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Shipment essentials: for shippers

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What documents are needed to export from Mexico to the US?

If you’re a business exporting from Mexico to the US, you will need the following documentation:

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  1. RFC (“Registro Federal de Contribuyentes”): Taxpayers, whether they are individuals or legal entities, that carry out legal situations, give rise to periodic declarations or are forced to issue tax receipts for activities such as exports, are required to register in Registro Federal de Contribuyentes (RFC).
  2. Intellectual property: In the case of intellectual property, such as inventions or trademarks, it’s important to protect intellectual property rights by filing patents. Similarly, it’s important to protect copyrights to avoid plagiarism issues.
  3. Registration before the corresponding chamber: There's no obligation to a chamber or business coalition body of any kind, but exporters can benefit from being part of one.
  4. Country of origin marking: In Mexico, there are Mexican Standards (Norma Mexicana or NMX) and Mexican Official Standards (Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM), which are mandatory. The country of origin marking may be in the language of the origin country, in which case it must comply with the non-tariff regulations defined by the importing country. 
  5. Customs clearance: The exporter must appear before customs through a customs broker to file a customs export application, and declare and liquidate export taxes that are required in some cases. The customs broker charges a fee for this service, which generally is a percentage of the value of the exported goods.
  6. Customs documents: Along with the customs export application, the commercial invoice or any document that expresses the value of the merchandise must be presented together with the customs declaration, and must comply with the mandatory and non-mandatory legal requirements. The attachments to the customs export application and the “entrustment letter,”must include data related to the exporting company, the customs broker, date and place, type of goods, value and quantity, customs procedure of export and customs office of export.
  7. Packing list: The packing list is a document that indicates the contents and type of each box containing the goods. This packing list must match the invoice, and must indicate the exact quantity of the pieces in each box, and the type of packaging.
  8. Quality certification and merchandise quantification: There are international companies that watch and inspect the loads for compliance with agreed specifications. They can supervise quality, quantity and weight, shipping, temperatures, fumigation, quantity of the load, and pre-inspection for cleanliness issues, inspections of packaging, and the evaluation and inspections of the products according to international standards. 
  9. Transportation documents: The documents required to be sent to the importer in the destination country when moving loads by truck, must match the invoice, packing list, etc. The documents for trucking are the Bill of Lading and the Bill of Lading Supplement.

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If you want to know more details and learn how to export from Mexico to the US, download our export guide here: https://www.nuvocargo.com/en/content/g/export-guide

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