New Registry for Importers of Steel Products in Mexico

The "Agreement amending the various regulations by which the Ministry of Economy issues General Rules and Criteria on Foreign Trade" (Agreement) was published in Mexico’s Official Gazette of the Federation on April 15, 2024. The Agreement entered into force on April 16, 2024, within the provisions highlighted below.

Incorporation of 72 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Codes

With the publication of the Agreement, 72 HTS codes were introduced to the list of goods whose import requires the processing of automatic import notices for steel products.

Additional Requirements for Processing Automatic Notices

Through this Agreement, new requirements are incorporated for the processing of automatic import notices, which consist primarily of the following:

• The obligation to indicate the name of the mill from where the steel products originated, and these must be selected from the catalog displayed by the Digital Window; i.e., the mill must be registered with the Mexican Ministry of Economy.
• In the event that the specific mill is not registered with the Mexican Ministry of Economy, its registration must be requested in writing to such authority.

Registration of Importers of Steel Products

From now on, companies wishing to import steel products in Mexico will be able to optionally register at the Registry of Importers of Steel Products, which provides operational facilities because their registration will allow them to obtain an automatic notice of import of steel products for each HTS code that meets the corresponding requirements, and the validity of this notice will be one year, with the possibility of applying for renewals.

Additionally, once importers secure their registrations at the Registry of Importers of Steel Products, they may request the authorization of other automatic notices for goods classified in HTS codes that were not the subject of the corresponding registration application.

Interested parties may apply for registration at the "Registry of Importers of Steel Products" by sending their application to the e-mail registro.siderurgicos@economia.gob.mx. They must comply with the requirements set forth in the Agreement for registration.

Holland & Knight’s foreign trade and customs practice group will be able to assist you with the referred registration, as well as to guide you on tariff clarification issues, complex foreign trade issues and other related matters. Please contact the authors for more information.

Information contained in this alert is for the general education and knowledge of our readers. It is not designed to be, and should not be used as, the sole source of information when analyzing and resolving a legal problem, and it should not be substituted for legal advice, which relies on a specific factual analysis. Moreover, the laws of each jurisdiction are different and are constantly changing. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. If you have specific questions regarding a particular fact situation, we urge you to consult the authors of this publication, your Holland & Knight representative or other competent legal counsel.