Northwest Horticultural Council
Export Manual
MEXICO
Capital: Mexico CityPopulation: 130,739,927 (2024)
Currency: Peso
Official Language(s): Spanish
I. CHEMICAL MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MRLs)
Please click on the above link for a list of chemical MRLs.
II. CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVE INFORMATION
A. Chemical residue standards:
Mexico maintains a national list of maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides. However, the status of the national MRL regulation is unclear. In practice, it is understood that Mexico accepts U.S. MRLs for products imported from the U.S. Mexico does not use a default MRL.
B. Monitoring chemical residues:
A small monitoring pilot program with laboratory testing conducted by Senasica was initiated in December 2011. Program details are not available.
C. Restrictions on use of waxes:
None.
III. ORGANIC FRUIT REGULATIONS
Apples, cherries, and pears must be certified to Mexico’s organics law (Ley de Producto Orgánicos (LPO)) to be sold in Mexico as organic and documentation of certification will be required at port of entry.
WSDA provides certification through Oregon Tilth to exporters in Washington state. A list of other certifiers accredited by Mexico’s National Service of Health, Safety, and Agro-food Safety (SENASICA) can be found here.
Stickers, or amended labels, may be applied to consumer packages with information required by the LPO.
Required carton marks:
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- Packer name and LPO client number
- Certifier code number
Additionally, the following information must appear in Spanish:
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- Name of product
- Country of origin
- Net weight
- “Distributed by” followed by the packer name and LPO client number
- “Certified organic by” followed by “Oregon Tilth” and the certifier code number
- Ingredient statement (if used)
- One of the non-GMO statements (“libre de organisms geneticamente modificados”, “No OGM”, “Producto sin OGM”)
Use of the LPO seal or logo is optional.
USDA organic labeling may also appear on the export carton in addition to the LPO required marks.
For more information contact the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) at organic@agr.wa.gov or 360-902-1805. Oregon and Idaho packer/shippers should contact an LPO certifier directly – a list of whom can be found here.
IV. TARIFFS
On January 1, 2003, the import tariff on U.S. and Canadian apples was eliminated as required under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The duties on pear imports from Argentina and apple imports from Chile are also zero. Apples imported from other countries are subject to a 20% duty.
Mexico also has a 15% value-added tax (VAT, or IVA in Spanish). The VAT is assessed on the FOB invoice value plus the ad valorem duty.
V. NON-TARIFF BARRIERS
A. Labeling requirements:
Mexico requires that shipping cartons show the following printed information:
1. Name of the product (e.g., apple)
2. Importer name, address, and RFC (taxation number)
3. TF (treatment facility) number (apples only)
All consumer packages of fruit, such as bagged apples, must be labeled in Spanish with the following information:
1. Name of the product;
2. Net weight;
3. Importer’s name, corporate identification and fiscal domicile;
4. Country of origin; and
5. Batch (lot) number.
6. Exporter’s name and address
The information concerning the importer’s name, corporate identification, and fiscal domicile may be placed on the package after it has cleared customs and prior to marketing. The legend, “Not labeled for individual sale” also must appear in Spanish on the package. The information in Spanish must be in lettering of the same size, typographic proportions and must appear in an equally obvious manner as information in other languages.
Cherry export cartons: Required carton marks may be applied to the carton using permanent ‘print-and-apply’ labels, like those used by FedEx or UPS. Only one label per carton may be used; a corrective second label is not allowed.
B. Licenses and quotas:
None.
C. Currency Issues:
None.
D. Pest and plant disease restrictions:
Oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta) and apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) are the main quarantine pests of concern for Mexico. We believe that we are at low risk of delivering fruit infested with any of these pests. However, if any codling moth is found in the border inspection it could be misidentified as oriental fruit moth. Shipments found to contain pests of quarantine concern will not be allowed to enter Mexico.
Apples: Packing facilities interested in exporting apples to Mexico should first contact Northwest Fruit Exporters (Northwest Horticultural Council) at 509-453-3193 to obtain a copy of the work plan and relevant regulations. Participating packing facilities register with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In Washington state, facilities register through the Washington State Department of Agriculture
Apple shipments to Mexico must comply with the “Work Plan for the Exportation of Apples from the Northwest of the United States to Mexico.” Apples must be cold treated at 0° Celsius for 40 days or at 3.3° Celsius for 90 days prior to shipment. Cold treatment rooms must be certified by USDA APHIS through the respective state departments of agriculture.
Pears: A federal phytosanitary certificate (certificate) is required. Both the state and county of production must be shown on the certificate “Place of Origin” line. The following additional declaration also is required, “The pears in this shipment are free of Grapholita molesta and Conotrachelus nenuphar and were produced in the States of Oregon, Washington, or California. This shipment was not produced in areas regulated (quarantined) for fruit flies of quarantine importance.” The certificate must be issued at the place of packing.
The shipment must be substantially free of leaves and debris. A two-leaf per carton tolerance is allowed. The cartons must be marked with a lot number and the address of the grower/packer.
During the certification inspection, the standard of a minimum inspection level of 2 percent, as per APHIS policy, must be maintained. Additionally, of that 2 percent, cutting of a minimum of 2 fruits per box plus any suspect fruit is required.
NOTE: Extra effort should be applied for the detection of larvae.
Cherries: Packing facilities interested in exporting cherries to Mexico should first contact Northwest Fruit Exporters (Northwest Horticultural Council) at 509-453-3193 to obtain a copy of the work plan and relevant regulations. Preseason registration through Northwest Fruit Exporters is required. NOTE: Mexico does not allow corrections or additions to the facility list during the season.
Apricots: Packing facilities interested in exporting apricots to Mexico should first contact Northwest Fruit Exporters (Northwest Horticultural Council) at 509-453-3193 to obtain a copy of the work plan and relevant regulations. Preseason registration through Northwest Fruit Exporters is required. NOTE: Mexico does not allow corrections or additions to the facility list during the season.
E. Other requirements:
Apple shipments:
Mexico requires that the following information be included on the invoice or import documents for apple shipments:
-
- The description of the product, as well as the tariff number
- Quality grade of the apple
- Apple Size
- Weight in kilograms of boxes
Example of above:
Fresh apples, 0808.10.01
Red Delicious
WA Exfancy, size 88, boxes of 19.60 kg.
Ports of entry:
Apples are allowed to enter Mexico through the ports of Neuvo Laredo, Mexicali, Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Nogales, Ciudad Reynosa, Piedras Negras, Matamoros, and Colombia.
VI. MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST TREE FRUIT INDUSTRY:
Washington Apple Commission/Northwest Cherry Growers/Washington State Fruit Commission:
Juan Carlos Moreira
Jurica, Querentaro, Mexico
Voice: +52 442 484 0578
Voice: +52 442 455 9571
E-mail: jcmoreira@etsol.mx
Pear Bureau Northwest:
Luis Moreno
Grupo PM S.A. de C.V.
Cuernavaca, Mexico
Voice: +52 777 316 7370
Fax: +52 777 316 7369
E-mail: grupopm@grupopm.com
VII. OTHER RESOURCE LINKS:
Governmental:
VIII. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Effective July 1, 2020, the U.S. – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) will not require a specific certificate of origin as was required by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Form 434 (NAFTA certificate of origin) is not mandatory under the USMCA. USCMA requires a “certification of origin”; and a NAFTA certificate of origin contains the elements required by the USCMA certification of origin. However, any format is acceptable, provided it contains the following nine minimum data elements set out in USCMA, Annex 5-A:
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- Importer, Exporter, or Producer Certification of Origin
- Certifier
- Exporter
- Producer
- Importer
- Description and HS Classification of the Good
- Origin Criteria
- Blanket Period (if applicable)
- Authorized Signature and Date
The data elements must indicate that the goods claiming preferential treatment originate and meet the requirements of USMCA Chapter 5 detailed in CBP’s USMCA Interim Implementing Instructions, see Appendix III, page 38. This information may be provided on an invoice or any other document. The information must describe the originating good in sufficient detail to enable its identification and meet the requirements as set out in the Uniform Regulations.
For more information on certification requirements and the data elements listed above, please see USMCA, Article 5 and Annex 5-A, available at the U.S. Trade Representative website and the CBP website in advance of the USMCA’s entry into force. For merchandise entered into commerce on or before June 30, 2020, NAFTA rules will continue to apply. (Note: there will be additional updates to the CBP website going forward). Additionally, Canada Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) has a sample document that can be found here.
Mexican customs require that all exporters’ invoices and country of origin certificates show the full street address including the city, state, and zip code. Do not list a P.O. Box number. If a P.O. Box is used, Mexican Customs may confiscate the product.
Mexican Customs provides exporters a 15-day grace period to correct any minor clerical errors, omissions, or missing documentation regarding required paperwork, provided that the errors do not call into question the authenticity of the documents.
