IMMEX: manufacturing in Mexico for export

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IMMEX is the program behind much of Mexico's export manufacturing: it lets a plant bring in parts, materials and machinery without paying import duty up front, as long as the finished goods leave Mexico. New tariffs and a customs reform in 2026 have made the rules stricter and raised the cost of mistakes.

Published October 23, 2026 · Facts as of October 23, 2026 · 9 min read · Sources listed at the end · Rules as of October 23, 2026

Facts as of October 23, 2026. This page states the facts as they stood on that date. Tariffs, rules and figures may have changed since publication. Tariffs and trade policy change often, so we review these pages every month and update them.

6,520Establishments with an IMMEX program, June 2026, preliminary INEGI data ²

3.19 millionPeople employed by IMMEX establishments, June 2026 ²

59.9%Share of IMMEX establishments' income from foreign markets, June 2026 ²

18 monthsTime imported inputs can stay in Mexico under a temporary import, per a customs law commentary ⁴

What is it?

IMMEX is a decree that lets a company import materials, parts and machinery temporarily, without paying import duty, to make goods that leave Mexico ¹. In June 2026, 6,520 establishments held a program ².

Why does it matter?

IMMEX plants employed 3.19 million people in June 2026, and 59.9% of their income came from foreign markets ². For a manufacturer, the program decides which import taxes it pays now, which it defers and which it may owe later ^1,5.

How does it work?

The company gets a program from Mexico's economy ministry, imports inputs on temporary import declarations, keeps an inventory control system and sends the finished goods out of Mexico within the time allowed ^1,3,4.

In this guide

1. What is IMMEX, and how big is it?
2. How does an IMMEX import work, step by step?
3. Which taxes are deferred, and which are paid?
4. What must an IMMEX company keep and report?
5. What changed in 2025 and 2026?
6. Where does an IMMEX manufacturer need cash?

01What is IMMEX, and how big is it?

IMMEX stands for the decree for the manufacturing, maquiladora and export services industry. It lets a company bring in inputs and machinery temporarily, without paying import duty, to process, assemble or repair goods that then leave Mexico ¹.

INEGI, Mexico's statistics office, counted 6,520 establishments with an IMMEX program in June 2026: 5,214 in manufacturing and 1,306 outside manufacturing. The figures are preliminary ². They employed 3,189,546 people ².

Their income in June 2026 was MXN 697.0 billion, of which MXN 417.3 billion, or 59.9%, came from foreign markets ². Users include manufacturers, contract manufacturers and shelter operators, which host foreign companies' production under their own program ^2,3. Our auto parts brief shows one industry where inputs cross the border in both directions.

02How does an IMMEX import work, step by step?

The company first applies to the Secretaría de Economía, the economy ministry, for a program. Modalities include industrial, services and shelter programs ³. Garrigues, a law firm, describes the export test as annual foreign sales above US$500,000, or exports of at least 10% of total sales ¹. Check the current decree before you apply.

Once authorized, the company imports inputs on a temporary import pedimento filed by its broker; our guide to customs brokers and the pedimento covers that step. Inputs, packaging and fuels can stay in Mexico for up to 18 months, and machinery and other capital goods for the life of the program, according to a commentary on the customs law ⁴.

Before the time runs out, the goods must be exported, transferred to another IMMEX company or given another customs destination ¹. The plant tracks each input through an inventory control system and files an annual operations report ³.

1. Inputs arriveParts, materials and machinery enter on a temporary import pedimento, with import duty deferred.
2. The clock startsInputs can stay up to 18 months. Machinery can stay for the life of the program.
3. ProductionThe plant makes, assembles or repairs goods. The inventory system tracks each input.
4. ExitThe goods are exported, transferred to another IMMEX company or given another customs destination.
5. ReportThe company files its annual operations report and keeps its records for audit.

Imported inputs can stay in Mexico for up to 18 months under an IMMEX temporary import, and each one must be tracked.

03Which taxes are deferred, and which are paid?

Import duty is deferred, within limits. Trade agreements set those limits according to where the inputs come from and where the finished goods go ⁵. EY notes that the deferred duty can become payable on exports to certain territories, such as the USMCA area, on a move to definitive import and on transfers to companies outside IMMEX ⁵. This matters for an exporter selling to the US with inputs from Asia. Our guide to USMCA rules of origin explains which inputs count as North American.

Import VAT works differently. An IMMEX company pays it at import unless it holds the VAT and IEPS certification, which gives it a tax credit equal to the VAT due ¹. A company without the certification pays the VAT and waits to recover it, which ties up working capital.

Compare

Import taxes with and without an IMMEX program

Simplified. Treatment depends on the tariff line, the origin of the inputs and where the finished goods go. Rules as of October 23, 2026.

Tax or item	Ordinary import	Temporary import under IMMEX
Import duty (IGI)	Paid at import at the rate for the tariff line, or a lower rate under a trade agreement. See landed cost	Deferred. Can become payable on exports to USMCA countries, on definitive import or on transfer outside IMMEX 5
Import VAT (IVA)	Paid at import	Paid at import, unless the company holds the VAT and IEPS certification, which grants a credit equal to the VAT 1
Excise tax (IEPS)	Paid at import where the product is taxed	Covered by the same certification, where it applies 1
Time limit	None. The goods stay in Mexico	Up to 18 months for inputs; life of the program for machinery 4

04What must an IMMEX company keep and report?

Records are the core of the program. The inventory control system and the annual operations report show where each imported input went ³. Since January 1, 2026 the reformed customs law also requires technical and accounting records of production, transformation and repair under special regimes ^8,9.

Errors now cost more. Under the same reform, fines for goods imported temporarily without IMMEX authorization, or without meeting non-tariff rules, rose from 70% to 100% of commercial value to 250% to 300% ⁹.

Checklist

What an IMMEX company keeps and files

• Program authorizationThe program granted by the Secretaría de Economía, with its modality ³.
• Inventory control (Annex 24)A system that tracks each imported input from entry to exit ³.
• Time limitsA record of when each input entered, so it leaves within the term allowed ⁴.
• Production recordsTechnical and accounting records of production, transformation and repair, required since 2026 ^8,9.
• Annual operations reportThe yearly report on the program's operations, known as the RAO ³.
• VAT and IEPS certificationOptional. It gives a tax credit equal to the import VAT ¹.

Filing dates and audit visits change from year to year. Confirm them with your customs adviser.

05What changed in 2025 and 2026?

Mexico has narrowed what can enter under IMMEX and raised duties on goods from countries without a trade agreement. From January 1, 2026 a decree raised the ad valorem duty on 1,463 tariff lines, with increased rates of 5% to 50%, for goods from countries without a trade agreement with Mexico ¹⁰. IMMEX keeps the deferral, but the higher duty can apply when goods leave the program on the terms set out above ⁵. EY also notes that customs guarantee amounts rise with the higher duty rates ⁵.

Three items to watch: the updated customs regulations and economy ministry rules that put the reform into effect; any quota system for non-agreement imports that the December 2025 decree allows ⁵; and INEGI's next monthly IMMEX bulletin. Our corridor watch keeps the live list of tariffs, and our landed cost guide shows how import taxes add up.

Rules in force

As of October 23, 2026. Live list: corridor watch.

Measure	What it does	Since	Status
Mexico duty increase, non-agreement countries	1,463 tariff lines, increased rates of 5% to 50%. IMMEX keeps the deferral, but the higher duty can apply on exit 5,10	Jan 1, 2026	In force
Customs law reform	Production and repair records for special regimes; temporary import fines of 250% to 300% of commercial value 8,9	Jan 1, 2026	In force
Footwear removed from IMMEX	Finished footwear, tariff headings 64.01 to 64.05, added to Annex I and can no longer be imported under IMMEX 6	Aug 29, 2025	In force
Apparel and textiles, chapters 61 to 63	Changes to tariffs and to the IMMEX decree, with a six-month relief announced in January 2025 7	Dec 19, 2024	Check current scope
Quota system for non-agreement imports	Allowed by a transitional article of the December 2025 decree. Status not confirmed as of October 23, 2026 5	Pending	To be confirmed

06Where does an IMMEX manufacturer need cash?

IMMEX reduces the cash paid at the border, but it does not remove the gap between buying inputs and being paid. A plant still pays for materials, wages and freight long before its US buyer pays the invoice. Without the VAT certification it also pays import VAT up front ¹.

Most plants sell on open account terms to large buyers, so the finance options are those of any manufacturer that exports, set out in our guide to financing industrial goods trade. Our guides to supplier finance from US buyers and financing a new plant's supply chain cover the options most used in this corridor.

Where the cash goes

From program award to payment

1. Set-up
   Program and machineryThe company applies for the program and brings in machinery on temporary import.
2. Inputs
   Materials and import VATInputs are paid for. Import VAT is paid too, unless the company holds the certification.
3. Production
   Wages and local costsWorkers, energy and local suppliers are paid while goods are made.
4. Exit
   Freight and any duty dueFreight is paid, and deferred duty may fall due on some exports to USMCA countries.
5. Invoice
   Waiting for paymentThe US buyer pays on its credit terms. Deductions can delay payment; see deductions and chargebacks.

The order of cash needs is typical for an export plant. Actual days depend on each contract and on the company's tax position.

Before shipmentPre-shipment finance

Funds materials and production against a confirmed order.

Inputs in stockInventory finance

Funds imported inputs while they wait in the plant.

After invoice, large buyerPayables finance

The buyer approves the invoice and a finance provider pays the plant early.

After invoice, any buyerFactoring or invoice discounting

The plant sells or borrows against its unpaid invoices.

Questions traders ask

What is the IMMEX program in Mexico?

IMMEX is a Mexican government program that lets a company import materials, parts and machinery temporarily without paying import duty, to make goods that leave Mexico. In June 2026, 6,520 establishments held a program, according to preliminary INEGI data.

How long can IMMEX imports stay in Mexico?

Inputs, packaging and fuels can stay up to 18 months. Machinery and equipment can stay for the life of the program. The goods must then be exported, transferred to another IMMEX company or given another customs destination.

Do IMMEX companies pay import VAT?

They pay it at import unless they hold the VAT and IEPS certification, which gives a tax credit equal to the VAT. Without it, the company pays the VAT and waits to recover it.

Do goods made under IMMEX and sold to the US owe Mexican duty?

They can. Duty on inputs is deferred, but it can become payable on exports to USMCA countries, depending on where the inputs come from. Inputs from countries without a trade agreement with Mexico face higher duties since January 1, 2026.

What changed for IMMEX companies in 2026?

Higher Mexican duties on 1,463 tariff lines for non-agreement countries took effect on January 1, 2026, and a customs law reform added record-keeping duties and raised fines for improper temporary imports to 250% to 300% of commercial value.

Read next

• Corridor guideCustoms brokers and the customs declaration (pedimento)
• Corridor guideUSMCA rules of origin and certificates
• Corridor guideLanded cost: import VAT, duties and fees
• Corridor guideNearshoring: financing a new plant's supply chain
• Product briefAuto parts: the trade that crosses the Mexico-US border in both directions
• Product briefComputers and servers: Mexico's largest export to the US, led by AI racks
• Ossiano Trade Finance GuideHow each trade finance instrument works
• GlossaryTrade finance terms in plain English

Manufacturing under IMMEX for trade between Mexico and the US? Ossiano Capital works on trade finance in this corridor.

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Sources and notes

1. Garrigues, Essential guide to the IMMEX regime and other programs to support manufacturing, July 30, 2025. https://www.garrigues.com/es_ES/noticia/mexico-guia-esencial-regimen-immex-otros-programas-complementarios-impulso-manufactura
2. INEGI, Boletín 493/26, IMMEX statistics, June 2026 data, published August 20, 2026. Preliminary figures. https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/saladeprensa/boletines/2026/immex/immex2026_08.pdf
3. Camtom, IMMEX program updates for 2026, February 3, 2026. https://www.camtomx.com/en/blog/programa-immex-actualizaciones-2026
4. SDV Asesores, commentary on the Ley Aduanera (Mexican customs law), temporary imports for processing. Secondary source; check the current law text. https://sdv.com.mx/compendio/ley-aduanera/articulo-108/
5. EY México, Tax Flash on new import duties, December 31, 2025. https://www.ey.com/content/dam/ey-unified-site/ey-com/es-mx/technical/tax/documents/ey-tax-flash-nuevos-aranceles-importacion.pdf
6. Forvis Mazars, New restrictions on temporary imports under IMMEX, September 8, 2025. https://www.forvismazars.com/mx/es/insights/forvis-mazars-en-mexico-lideres-de-opinion/tax-alert/nuevas-restricciones-en-importaciones-temporales
7. Mexico Industry, Extension of the tariff decree for IMMEX companies, January 2025. https://mexicoindustry.com/noticia/anuncian-prorroga-al-decreto-arancelario-para-empresas-immex
8. Forvis Mazars, Changes to the Ley Aduanera for 2026. https://www.forvismazars.com/mx/es/insights/forvis-mazars-en-mexico-lideres-de-opinion/foreign-trade-customs-alert/modificaciones-a-la-ley-aduanera-para-2026
9. PwC México, Executive analysis of the decree reforming the Ley Aduanera, checked October 23, 2026. https://www.pwc.com/mx/es/impuestos/novedades-fiscales/decreto-reforma-diversas-disposiciones-ley-aduanera.html
10. Expeditors, Mexico increases import duties on countries without a free trade agreement, checked October 23, 2026. https://info.expeditors.com/newsflash/mexico-increases-import-duties-on-countries-without-a-free-trade-agreement

All facts on this page are as of October 23, 2026, the date of publication, and may have changed since. Rules and tariffs are as of October 23, 2026 and change often: check the corridor watch before you act.

About this guide. Prepared for Ossiano Capital. People planned, researched, wrote and checked this guide, using AI tools to help with research and checking. You are welcome to quote or reuse it: please credit Ossiano Capital and link to this page.