Amazon Mexico (Amazon.com.mx) is one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in Latin America, and plenty of Chinese sellers want to put inventory into its FBA network. The product side is familiar. The hard part is getting your goods legally into Mexico in the first place. This guide walks through the practical playbook: who imports your goods, how customs works, what you will pay in duties, and how to choose between ocean and air.

The importer-of-record problem comes first

This is the point that trips up most sellers, so start here.

To import anything into Mexico, there must be a registered importer of record listed in the Padrón de Importadores (the official register of importers). The importer of record is the legal entity responsible for the customs declaration, the duties and the taxes.

Amazon will not act as your importer of record. It receives your shipment at the fulfilment centre, but it does not clear customs for you and it does not put its name on the import. If you are a foreign seller without a Mexican company and a Padrón registration, you cannot simply ship a box to a Mexican Amazon warehouse and expect it to arrive.

There are two realistic ways around this:

Set up a Mexican entity and register it in the Padrón. This is the long-term route if Mexico is a core market, but it takes time, a local tax (RFC) registration and ongoing compliance.
Use a DDP / doble despacho / 双清包税 arrangement, or a third-party importer of record. Your freight forwarder or import partner acts as (or arranges) the importer of record, clears the goods, pays the duties and taxes, and then delivers to the Amazon centre. For most sellers without a Mexican company, this is the path that works.

A DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) service folds freight, customs clearance, duties and taxes into one quote, with the importer-of-record problem solved on your behalf. See our overview of DDP shipping from China to Mexico for how the arrangement is structured.

Mexican customs essentials

Even when someone else handles clearance, you should understand what is happening, because it affects your documents, your labels and your costs.

Pedimento. This is the core customs declaration. It is built from your Spanish commercial invoice and the bill of lading (B/L), so your paperwork has to be accurate and consistent. Errors here cause holds.
Padrón de Importadores. As above, the importer must be registered. Some product categories also require entry in sector-specific registries (padrones sectoriales) covering roughly 400-plus items, including categories like textiles, footwear, steel and chemicals.
NOM labelling and standards. Mexico’s NOM (Normas Oficiales Mexicanas) rules set mandatory labelling and safety standards. For consumer goods this is a big deal: incorrect or missing NOM labels can stop your shipment at the border. Electronics, toys, appliances and many other categories have specific NOM requirements. Plan this before you ship, not after. Our guide to NOM certification when importing to Mexico covers what applies to common product types.
IVA. Mexico’s value-added tax is around 16% and is charged on the import. It is generally recoverable by a registered Mexican business, but for a foreign seller using a third-party importer it is usually a real cost baked into the landed price.

For a fuller walkthrough of the documents and the clearance flow, see importing from China to Mexico: customs and the pedimento.

Duties: the 2026 picture

Duty depends on your HS code and the origin of the goods, so always verify the exact rate for your product. That said, the 2026 environment matters a lot for Chinese-made inventory.

Mexico raised tariffs in 2026 on a wide range of goods from countries it does not have a free-trade agreement with, which includes China. The increase covered roughly 1,463 tariff lines, with rates up to 50% on some categories. Whether your product is affected, and at what rate, depends entirely on its HS classification, so check the current rate before you commit. Our explainer on the 2026 Mexico tariffs on Chinese imports breaks down which categories were hit.
There is also a special tariff on low-value e-commerce and courier parcels from non-FTA countries. It was introduced in the region of 19% and has been increased since. This is aimed at small-parcel flows, so if your model relies on shipping many small courier parcels rather than consolidated freight, factor it in.

The practical takeaway: do not assume your old duty rate still applies, and do not treat the courier tariff as a loophole. Price your landed cost on current rates.

Why IMMEX is usually not the FBA route

Sellers sometimes hear about IMMEX as a way to avoid import duty, but it does not fit normal FBA flows.

IMMEX is a duty-deferral programme for temporary import plus manufacturing or assembly, with the goods then re-exported. It is designed for production operations, not for selling finished imported goods domestically through Amazon.
Since December 2024, apparel under HS chapters 61, 62 and 63 can no longer be temporarily imported duty-free under IMMEX. If you sell clothing or textiles, that door is closed.

If your goal is to land finished inventory and sell it inside Mexico through FBA, you are doing a definitive import and paying the applicable duties and taxes. Treat IMMEX as a manufacturing tool, not an FBA shortcut. Our IMMEX programme explained article covers where it does and does not apply.

Prep and labelling for FBA

Clearing customs is only half the job. Amazon has its own intake requirements, and a shipment that clears the border can still be rejected at the warehouse.

FNSKU labels on each unit, plus correct box and pallet labelling per Amazon’s specifications.
NOM labels applied before the goods reach the fulfilment centre, since Amazon will not relabel for compliance.
Booked delivery appointments at the Mexican fulfilment centre. Trucks cannot simply show up; the delivery slot has to be reserved, and your forwarder or local trucker handles this on the last leg.
Accurate carton counts, weights and dimensions that match what you declared, so nothing is held for a mismatch.

A good DDP forwarder will handle the last-mile booking and delivery into the Amazon centre as part of the service, but you remain responsible for getting the prep and labels right.

Ocean vs air, and the timeline

Two main freight modes, and the choice is the usual trade-off between cost and speed.

Ocean, door-to-door, China to Mexico, typically runs around 30 to 45 days door-to-door. That figure includes origin handling, the sea leg, customs clearance and inland delivery, not just the time on the water. It is the economical choice for bulk inventory restocking.
Air freight moves in a few days plus clearance, at a much higher cost per kilo. Use it for launches, fast-movers, high-value or low-weight goods, and to bridge a stockout while an ocean shipment is in transit.

A note on gateways: Manzanillo, on the Pacific coast, is Mexico’s busiest port and the main entry point for goods from Asia. It is efficient but can get congested, which is one reason real-world door-to-door times vary. Build a buffer into your replenishment planning rather than assuming a best-case schedule. For more detail on transit ranges, see China to Mexico shipping time.

The bottom line

Selling on Amazon Mexico is very doable, but the import is the part that needs planning, not the freight by itself. Amazon will not be your importer of record, so you need either a Mexican entity in the Padrón or a DDP arrangement that solves clearance for you. Get your HS code and current duty rate confirmed, sort out NOM labelling before you ship, and choose ocean or air based on how fast you need stock on the shelf.

If you want a clear landed-cost quote for sending inventory from China to Amazon Mexico FBA, including duties, taxes and delivery into the fulfilment centre, message us on WhatsApp and we will put together a plan for your specific products.

Sending Inventory to Amazon Mexico (FBA): Freight, Customs and Duties