By Ramiro Del Rio · reviewed October 13, 2026

San Blas Entry Tax: $22, Cash or Card, Not in Tour Price

Entering San Blas costs $22 per foreign visitor and $7 per Panamanian or resident; children aged 0 to 9 don’t pay. The tax is not included in the price of any tour: you pay it separately, on the day of your trip, at the Guna Yala comarca checkpoint on the road in. On our tours you pay it to the driver, in cash or by card.

How much is the San Blas entry tax?

Three things worth getting straight before you leave the hotel:

• It’s charged per person, not per group or per vehicle. Every traveler who isn’t exempt pays their own share.
• What counts is your age on the day of the tour. A child who has already turned 10 pays the full rate.
• It’s separate from what you pay for the tour. Neither the booking deposit nor the balance of the day trip covers it.

Why isn’t it included in the tour price?

Because it isn’t the operator’s money. Guna Yala is a comarca: an autonomous indigenous territory with its own authorities and its own entry checkpoint. The tax is collected by the Guna authorities and it’s income for the comarca, not for us.

If we folded it into our price, we’d be charging on someone else’s behalf for money that gets handed over at the checkpoint anyway. That’s why every honest day-trip offer carries the same line: “comarca tax not included.” It isn’t fine print designed to catch you out at the end. It’s the straightforward way to separate what the tour covers — transport, boat, lunch, guide — from what you pay directly to the people who govern the territory.

Seen from the island, it makes sense: for one day you’re stepping into the home of a people who decide who comes in and on what terms. The $22 is the price of that door.

Example: what a family pays

A foreign couple travels with their two kids, aged 6 and 11:

The 11-year-old pays as an adult; the 6-year-old goes in free. If one of the two adults were Panamanian, they’d pay $7 instead of $22 and the total would drop to $51. Traveling with children? San Blas with kids covers the rest of what you’ll want to know.

Where and when do you pay it on a day trip?

On the road, before you ever step on the boat. Here’s how it fits into the day:

1. We pick you up at your hotel in Panama City around 5:00 AM.
2. The 4x4 crosses the mountains: roughly 2 h 30 of winding road.
3. Before you reach the port of Cartí there’s the comarca checkpoint. That’s where the tax is paid and where foreigners show their passport.
4. We carry on to the port, and by around 8:30 you’re on the first island.

We’ll give you a heads-up shortly before the checkpoint so you have the money ready. It’s a quick formality, and it goes far more smoothly when everyone has their amount set aside than when the whole group starts hunting for change by the roadside.

Your passport is the other half of the process: it has to be with you in the 4x4, not locked in the hotel safe. Which document works in which case is explained in documents for San Blas.

How to carry the tax money

• In cash or by card, to the driver. If you drive there on your own, though, it’s cash in dollars at the checkpoint.
• If you pay in cash, the exact amount for each person, in small bills. An envelope or a separate pocket works perfectly.
• Separate cash for extras: drinks beyond the one with lunch, crafts and tips. There are no ATMs or card machines on the islands, so whatever you don’t bring from the city simply won’t be there. We do the full math in how much cash to bring.

What the whole day costs

The tax is added on top of the tour price, which starts from $114. What the tour covers doesn’t change: door-to-door 4x4 both ways, boat between islands with life jackets, a typical lunch with one drink, a guide from the Guna community and snorkel gear on the islands. Only three things are left out: this tax, extra drinks and tips.

You secure your date with a deposit and pay the rest of the tour on the day; the tax is a third, separate payment that goes straight to the comarca. If you’d like to get closer to the people who collect it, the Guna Yala tour gives a good part of the day to their culture.

Frequently asked questions

Is the San Blas tax included in the tour price? No. No tour includes it, because the operator doesn’t collect it: the Guna authorities do, at the comarca checkpoint. You pay it separately on the day of the tour.

How much do children pay? Children aged 0 to 9 are exempt. From age 10 they pay the full rate: $22 if they’re foreigners and $7 if they’re Panamanian or residents.

Do I pay it when I book or on the day? On the day, at the Guna Yala entry checkpoint on the road to Cartí: you pay it to the driver, in cash or by card. The booking deposit and the tour balance are separate from the tax.

Do I need my passport? Yes, if you’re a foreigner: you show it at the comarca checkpoint. Keep it with you in the 4x4 rather than leaving it at the hotel.

Who gets the tax money? The comarca. It’s collected by the Guna authorities and it’s their income; the tour operator keeps none of that $22.