Customs Information

Mexico - Foreign Citizen

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS Mexico

According to Mexican Laws, in order to be able to import household goods free of import duties, the following rules must be followed:

  • The goods must be used at least six months old.
  • Only one shipment import per lifetime. 
  • That all articles must be included in the Inventory Consularized by the Mexican Consulate. Any item not included in the inventory, can be expropriated by Mexican Government. It also applies for cases where just the origin agent packing list has to be provided.
  • Due to our port; Mexican Customs Warehouses are saturated with merchandise, the shipments in lift vans or steel containers are placed in the open, therefore it is recommended that:
    • All containers either coming by air, by land, or by sea must be perfectly well protected against rain. The roofs covered with plate and the furniture with waterproof paper.
    • It is recommended not to ship household goods until all documentation is completed and in order. The airports allow only 30 days to release or return shipment from the time of it's arrival. All other ports hold the shipment for 60 calendar days. If the documentation is not presented by that time the shipment is declared as "ABANDONED" and is confiscated by Mexican Government.
  • Send original documents by courier service only. Do not use regular mail.
  • New items: Paying taxes for importing goods into Mexico, new or used, is no longer an option, to import most items paying taxes, specially electric items, customer would need to provide QA Certificates for each item that basically only dedicated companies to the import/export of such products are able to obtain, besides the invoices of all items as well as a lot of information for each item so customs can classify each item (as if it was a commercial shipment). Also there are many restrictions, for example: every item that has or is made of wood (basically most furniture pieces) has to have the heat treatment stamp and certificate, no items made of or with fabric allowed so no clothes, shoes, sheets, towels, etc. (the textile industry is highly protected in Mexico, customer would need to be part of the “Padron de importadores textiles” so they could import items made of or with fabric paying taxes).
  • Please do not include wine, spirits, or any alcoholic beverages as it is prohibited at all ports of entry. Please note that if wines and liquors are found in household goods, the customs negotiations may be delayed and extra handling fees will be assessed for taking out the wine and keeping it in Customs dominium until the customer gets the corresponding import permit and then pays the duties/taxes.
  • There are 60 days starting from the date the vessel arrives to the port of entry for releasing the wine. After those 60 days wine is confiscated by the Mexican Government.
  • We guarantee demurrage to the different steamship lines. Therefore, cash deposits from the customer are not required. In case of demurrage charges, they will be collected from customer before delivery. 
  • An airfreight shipment can be sent containing personal effects such as clothing, books, shoes, personal toilette articles, and a portable TV. The shipment should not exceed 50 kilograms per each family's member and customer has to provide:
  • Photocopies of passports for the whole family
  • A list of items in Spanish
  • Photocopies of airline tickets for the whole family
  • Note: Mexican Customs is controlled by the Mexican Army. 

MOTOR VEHICLES
Temporary clearance may be applicable if the owner of the vehicle drives their vehicle over the border. No other importation is allowed - please contact agent to confirm details. 

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

  • Color copy of main pages of your valid passport
  • Color copy of Temporary Resident Visa (before known as FM3 Visa) or a Permanent Resident Visa (before known as FM2 Visa). (in case you are a Permanent Resident Visa holder you need to obtain the Menaje de Casa from the Mexican Consulate closest to your origin residence)
  • If your Mexican residence visa is permanent**: 2 ORIGINAL sets of the Menaje de Casa obtained at the Mexican Consulate closest to your origin residence. (the consulate will give you 3 original sets)
  • Your origin address
  • Your address and telephone number in Mexico
  • Copy of utility bill (gas, water, power, etc), no more than 2 months old, of your origin residence.
  • Copy of utility bill (gas, water, power, etc), no more than 2 months old, of your destination residence in Mexico
  • Signed affidavit declaring shipment value and that no prohibited items are included and that all imported household goods will be brought out of Mexico when your visa expires or you depart definitely (we provide this form for shipper to fill and sign)
  • Applicable to shipments coming from the USA (US Citizens only):Starting December 3, 2009 the US Census Board will require an EIN (Employer Identification Number) for the broker to fill out a shipper's export declaration. This number can be obtained by the shipper directly at http://www.irs.gov or by calling (800)829-4933, please see attached instructions. (Only applies to US citizens)
  • Applicable to shipments coming from the USA: Power of Attorney for US customs (we provide this form for shipper to fill and sign)
  • Power of Attorney for Mexican customs (we provide this form for shipper to fill and sign)

** IMPORTANT NOTE – PERMANENT RESIDENTS: If the permanent resident visa was issued over 6 months ago customer can no longer import their household goods into Mexico, the permanent resident visa must have less than 6 months from being issued by the time the shipment arrives to Mexican customs. Also, consulates only issue the Menaje de casa within a maximum of 6 months after the permanent resident visa was issued.

MENAJE DE CASA (Mexican citizens and permanent residents):

Mexican citizens and permanent Mexican resident visa holders need to obtain the Menaje de Casa at the Mexican consulate closest to their origin residence, after their goods are packed, once they have the final packing list, they will ask them for the list of items included in their shipment (typed in Spanish and some consulates have specific formats) and, if Mexican, proof that he has been living outside of Mexico for at least the last 6 consecutive months (they normally ask that the proof of residence is under the owner of the goods who is requesting the Menaje, what they accept as proof varies by consulate), this document cannot be obtained in Mexico. Every consulate is different and has different requirements and processes, customer will need to contact the consulate directly with anticipation to ask them for the requirements, cost, if they have a specific format in which they need the list, if they needs a previous appointment and how long it takes for them to issue the Menaje, so they can take it into account when making his travel plans.

 

Please note that the consulate personnel can sometimes make mistakes when issuing the Menaje de Casa, so I ask you to please carefully review the document while still in your consulate appointment to make sure all the information on the cover of your name, passport/ resident visa number and information is correct, in case of Mexican citizen please make sure the cover mentions you lived outside of Mexico for at least 6 months, that they include all the pages of the packing list, and that ALL pages have the consulate stamp on them, and in case you notice incorrect information or missing pages/ stamps, please ask the person of the consulate to make the necessary corrections, please also email me scanned copies or well taken clear pictures of all pages of the Menaje de Casa once they give it to you, so I can review it and confirm if it is ok or if any corrections are needed, before you courier the 2 original sets to our office in Mexico, since in case anything needs amending, the consulate will ask you to take back to them all 3 original sets they give you.

The 2 originals of the Menaje de Casa must be couriered to our office in Mexico, please do not use regular mail since it takes months to arrive.


PETS

  • Pets (dogs and cats) require the following:
  • Vaccination Carnet
  • Health Certificate issued with 5 days before date of arrival to Mexico
  • Copy of owner's passport
  • We recommend not to send pets on the weekend and advance copies of documents by e-mail or fax before sending pets.

DUTIABLE/RESTRICTED ITEMS

  • New items pay duties and taxes and must be declared and valued before clearing customs. New items can be imported only through Laredo, Texas.  

PROHIBITED ITEMS

  • New items (Purchased in the last 6 months).
  • New or Used Items packed in their original package or crate.
  • Food in any kind of Presentation (Spices, Canned Goods, Dry Food, Pets Food, Baby Food, Candies, Dehydrated Food, powder food, etc.).
  • Plants, Seeds, Fertilizer, Tobacco/ tobacco products, cigarettes/ cigars, natural items, vegetation, untreated wood, raw wood, firewood, dried plants, etc.
  • Items in general repeated several times not consistent with a normal household (ex. 3 refrigerators, 4 ovens, 2 washing machines, etc)
  • E-Cigarettes / Hookahs / Pipes, etc. 
  • Safe / security boxes locked and/or with contents, any item with a lock locked and/or with contents (these may be included empty and open)
  • Any kind of Beverages, Liquors, Wines, Booze, Juices, Water, powder beverages, coffee/ coffee pods, etc.
  • Valuables such as money, jewelry (not even fake or costume jewelry/ bijoux), watches, check books, credit and debit cards, Passports, visas, cell phones, etc.
  • Pantry Items (paper napkins, disposable plates/cups/utensils/straws, toothpicks, wipes, etc), Toilet Paper, Diapers, Feminine hygiene supplies, replacement parts/ items in general, light bulbs, etc.
  • Sprays, Liquids or creamy items such as body lotions, shampoos, liquid soap, perfume, liquid makeup, hair spray, deodorant, etc.  
  • Chemical substances, gas/oxygen/oil tanks, gas, oxygen, oil, washing and cleaning supplies (bleach, floor wax, floor / carpet cleaners, oven cleaners, drain cleaners, detergents, fabric softeners, stain removers, acetone, air fresheners, etc.)
  • Firearms, Guns, Pellet Guns, Ammunition, Explosives, Carbines, Rifles, Bullets, Swords, Bows, Arrows, Hunting Knives, Box/office cutters, razors, Decorative /toy weaponry, and any item that may be considered or looks like a weapon (Kitchen knives are OK). 
  • Drugs, Medicine, Alimentary Supplements, Homeopathic remedies, vitamins, protein supplements, medical equipment / supplies, etc.
  • Flammable items.
  • Construction material (tiles, doors, windows, concrete, etc). Specialized equipment for work/ business.
  • Pornographic Material, Illegal copies of copyright items (cd's, dvd's).
  • Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Golf Caddies (with motor), Car Parts, tires, spare parts in general, riding motorized mowers, motor vehicles in general, etc.
  • Trophies of Animals, Fish or Birds (Stuffed Animals, Rugs/Coats made of Animal Skin and other Similar Collectibles, Pelts, Fur, animal parts, furniture made with animal parts, etc.), human/animal remains, etc.
  • Textile Raw material in big amounts (fabrics, threads, wool balls, filling, etc.), maximum one small box can be included, the textile industry is highly protected in Mexico.