvador says it is working hard on modernization and expansion projects at the El Salvador International Airport, to provide a first-class service to all users.
El Salvador has recently introduced a $1,000 fee for travelers coming from Africa, and India.
El Salvador’s port authority has stipulated that travellers holding passports from India or any of the 50-plus African nations must pay this fee, with the collected funds allocated for the improvement of the country’s main international airport.
The Government of President Nayib Bukele says it is working hard on modernization and expansion projects at the El Salvador International Airport, to provide a first-class service to all users and passengers who circulate through the air terminal.
The country serves as a vital hub for one of the region’s most important airlines, offering direct connections to over 30 destinations in 14 different countries.
According to the port authority “There has been an increase in the number of passengers entering, leaving and connecting at the airport, compared to previous years.
“Therefore, we inform you about the application of the Airport Improvement Fee of the El Salvador International Airport, San Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez, for passengers in transit:
While the Salvadoran authorities didn’t explicitly mention it, this measure seems to target the growing number of African and Indian travellers transiting through the airport. Many of these passengers use flights with stopovers to Managua, Nicaragua, as part of their journey to the United States.
The port authority said airlines will notify the billing, collection and payments section of the AIES-SORG daily, through a list that must contain the name of the passenger, nationality, arriving flight and departing flight, of the following nationalities:
Before boarding, passengers must pay the corresponding amount of 1,130 USD (1,000 USD + 13% VAT), per passenger. This airport improvement fee became effective on October 23, 2023
The Billing, Collection, and Payments Division of AIES-SOARG will generate the relevant fiscal document every week, summarizing the information provided by the airlines.
Africa.businessinsider.com
