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Tips on Mexican Exports. (
Northbound Shipments ) |
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The following information is targeted to Mexican exporting
companies. Although many companies do know the correct way to
elaborate Mexican export documentation and know the correct
procedures of the exporting process, the information contained
on this page can help them prepare themselves better for such
operations. Unlike the United States of America, Mexico requires
its exporters to document their exports trough a Mexican
Licensed Customs Broker. In the United States, when US exporters
ship into Mexico, a Shipper Export Declaration (SED), which is a
document that can be elaborated by the U.S. exporter, forwarder or
freight company, has to be submitted to US Customs either
electronically or by hand; and it is not required to be
submitted by a Licensed US Customs Broker. |
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It is very important to understand that for Northbound Shipments
( Mexico to US ), the set of documents issued by the Mexican
Exporter have to be the same ones that are being submitted to
both Mexican and US Customs. Since 2002, Mexican Customs started
requiring Pre-file numbers on Mexican Pedimentos (Official
Mexican Customs Document), this effort to ensure that the information
submitted to both governments is in fact the same. |
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Its is also very important to understand that the paperwork
needed to clear Mexican Customs might be just part of the
paperwork needed to clear US Customs. how is that? Well, On a
NAFTA shipment for 100% cotton shirts, The Mexican Customs
Broker only needs the commercial Invoice, Packing list, and
NAFTA certificate of origin. Those documents are also essential
to the US Broker, but he also needs the Multiple Country Textile
Declaration to clear customs correctly. |
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The following information is based on what the Mexican Customs
Broker needs to speed things up at the border; and this is essential
for all export shipments from Mexican companies. Although some
of the tips mentioned might be simple and common-sensed, some of
the exporters take them for granted and do not realize that they
could be causing delays at the border. The tips are the
following: |
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Use a Large and common font on your invoices, packing lists,
certificates of origin and any other documentation you are
elaborating for the shipment. Use common fonts like Arial or
Times New Roman with a 12 pt size or bigger. |
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Before sending any paperwork, review it thoroughly and make sure
that to your knowledge, there aren't any errors and mistakes on
it. |
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Be sure to send an envelope with the transport company
containing original copies of the exporting documents. |
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Be sure to write on the Bill of Lading who is you Mexican
Customs Broker at the border, and to notify him immediately
after the shipments arrives at the border. |
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If you are not sure what documents you need to send to the
broker, call him and ask. That always works. |
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It is better to email the scanned documents to the Mexican
Broker and the US Broker, as well as the importer in the United
States. If you do not have a scanner or Internet service, make
sure your fax works properly, and be sure to call to ensure the
documentation got trough correctly. It is recommended to send
the documents via email rather then fax because most of the
times while sending documents by fax, the fax transmission
causes the loss of document resolution and sometimes the
documentation becomes unreadable. When a document becomes
unreadable, it looses validation with Mexican Customs. |
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Be sure to send the scanned paperwork with an attached letter of
instructions. Make sure that the instructions are simple and
clear, and that there is no room for misunderstanding them. You
would be surprise how much this tip helps. |
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On the letter of instructions, make sure to mention what type of
operation you are requesting. If its a definite export, or
return export, etc. |
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Try to send scanned documents before the trailer gets to the
border. This way the paperwork can be verified before the
trailer gets to the border, and if there are corrections to be
made, they wont delay the shipment. |
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If you are a Mexican exporter working under the Maquila Program,
be sure to do your invoicing the way the program requires it. If
you don't know how, ask your Mexican customs broker or look into
it with the Secretary of Economy. (SECOM) |
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Remember you are paying for the brokerage service. You can
demand a good service, if you are not getting it, call us and we
will be happy to assist you. |
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Following is a brief description of the export process. |
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