Revision to the “General Rules of International Commerce” Applying to All Shipments to and from Mexico

27 January 2010

Dear Valued Customer,

On January 16th, 2010, the Mexican Customs announced a revision to the “General Rules of International Commerce”, applying to all shipments to and from Mexico.

Based on the updates to rules articles 2.4.5 and 2.4.13 of the “General Rules of International Commerce”, additional information on the Bill of Loading must be provided prior to the transmission of the electronic manifest.

All shipments arriving to or departing from Mexican ports, including transshipments transiting through Mexican Territory, over land must include the following information:

• Tax ID (RFC) number of the shipper, consignee and notify party.
• Full address, telephone number and contact of shipper, consignee and notify
  party.
• For “To order” shipments, the information will only be applicable for shipper and notify party.

A generic Tax ID/RFC may be declared for personal household goods carried by diplomats, consular missions, and international agencies for foreigners.

No generic Tax ID/RFC is required if shippers, consignees or notify parties reside in countries where there are no tax identification registration.

This new rule is not applicable for foreign cargo remaining on board the vessel (FROB).

Please provide the necessary information to the corresponding APL office when submitting BL instructions. Failure to do so will result in a Customs Fine or the rejection to load shipment.

For more information, please refer to the following Mexican Custom link: http://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5125197&fecha=17/12/2009

Please don’t hesitate to contact your local customer service or APL representative, if you require further assistance.

Yours Sincerely,