Imports of various steel and aluminum products into Mexico are subject to Automatic Import Notices administered by the Ministry of Economy (ME). These mechanisms go beyond identifying the goods and their country of origin; depending on the product, they also require information on the producer, mill or manufacturer, technical specifications, and material traceability.
Given the broad range of covered products, these requirements warrant particular attention from companies in the automotive and auto parts, construction, metalworking, machinery and equipment, pipe and tubing, electrical and electronics, aerospace, and packaging sectors, as well as service centers, distributors, and traders that directly import steel or aluminum inputs.
This makes it necessary to review not only customs clearance requirements, but also the information obtained from suppliers before the goods are shipped to Mexico.
1. Steel products: mill certificate or quality certificate.
For steel products subject to the Automatic Import Notice for Steel Products (AINSP), the ME requires, depending on the type of goods, either a Mill Certificate or a Quality Certificate.
The Mill Certificate must be issued by the company that produced the steel at the mill. The Quality Certificate must be issued by the manufacturer that transformed the steel to produce the goods that will subsequently be imported.
2. The supplier’s country is not necessarily the origin of the steel.
One important point is to distinguish between who sells the goods and where the material was produced. For AINSP purposes, the regulations distinguish the steel’s country of origin from the country where it was subsequently transformed into the goods to be imported.
3. Aluminum: smelting, casting and supply chain traceability.
Automatic Import Notices for Aluminum Products (AINSP) cover 42 tariff classifications across product families that include unwrought aluminum, bars, rods, profiles, wire, plates, sheets, strip, tubes, fittings and certain cast or forged parts.
For these transactions, identifying the country where the finished products were manufactured is not sufficient. The notice requires information on the various stages of aluminum production and processing, including the smelting and casting processes.
4. What happens when the supplier does not have the information?
In international supply chains, the supplier of steel or aluminum components is often a distributor rather than the original producer. It may also be the case that the supplier knows the origin of the finished product but does not have immediate access to information regarding the mill, heat, smelting or casting of the raw material.
These situations may create difficulties when preparing Automatic Import Notices and make it particularly important to review, in advance, the available traceability and documentation throughout the supply chain.
5. Recommendations
Companies that regularly import steel or aluminum should consider, at a minimum, the following measures:
- Identify their product portfolio.Determine the materials to be imported.
- Review their files.Verify whether the documentation received from suppliers is adequate to comply with the Automatic Import Notice requirements.
- Review supply chains involving distributors. Identify the original producer and assess the traceability information available.
- Incorporate requirements into procurement and contracts. Assess whether they obtain from suppliers, in a timely manner, the information necessary to comply with Mexican requirements.
- Conduct a pre-import review. Confirm in advance the compliance with the documentation needed to complete the applicable filling.
A preventive review can help identify inconsistencies and reduce the risk of requests for clarification or delays in import operations.
Our team can assist companies with a comprehensive review of their steel and aluminum import operations, including identifying goods subject to these measures, reviewing certificates and supporting documentation, analyzing supply chain traceability and preparing the files needed to comply with applicable requirements.
Contact
Alejandro Martínez
Ana Victoria Parra
THE FOREGOING IS PROVIDED AS GENERAL INFORMATION PREPARED BY PROFESSIONALS REGARDING THE SUBJECT MATTER DESCRIBED ABOVE. THIS DOCUMENT RELATES ONLY TO LAWS APPLICABLE IN MEXICO. WHILE EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION, WE ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS. NOTHING HEREIN CONSTITUTES LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.
