IMMEX in 2025: what it is, how it works and when it makes sense for your company

The IMMEX program (Mexico's manufacturing, maquiladora and export services regime) allows companies established in Mexico to temporarily import raw materials, inputs, machinery and equipment without paying VAT or the general import duty (IGI), provided those materials feed a production process and the output is exported.

Around 5,000 companies operate under IMMEX in Mexico today. They generate roughly 67% of the country's manufacturing exports. If you make or assemble for export, this program exists specifically for you.

The five IMMEX program types

The IMMEX Decree contemplates five modalities. Choosing the right one determines what you can import, under which deadlines and with which obligations:

IMMEX Industrial: for companies that transform imported materials into export products. The most common type. A fit for discrete manufacturing: electronics, automotive, metalworking.

IMMEX Maquiladora: for companies that assemble or process goods owned by a foreign company. The finished product returns abroad or is exported. The raw material remains foreign-owned throughout the process.

IMMEX Services: for companies exporting services that require temporarily imported equipment or inputs. Examples: testing laboratories, software companies importing specialized computing equipment.

IMMEX Holding: a holding company can consolidate the IMMEX operations of its subsidiaries under a single program. It cuts administrative overhead when the group runs several plants.

IMMEX Shelter: lets a foreign company operate in Mexico under the umbrella of a Mexican administrator without setting up its own legal entity from the start. Widely used by Asian companies still evaluating the market.

The concrete benefits

No VAT on temporary imports: since the 2014 tax reform, the VAT benefit additionally requires the VAT/IEPS Certification from the SAT. Without it, VAT is paid and credited later, which carries a financing cost.

No IGI (duties): inputs entering under IMMEX pay no general import duty. In sectors with meaningful tariffs (textiles, footwear, steel), that is a direct competitiveness gap.

Duty-free machinery: production equipment can also enter temporarily. The windows are 24 months for machinery and computing equipment, and 36 months for containers and trailers.

Return deadlines: raw materials have 18 months to be exported, already transformed. The window can be extended when the production cycle requires it.

Who can get the program

The IMMEX Decree requirements:

If you are just starting export operations and have not reached USD 500k, there is a provisional IMMEX: granted for one year with the obligation to hit the threshold. Miss it and the program is canceled.

The VAT/IEPS Certification: the step many skip

Since 2014, IMMEX alone no longer exempts temporary imports from VAT. To capture that benefit you must separately obtain the VAT/IEPS Certification from the SAT.

There are three levels (A, AA, AAA) based on company size and tax track record. The level determines how fast you get certified and whether you must guarantee the VAT during the process.

For new companies or recent arrivals in Mexico, level A has attainable requirements: two years of clean tax history, obligations up to date and a documentary audit. Without the certification you import free of IGI but still pay VAT and recover it later through refunds, a financing cost that can be significant.

When it makes sense, and when it does not

IMMEX makes sense when:

IMMEX does not make sense (or the benefit is marginal) when:

The real cost of running IMMEX

The program is not operationally free. Costs to weigh:

The practical takeaway: if your export volume justifies it, the net benefit of IMMEX is substantial. But the program requires operating infrastructure, not just a filing. Logwell supports companies from the feasibility assessment through the first temporary entry and the training of the in-house trade compliance team.