Mexico Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in mexico, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Prohibited & Restricted Imports
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Mexico maintains prohibitions and restrictions to protect public health, safety, security, and the environment. Enforcement is federal, led by the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) and the Tax Administration Service (SAT). Importers must confirm HS code specific controls with the competent authority before shipment. Prohibited items include: narcotics; used clothing for commercial purposes outside personal luggage; predatory live fish of any size; images depicting children in a degrading manner; and electronic cigarettes, vaping devices and their components.

Restricted items require prior permits or conditions from sector regulators. Common categories include weapons and ammunition (SEDENA, Secretariat of National Defense); animal and plant products (SADER, Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development and SENASICA, National Service for Agrifood Health Safety and Quality); wildlife and listed species (Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources); chemicals and hazardous or dual use goods (Secretariat of National Defense and Secretariat of Economy, SEDENA/SE); cultural property (INAH/INBAL, National Institute of Anthropology and History and National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature,); and medical and healthcare products, including certain medications (COFEPRIS, Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks under the Secretariat of Health).

Medical devices and health products: most are importable once they meet applicable Mexican Official Standards (NOMs), have a Mexican legal representative, and obtain COFEPRIS registration before sale. Labeling and other non-tariff requirements apply at entry.

As of January 1, 2025, all import declarations require the Mexican Importer of Record’s Tax ID (RFC). Temporary entry regimes do not override prohibitions or permit requirements. Noncompliance may result in holds, fines, seizure, or criminal liability.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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