Mexico is set to ban the temporary import of finished footwear under the IMMEX program in an effort to protect domestic shoemakers from unfair competition. The decision was announced by Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard under the direction of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The IMMEX scheme was originally created to allow companies to import raw materials or semi-finished goods for processing and re-export.
However, officials say some firms have abused the system by bringing in finished shoes without paying taxes and then selling them within Mexico.
“In Mexico, temporary imports of footwear will no longer be allowed. If you want to import, pay the taxes,”
Marcelo Ebrard, Economy Minister, Mexico
Ebrard added that the minimum tariff on such imports would be set at 25%. He also warned that authorities will strengthen monitoring to prevent practices such as technical smuggling, where companies declare artificially low prices to dodge duties.
The issue has become urgent as Mexico’s footwear industry has lost ground in recent years. Government data shows that between 2019 and 2024 the sector shrank 12.8% while shoe imports increased 159%.
Many of these products, often coming from China, were sold locally at prices that undercut Mexican manufacturers.
The footwear industry remains vital to the Mexican economy, directly employing between 120,000 and 130,000 people and supporting thousands more indirectly.
León, the heart of the country’s shoemaking tradition, has been hit particularly hard by a flood of low-cost shoes entering illegally or undervalued.
This is not the first time industry leaders have raised concerns. Back in 2022, Alfredo Padilla Villalpando, then president of Guanajuato’s Footwear Industry Chamber (CICEG), warned that 50 million pairs of contraband shoes had entered the state, often accompanied by false invoices and sold in informal street markets.
Source – Mexico Economy Ministry
