The Mexican government plans to enforce new customs regulations affecting e-commerce imports into the country starting in January. These requirements include additional documentation and more detailed product information for cross-border transactions. The aim is to cut down on tax fraud, smuggling, and other violations.
Carlos Barbosa, vice president of e-commerce solutions, stated that the changes are already impacting importers, parcel providers, and couriers in Mexico. “There’s an influx of brands from China—cheap stuff, low cost, low value,” Barbosa said. “A lot of these shippers, or people bringing stuff into Mexico, are abusing the system.”
The new e-commerce customs regulations, separate from a recent decree by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, will require detailed descriptions of each importation.
This includes the type of items, quantity, quality, and the tax identification number of the recipient in Mexico. The regulations were initially set to go into effect in October but were pushed to January due to backlogs. Barbosa noted, “These regulations created a lot of backlogs in October because marketplaces are not used to collecting such detailed information for the Mexican consumer.”
Mexico’s e-commerce market is the second-largest in Latin America, behind Brazil.
The online retail market is predicted to grow to $63 billion by 2025. Some of the largest e-commerce companies in Mexico include Amazon, Mercado Libre, Walmart, and Liverpool. Key changes include Mexico eliminating the “de minimis” threshold for imports from all countries except the U.S. and Canada.
Mexico’s new detailed import requirements
Starting January 1, all imports into Mexico will require customs declarations and payments from $0.01 in value. Some imports, particularly from Asia, Europe, and South America, could be subject to a 19% tax.
Barbosa emphasized the importance of accuracy in e-commerce shipping. “Always ensure the data on the product you’re selling is very clean and accurate. If you want to target a specific market, focus on the website or marketplace tailored to that country,” he advised.
In other news, Emerson Electric plans to open a second plant in Chihuahua, Mexico, creating 600 direct jobs. The $22.5 million facility will manufacture measurement instruments. Chinese firm Mesnac Co.
plans to invest $20 million to construct a rubber tire machinery plant in Leon, Mexico. The facility will be Mesnac’s first manufacturing operation in North America. An investment firm has partnered with Titan Development to develop a speculative 440,300-square-foot cross-dock logistics facility in Laredo, Texas.
The development will include 150 truck dock doors, 264 trailer stalls, a 185-foot truck court, and 36-foot clear heights.
