President Claudia Sheinbaum published a decree in the Official Gazette granting a 30% tax credit for cinematographic and audiovisual productions in Mexico, capped at 40 million pesos per project. The incentive, announced on Sunday with actress Salma Hayek as a guest, aims to boost national and international productions hiring Mexican talent. The decree takes effect on Tuesday and remains valid until September 2030.
President Claudia Sheinbaum led the announcement of a new fiscal incentive for the cinematographic and audiovisual industry on Sunday, February 15, 2026, in the Tesorería Hall of the National Palace, with actress and producer Salma Hayek in attendance. The decree, published on Monday, February 16, in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), establishes a tax credit equivalent to 30% of the Income Tax (ISR) on expenses incurred in national territory, not exceeding 40 million pesos per project or production process.
The incentive applies to feature films of fiction and animation, series, documentaries, as well as animation processes, visual effects, and post-production, provided the project has at least 70% national supply. Requirements include a minimum spend of 40 million pesos for fiction or animation in features and series, 20 million for documentaries, and 5 million for specific processes. Beneficiaries can include Mexican individuals and entities, as well as foreign ones producing through residents in the country.
Sheinbaum explained that the goal is "to support those productions that otherwise would not have the opportunity" and to attract international productions that hire Mexicans in all related trades. Hayek, who met Sheinbaum in late November 2025 in Veracruz during her project's filming, highlighted funding obstacles in Mexico and praised the support: "I think cinema was abandoned for a long time [...] Perhaps what we didn't have was this President".
The Comprehensive National Cinema Support Plan, presented at the event, includes actions in training, production, exhibition, and preservation, a new Federal Cinema and Audiovisual Law, and reforms to protect dubbing performers from artificial intelligence use. Sheinbaum defended Hayek from social media criticism during her February 15 conference, stating that "some cannot stand hearing good things about the president or Mexico". The incentive takes effect on Tuesday, February 17, and remains valid until September 30, 2030, with a Technical Committee to issue guidelines within no more than 30 business days.
