Mexican Customs (ANAM)

Mexican Customs is administered by the Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM), the national customs agency (which took over customs operations from the SAT tax administration). It is responsible for clearing imports and exports, collecting customs duties and import VAT (IVA), and enforcing Mexico's trade, security and licensing controls at the country's border crossings, ports and airports.

Mexican clearance centres on the pedimento, the detailed customs declaration filed by a customs broker (agente aduanal), and goods may be subject to random inspection (the “semáforo fiscal” traffic-light). Mexico's trade is dominated by its integration with the United States and Canada under USMCA, and by the huge IMMEX (maquiladora) manufacturing-for-export sector. ANAM administers the tariff, valuation, origin and the many programs and controls that govern this vast cross-border trade. For anyone importing into or exporting from Mexico, understanding Mexican Customs, the pedimento and USMCA is essential to clearance and compliance. It governs Mexico's borders and its large trade with North America.