El Salvador is now charging a fee of $1,000 from passengers belonging to India or any one of the more than 50 African countries. The port authority on October 20 said people travelling from these countries will be obliged to pay the fee, which is a bid to curb migration to the US via the Central American country.
While El Salvador allows Indians visa-free travel for 90 days, passengers will now have to pay an additional $1,000, which is INR 83,249. If value added tax is added to this amount, passengers from India and Africa will then have to pay $1,130 (Rs 94,067.42).
According to a report published by Bloomberg, the new fee took effect from October 23 and was imposed due to increased use of El Salvador’s main international airport. The report said the money collected will be used to improve this airport.
The country’s president, Nayib Bukele, met Brian Nichols, US assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, this week to discuss “efforts to address irregular migration” among other topics. El Salvador is a much preferred route for migrants from Africa and other countries to make it to the US via Central America.
Had an excellent meeting with @nayibbukele. We discussed El Salvador’s support for the international mission in Haiti, efforts to promote foreign direct investment in El Salvador, bilateral cooperation on rule of law, and mutual efforts to address irregular migration. -BAN pic.twitter.com/cLcCOHYlAT— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) October 26, 2023
Bloomberg said US Customs and Border Patrol encountered a record 3.2 million migrants across the country in the 2023 fiscal, which ended in September. Airlines will have to notify Salvadoran authorities about the number of passengers entering the country on a daily basis from India and a list of 57 African countries.
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