IMMEX

Industria Manufacturera, Maquiladora y de Servicios de Exportacion — Mexico's customs and tax program that allows manufacturing companies to temporarily import raw materials, components, machinery, and equipment into Mexico without paying import duties (IGI) or IVA (16%), provided the imported inputs are used to manufacture finished goods that are exported. IMMEX is the successor to the Maquiladora and PITEX programs and is the legal framework under which over 6,000 maquiladoras operate in Mexico. Key benefit: significant cost reduction for export-oriented manufacturers — avoiding 5-25% import duty plus 16% IVA on all imported inputs dramatically improves competitiveness. Requirements: company must export at least $500,000 USD annually (or 10% of total sales), maintain an IMMEX authorization from the Secretaria de Economia, and track all temporary imports in an inventory control system (Annex 24 of General Foreign Trade Rules). For rubber and belt suppliers: IMMEX customers import large quantities of rubber sheet, gaskets, seals, belts, and conveyor belts duty-free for their manufacturing operations. If selling to IMMEX companies: the transaction may be structured as a virtual export/import (pedimento virtual) for domestic suppliers. Per Mexican Foreign Trade Law and Decree for IMMEX.