MEXICO CUSTOMS REGULATORY CHANGES OVERVIEW
On October 14th, 2024, the Revenue Agency of Mexico (SAT) and Customs issued regulatory changes impacting the clearance of Low-value shipments processed through Informal/simplified entries (below US$2,500) by Express companies.
The Changes that were introduced through amendments to the “General Foreign Trade Rules” (SAT Regulations) have an effective date of October 15th, 2024, with staggered enforcement from this date to January 1st, 2025, and include new data requirements for Informal/simplified express/courier entries (below US$2,500).
The regulatory change is happening because the Mexican revenue and customs authorities seek to enhance the enforcement of the Low-Value Informal/simplified procedure to allow only goods to be imported for personal use as opposed to having a commercial purpose (to be resold in Mexico). To accomplish this, the authorities seek to gather more information of the importer/consignee of the shipments.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
Both shippers and importers/consignees shall be aware of the new data requirements for informal/simplified express/courier entries (below US$2,500). The data requirements are:
Importer's/Consignee's Tax ID, Name, and Address: In the informal/simplified entry (Pedimento T1), along with the already existing requirement to provide: AWB number, detailed goods description, and total value, DHL needs to provide the following three new mandatory data elements:
- Name of the Importer/Consignee (person or company)
- Address of the Importer/Consignee
- Importer's/Consignee's Tax ID.
If the Importer/Consignee does not have a Tax ID, then a Personal ID (or in the case of foreigners, the Foreign Tax ID or Personal ID) must be provided.
Detailed Description of the Goods must be provided for all shipments. Generic descriptions will not be accepted by Mexico Customs.
HOW CAN YOU AVOID DELAYS?
Shippers from Rest of World to MEXICO can avoid delays by:.
- Providing DHL with complete importer/consignee details including Tax ID, ideally via the DHL Electronic Shipping solution.
- Providing complete detail goods descriptions in the air waybill and the commercial invoice data.
Importers/Consignees in MEXICO can avoid delays by:
- Making available to the shipper their TAX ID (RFC) / Personal ID (CURP) as it is required for every import into Mexico.
- Being ready to provide TAX ID information to DHL for import processing (if not already provided by the shipper). In this case, DHL Mexico will contact the importer.
- Ensure that the shipper provides complete and accurate data in the air waybill and commercial invoice when creating a shipment with DHL Express, ideally via one of the DHL Electronic Shipping Solutions/integrations.
IMPORTANT
- Importer's/Consignee's TAX ID is required for clearance of all low value shipments (below US$2,500). If the Tax ID is not provided, shipment may be subject to clearance delays, additional processing/storage fees, or may be returned to origin.
- Shipper must provide complete importer's/consignee's information, including Name, Address, Phone, Email, Tax ID.
For additional information, please consult the Mexican Government website.