Mexico's New Tariffs On Chinese Goods: What Importers Must Reprice

Mexico raised import duties on more than 1,400 tariff lines effective 1 January 2026, with rates ranging from 5 to 50 percent. The measure applies to goods from countries with no trade agreement with Mexico, which includes China but also Turkey, Vietnam and others. Goods that qualify under USMCA are not affected.

• The decree was published in the Diario Oficial on 29 December 2025 and took effect on 1 January 2026 (DOF).
• It covers more than 1,400 tariff lines with rates between 5 and 50 percent (DOF).
• Sectors covered include perfumery, cosmetics, personal care, plastics, paper, aluminium, textiles, footwear, vehicles, auto parts, toys and appliances (DOF).
• A further decree published 23 April 2026 modified duties on 185 tariff lines, effective 24 April 2026 (DOF).
• The measure applies by origin: goods qualifying under USMCA with a certificate of origin are not affected (SAT, USTR).

Which Chinese goods face new Mexican tariffs?

More than 1,400 tariff lines across consumer and industrial categories, at rates from 5 to 50 percent. The decree names tariff codes rather than countries, so it hits any origin without a trade agreement with Mexico, not only China.

The measure that most people refer to as Mexico's China tariffs is a decree published in the official gazette on 29 December 2025 which took effect on 1 January 2026. It modifies duties across more than 1,400 tariff lines, with rates ranging from 5 to 50 percent depending on the product. The categories it reaches are broad and consumer facing: perfumery and cosmetics, personal care, plastics, paper, aluminium, textiles, footwear, vehicles and auto parts, toys and household appliances. Some verified examples give a sense of the scale. Perfumes and toilet waters move to 25 percent, lip makeup preparations to 36 percent, shampoo to 25 percent, toothpaste to 30 percent, while certain plastic pipe and tube lines land in a much lower 5 to 7 percent band. The most important thing to understand about the decree is that it does not name China anywhere. It names tariff codes, and the higher rates apply to goods that cannot claim preferential treatment under a trade agreement. In practice that captures Chinese goods, which is the political intent, but it captures every other non-agreement origin at the same time, including Turkey, Vietnam and India. A further decree published on 23 April 2026 adjusted duties on another 185 tariff lines, effective the following day, so this is an area that has moved more than once and will probably move again.

Who is not affected, and why that matters

Goods that qualify under USMCA with a valid certificate of origin are not affected. That is the whole point of the policy: it widens the gap between agreement origin and non-agreement origin, which makes North American sourcing structurally cheaper.

The exemption is as important as the tariff, because it explains the strategy behind the decree. Goods that qualify as originating under USMCA and travel with a valid certification of origin continue to enter Mexico duty free. Nothing in the January decree changes that. So the policy does not simply raise costs across the board, it widens the gap between two sourcing routes: goods from an agreement partner and goods from everywhere else. For a company deciding where to buy, that gap is now large enough to change the answer on a lot of product lines. This is the practical mechanism behind what gets called nearshoring, and it is worth being precise about it rather than treating nearshoring as a slogan. The advantage of North American sourcing is not that freight is shorter, although it is. It is that the tariff treatment differs by a margin that can exceed the entire logistics cost. A product sourced in the United States that qualifies under USMCA enters Mexico at zero duty; the same product sourced in Asia may now carry 25 or 35 percent. When the difference is that size, the cheaper unit price from Asia stops being decisive. There is one condition attached and it catches people out: the exemption depends on the certification of origin actually existing. Qualifying goods with no certification pay the general rate, which means you can lose the benefit through paperwork rather than through sourcing.

What to reprice, and what to check first

Reprice anything you import from a non-agreement origin in the covered sectors. Before you do, confirm your exact tariff code and its current rate, because the rate range is wide and two decrees have already moved it this year.

The practical work here is narrower than the headlines suggest, and it starts with your own tariff codes. First, list what you import from origins without a Mexican trade agreement. If everything you buy is US or Canadian origin and properly certified, the decree does not touch you and you can stop here. Second, for anything from a non-agreement origin, confirm the exact tariff classification and the rate that currently applies to it. This matters more than usual because the band is wide: the difference between 5 percent and 50 percent is not a rounding error, and the decree treats closely related products very differently. Do not assume that because your sector is on the list, your specific product carries the headline rate. Third, check the date on whatever source you are reading. Two decrees have moved rates this year, in January and again in late April, so a figure published in 2025 may simply be wrong now. Fourth, if a product is genuinely uneconomic at the new rate, look at whether an equivalent exists from a USMCA origin before you conclude the product is dead, because that comparison is what the policy is designed to force. And fifth, if you do switch to US sourcing, make sure the certification of origin travels with the goods, since without it you pay the general rate anyway. BringGo Ship works with a licensed Mexican customs broker who confirms classification and prepares origin documentation before goods move, which is where both the risk and the saving actually sit.

Mexico's 2026 tariff changes at a glance

Definitions

• Tariff line: A tariff line is a specific product classification code in the customs schedule, and duties are set per line rather than per country.
• Non-agreement origin: Non-agreement origin means goods from a country with no trade agreement with Mexico, which pay the general rate rather than a preferential one.
• Certification of origin: The certification of origin is the document proving goods qualify under USMCA, without which even qualifying goods pay the general rate.

Frequently asked questions

Which goods face Mexico's new tariffs?

More than 1,400 tariff lines, at rates from 5 to 50 percent, across perfumery and cosmetics, personal care, plastics, paper, aluminium, textiles, footwear, vehicles and auto parts, toys and appliances. The decree was published on 29 December 2025 and took effect on 1 January 2026.

Does the tariff only apply to China?

No. The decree names tariff codes, not countries. The higher rates apply to goods that cannot claim preferential treatment under a trade agreement with Mexico. That captures Chinese goods, which is the political intent, but it captures every other non-agreement origin too, including Turkey, Vietnam and India.

Are US goods affected?

Not if they qualify under USMCA and travel with a valid certification of origin. Those goods continue to enter duty free. That exemption is the point of the policy: it widens the gap between agreement origin and non-agreement origin, which is the mechanism behind nearshoring.

How do I find the rate for my product?

Confirm your exact tariff classification and check the rate currently applying to that code, with your customs broker. The band is wide, from 5 to 50 percent, and closely related products are treated very differently. Also check the date of any source, because rates moved in January and again in late April 2026.

Can I lose the USMCA exemption by mistake?

Yes, through paperwork. The exemption depends on the certification of origin actually existing and travelling with the goods. Qualifying goods with no certification pay the general rate, so you can lose the benefit without changing anything about where you source from.

Confirm classification before you ship: BringGo Ship

Sources

• DOF (Mexican official gazette) (dof.gob.mx)
• SAT (Mexican tax administration) (sat.gob.mx)
• USTR, USMCA (ustr.gov)

Note: This content is for general information only and is not legal, tax or customs advice. Rates and rules can change often in 2026; verify the current details with an official source (SAT, DOF, CBP) or our licensed customs broker before acting.