Who pays the $100 nonresident fee at 11 national parks, and when a $250 pass is cheaper
Nonresidents pay $100 per person at 11 of the most visited US parks unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass. Here is who pays, which fees it covers and when the pass saves money.
Visitors who are not residents of the United States pay an extra $100 per person to enter 11 of the National Park Service's most visited parks. The surcharge has applied since January 1, 2026, on top of each park's standard entrance fee.
The main alternative is the America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass, priced at $250. For travellers who plan to visit several of the covered parks, the pass can cost less than paying the surcharge at each one. This article draws on the NPS passes page, an NPS news release dated November 25, 2025, and a Congressional Research Service report updated on August 25, 2026.
Who pays the $100 surcharge
The surcharge applies to nonresidents aged 16 and older. The NPS passes page sets that age threshold.
A nonresident who holds an annual or America the Beautiful pass does not pay the surcharge. The same $100 applies to nonresidents in commercial tour, commercial use authorization and concessionaire tour groups, unless they use the Non-Resident Annual Pass.
Fee-free days work differently. Free entrance days apply only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Nonresidents pay the regular entrance fee and any nonresident fee on those days.
The 11 parks and how the fee stacks
The Interior Department's announcement refers to '11 of the most visited national parks' without naming them. The NPS passes page lists them: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion.
The surcharge is added to the entrance fee rather than replacing it. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) uses a $35 private-vehicle fee as an example of a standard entrance fee. On that example, a car with four adults aged 16 or older would pay $435 for one visit: $400 in surcharges and $35 in entrance fee. The sources do not give each park's fee, so that figure is an illustration only.
The sources reviewed list these 11 parks only. They do not indicate that the surcharge applies at other National Park Service sites.
What the $250 pass covers
The Non-Resident Annual Pass is the only America the Beautiful pass open to nonresidents. The NPS passes page says all other America the Beautiful passes are for U.S. citizens and residents. The resident annual pass costs $80.
The nonresident pass covers the entrance fee and the nonresident fee for the holder and a group defined by fee type. Where the fee is per vehicle, it covers up to 15 passengers in a private vehicle, or passengers on two motorcycles. Where fees are per person, it covers the holder plus three additional people aged 16 and over.
The passes page also says America the Beautiful passes cover standard amenity, or day-use, fees at Federal recreational sites, including national parks. The NPS release says the passes are becoming fully digital through Recreation.gov.
“The pass costs more than two surcharges and less than three, so its value depends on how many covered parks a trip includes.”
When the pass is the cheaper option
Counting only the surcharge, one nonresident adult visiting one covered park pays $100. Two parks cost $200 and three parks cost $300. The $250 pass therefore costs more than the surcharge at one or two parks, and less than it at three.
For a group of four adults visiting a park where the per-person fee applies, the surcharges total $400 at that single park. The pass covers the holder plus three additional people, so it costs $250 for the group and covers all four. On that basis, the pass is cheaper even at a single park.
These figures count only the surcharge. They leave out entrance fees, which the pass also covers, so they do not show the full cost of a trip.
The legal basis, pending bills and the data gaps
Executive Order 14314, dated July 3, 2025, directed the Interior Secretary to raise National Park Service entrance and recreation pass fees for nonresidents, according to the CRS. The fees are set under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which the CRS says generally lets parks keep at least 80% of the revenue they generate.
Two bills would put a surcharge into statute. As of the CRS report, H.R. 9250 had been ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources, and S. 1547 had been reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. They define affected travellers differently. H.R. 9250 would cover people aged 16 or older traveling on B visas or without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. S. 1547 would cover anyone without lawful permanent resident status or citizenship.
Both bills would generally direct surcharge revenue to the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund under specified conditions, while current surcharge revenue stays with the NPS. The CRS says it is unclear whether an enacted bill would replace or add to the current surcharges.
Data is limited. The CRS notes that the NPS has not systematically tracked international visitors. An International Trade Administration (ITA) survey of air passengers on flights leaving the US for overseas or Mexican destinations found that 31% reported visiting national parks and monuments. The agency estimated 46.4 million international air travelers visited the U.S. in 2025.
Yellowstone's international share of summer visitors was 17% in 2016, 30% in 2018 and 15% in 2024. A Yellowstone study projected revenue gains from a $100 surcharge, along with a small drop in international visits. The CRS does not report actual revenue from the 2026 fees.
Some members of Congress have raised concerns that the fees could reduce international visits. The CRS also cites news reports of internal NPS guidance directing park staff to verbally ask visitors about residency, and reports of entrance delays. Interior Department officials have reportedly said that staffing and traffic flow will be monitored.
