You can import dehydrated onion and garlic from India into Mexico, and India is one of the origins Mexican buyers already use for dried onion. Plant-health rules come from SENASICA, food safety and labelling from COFEPRIS, and the things that most often stop a shipment are a missing permit or requirement sheet, a document that does not match the goods, and, since January 2026, a higher duty that some buyers did not budget for.
This guide reflects our understanding at the time of writing. Mexican rules are published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación and change often, so confirm each step with your customs broker (agente aduanal).
Who regulates the import
Imports are declared on a pedimento filed by a licensed customs broker through VUCEM, Mexico's foreign trade single window, and cleared by the National Customs Agency (ANAM). The importer must be listed on the Padrón de Importadores kept by the tax authority, SAT.
Two food agencies may be involved:
- SENASICA, the agriculture ministry's plant and animal health service. It publishes import requirements by product and origin in its requirements module (Módulo de Consulta de Requisitos Fitozoosanitarios). Look up the exact tariff code and India as the origin. Processed, dried vegetables often carry lighter requirements than fresh onions, but check rather than assume.
- COFEPRIS, the federal health protection agency, which regulates processed food. Depending on the product and its tariff code, it may require a sanitary import permit or an operating notice from the importer. Your broker can tell you which applies to your code.
Lab tests that matter
Mexico does not publish a full, separate residue list for every crop, and COFEPRIS and buyers often refer to Codex or other international limits. In practice, large Mexican food companies set their own specifications, which can be stricter than the law. Ask your customer for their limits before you test. A sensible plan covers pesticides, ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol, salmonella, total plate count and yeast and mould. See tests to order for spices and salmonella in dehydrated onion.
If the goods are sold in retail packs, labels must be in Spanish and follow NOM-051, Mexico's prepackaged food labelling standard, including its front-of-pack rules. Bulk ingredients for industry follow different labelling, so ask your broker.
Documents to prepare
Mexican customs is strict on the description and classification of goods. Keep the same product name, code and weights across every document. The document pack your broker will ask for is a good checklist.
- Commercial invoice, in a form your broker can use for the pedimento, and a packing list with lot numbers.
- Bill of lading.
- Certificate of origin. India and Mexico have no trade agreement in force, so a standard non-preferential certificate is normal.
- Phytosanitary certificate from India's plant protection organisation, if SENASICA's requirement for your product calls for one. See does a dehydrated vegetable need a phytosanitary certificate.
- Lot-wise laboratory reports from an accredited laboratory, and any COFEPRIS permit your code needs.
Duty and the January 2026 change
In December 2025 Mexico's Congress approved higher tariffs on about 1,400 tariff lines from countries without a trade agreement with Mexico, India among them, effective from 1 January 2026. Whether your dried onion or garlic code is affected is something to check in the Mexican tariff (TIGIE) through your broker or the official SNICE system. We do not quote rates. Reports in late 2025 said India had proposed a preferential trade agreement with Mexico, so watch for news. See preferential duty schemes for Indian agri products.
What Mexico buys and who uses it
Mexican food is built on onion and garlic, and the processed food industry uses dried forms in salsas, seasoning mixes, bouillon and soup bases, snacks, meat products and marinades. Powder and granules dominate in seasoning and snack work, and minced garlic and chopped onion appear in sauces and ready meals. Mexico also buys from the United States, China and other origins, so a buyer will compare. See Indian versus Chinese dehydrated garlic.
Ports and shipping route
From Mundra, Pipavav or Nhava Sheva there are two broad routes. Eastbound, cargo is usually transhipped in Asia and lands on the Pacific coast at Manzanillo or Lázaro Cárdenas. Westbound, it goes through the Suez Canal or round Africa to Gulf ports such as Veracruz or Altamira. Some buyers in the north also bring goods in through US ports and across the land border. As a rough guide, allow about five to eight weeks, and check current schedules. See how many tonnes fit in a 20 ft container.
Cities
Mexico City is the largest consumer market and distribution hub, supplied from both coasts.
Guadalajara is the nearest major city to Manzanillo and a centre of food processing in western Mexico.
Monterrey is the industrial capital of the north, with strong meat and snack industries and close links to the US border.
How Creston helps
We find and audit dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic plants, have each lot tested at an NABL-accredited laboratory against the limits your Mexican customer sets, supervise loading, and check documents against the pedimento details before shipment, for one written fee agreed in advance. You buy directly from the plant. To plan a Mexican order, book a free sourcing review.