Mexico waives tariffs on car assembly parts for five years
A decree cuts the 10% duty on tariff line 9803.00.01 to zero, but only for carmakers with bonded status that meet rules the government has yet to publish.
Mexico has set to zero, for five years, the import tariff on parts and components used to assemble cars. A decree published in the Official Gazette amends the import and export tariff schedule and lowers the rate on tariff line 9803.00.01 from 10% to exempt.
According to Expansión, a Mexican business outlet, and IDC Online, a customs-trade publication, the decree came out on Oct. 13, 2026 and took effect on the 14th. The official text consulted says it was issued on Oct. 9 and does not show the publication date, so that detail comes from the two secondary sources.
The benefit is not general. Only companies that assemble vehicles and hold bonded-warehouse authorization receive it, and they must also meet the rules the Economy Ministry sets. According to the decree, the aim is to open assembly lines for light vehicles under the SKD and CKD schemes, which consist of bringing in parts as disassembled kits, as part of Plan México, the government's industrial strategy.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Previous rate | 10% |
| New rate | Exempt |
| Duration | 5 years |
Expansión adds that the ministry estimates 11 light-vehicle makers could qualify, without naming them, and that the tax agency and the customs agency will require vehicle identification numbers and traceability of the imported parts. The outlet, citing the ministry, notes that the line accounted for just 0.01% of all auto-sector imports in 2025.
The same outlet links the measure to moving two General Motors production lines from China to Mexico. It attributes that link to the ministry, and the decree does not mention it. For the rest of the auto-parts industry, the general tariff does not change.
The list of manufacturers and the ministry's rules are still pending, and according to Expansión they have not been published. President Claudia Sheinbaum, Finance Secretary Édgar Amador Zamora and Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard sign the decree.
