Australians and overseas visitors leaving the country will pay $80 in exit fees from 1 January 2027, after the federal government lifted the passenger movement charge by $10 in Tuesday night’s budget. The charge, which applies to departures by air or sea, is paid by almost everyone leaving Australia.
The increase means the levy will rise from $70 to $80, an extra 14.29 per cent on top of the current fee. For a family heading overseas after the new rate takes effect, the cost will be immediate: every traveller will pay the higher charge, regardless of when the ticket was booked.
The passenger movement charge is an exit tax levied on every person leaving Australia except in special cases. Travellers under 11, foreign military personnel, airline staff and people who unintentionally arrive in Australia for reasons beyond their control are exempt. Passengers can also get a refund if their departure does not happen for certain reasons.
The government expects the change to bring in an additional $755 million over five years. It did not say in the budget how the money would be spent. The increase comes as the fee, first introduced in its modern form in 1995 at $27, has climbed steadily and is now described as close to a 200 per cent rise since then. Australia’s departure tax is already seen by industry groups as one of the highest in the world, and airlines are facing sharply higher fuel costs that could be passed on to passengers.
The charge traces back to 1978, when Australia introduced the original departure tax to help recover costs linked to passenger processing at air and sea ports. Over time, it has also been tied to aviation security and other travel-related spending. This latest rise follows the same pattern of using travellers as a source of revenue, but without a new public explanation for where the extra money will go.
For travellers, the question is not whether the fee will matter, but how quickly it will be felt. Anyone departing Australia after 1 January 2027 will pay the higher amount, and the bill will follow them whether they fly out of Sydney or sail from another port. The increase is already locked in, and the extra $10 will be collected at the border before most travellers even leave the country.
