Guide to Industrial Design Registration in Mexico (2026)

Overview

This guide covers the full lifecycle of industrial design protection in Mexico: filing requirements, prosecution, grant, renewals, enforcement, and Hague-specific considerations. It reflects the legal framework as of April 2026, including the reforms to the Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property (LFPPI) published on April 3, 2026.

What Is Protectable

An industrial design registration protects the ornamental or aesthetic appearance of a product — not its function. Mexico recognizes two categories:

• Industrial drawings (dibujos industriales). Two-dimensional patterns, lines, colors, or combinations applied to the surface of a product.
• Industrial models (modelos industriales). Three-dimensional forms, shapes, or configurations of a product.

Protection extends to a wide range of products: packaging, containers, bottles, consumer electronics housings, furniture, jewelry, fashion accessories, footwear, medical instruments, tools, vehicle components, and any other article with a distinctive visual appearance.

Functional features are not protectable through design registration — they fall under patent or utility model protection.

Filing Requirements

The minimum requirements to file an industrial design application and obtain a filing date are:

• A signed application using IMPI's standard form.
• A description of the design.
• Graphic representations: formal technical drawings or photographs clearly showing the design. For three-dimensional designs, the images must show height, width, and depth in the same view. Specific colors may be claimed.
• Payment of official filing fees.

If a priority is claimed, a certified copy of the priority document must be filed with the application or within three months of the filing date. IMPI participates in WIPO's Digital Access Service (DAS) and accepts priority documents available through the service.

A power of attorney is required. Notarization, legalization, and apostille are not necessary. Foreign applicants must be represented by an attorney with domicile in Mexico.

If the applicant and the designer are different persons, an assignment or confirmatory assignment document is required.

All documents must be filed in Spanish or accompanied by a Spanish translation.

Priority

A design application claiming Paris Convention priority must be filed within six months of the priority date.

Multiple Designs in a Single Application

A single application may include more than one design — a "principal" design and one or more "related" designs — provided all designs meet the following conditions:

• They can be identified under the same name and product type.
• They share the same novel features.
• The differences between designs are minor or irrelevant.

Additional official fees are paid for each related design. This is useful for product families or design variations (for example, different sizes or colorways of the same packaging) that share a common visual language.

Hague Agreement Designations

Mexico has been a member of the Hague Agreement (Geneva Act) since June 2020. Foreign applicants can designate Mexico in an international design registration filed with WIPO, alongside any other member country, through a single application.

Key considerations for Hague designations entering Mexico:

• National examination applies. Mexico conducts a substantive examination of Hague designations — the international registration does not automatically result in protection. IMPI may issue office actions requiring responses.
• Local representation required. A local attorney must be designated to handle any office actions or communications from IMPI during the examination of the Mexican designation.
• Renewal management. The international registration is renewed through WIPO on a five-year cycle. However, the Mexican national effects of the Hague registration are subject to Mexico's maximum 25-year term from the filing date.
• Drawings and descriptions. Ensure that the representations filed in the international application meet IMPI's requirements. Insufficiencies in the graphic representations are a common cause of office actions on Hague designations.

Prosecution

After filing (or upon entry of a Hague designation), design applications undergo:

1. Formalities examination. IMPI verifies formal requirements and priority claims.
2. Publication. The application is published in IMPI's Official Gazette. Early publication is not available for design applications.
3. Substantive examination. IMPI evaluates whether the design is novel and original. Examination is initiated automatically with no additional request or fee.
4. Resolution. If the design meets all requirements, IMPI grants the registration and issues the certificate. Grant fees must be paid within two months of the grant notification.

Timeline

Industrial design applications typically take 1 to 2 years from filing to grant. The April 2026 reform's maximum resolution timelines and two-month maximum for design renewals are expected to improve processing times.

Term and Renewals

Industrial designs are valid for five years from the filing date or priority date, renewable for consecutive five-year periods up to a maximum of 25 years.

Renewal applications may be filed from six months before to six months after the expiration of each five-year period. Failure to renew within this window results in automatic lapse of the registration.

The April 2026 reform establishes a maximum two-month period for IMPI to resolve design renewal applications.

Foreign design owners must be represented by a local attorney for renewals.

Small Entity Discount

IMPI offers a 50% discount on official fees for small entities, universities, and independent designers. The applicant must declare small-entity status at the time of filing and notify IMPI of any change in status during prosecution.