New tariff classifications will require Automatic Import Notices for steel products

On April 15th, the 'Agreement amending the agreement by which the Ministry of Economy issues General Rules and Criteria on Foreign Trade' (the 'Agreement')¹ was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, which will enter into force on April 16, 2024. 

Objective

The purpose of the Agreement is to strengthen the monitoring of Automatic Import Notices for steel products, facilitate their processing for importers, and include 72 new tariff classifications that must comply with these Notices. 

Key Points

• Incorporation of 72 tariff classifications

  With the publication of the Agreement, 72 tariff classifications² are added to the list of goods whose importation requires the processing of Automatic Import Notices for steel products.³ Among the included goods are steel ingots, steel rolled products (tinplate strips, tinplate sheets or plates), hollow steel bars, steel sheets, and stainless steel drill pipes.

• Simplified process for obtaining Notices

  The Agreement also features a new Registry of Steel Importers. By registering, the user can obtain an Automatic License for each tariff item of interest, and the Automatic Import Notices remains valid for one year, with an option for one renewal. Once registered, the importer can request other Automatic Import Notices for additional steel products not included in previous requests.

  Interested parties can apply for registration in the 'Register of Steel Product Importers' by sending their request to the following email address: registro.siderurgicos@economia.gob.mx. 

• New requirements for processing Notices

  The Agreement establishes additional requirements for processing Automatic Import Notices for steel products, among which the following stand out: i) information on the country the steel was melted and poured or transformed, which must match the country declared in the Mill or Quality Certificates, as applicable, and ii) the need to provide the name of the mill, which must be registered in the Ministry of Economy's mill catalog.⁴

  If the mill is not currently registered with the Ministry of Economy, registration can be achieved through a letter.

  To determine if regularly imported goods are required to comply with the new Automatic License requirements, importers should consult the previous list, as well as the 72 tariff classifications items added through the Agreement. Likewise, importers should consider the possibility of registering in the new Steel Importers' Registry.

_{1 Available in Spanish at https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5723261&fecha=15/04/2024#gsc.tab=0
2 The 72 additional tariff classifications also include specific Commercial Identification Numbers (NICO's) for each, adding more than 72 items to the list.
3 Automatic Notices are authorizations issued by the Ministry of Economy to individuals or legal entities to carry out imports or exports of specific goods. Their purpose is to keep a record of foreign trade operations, enabling better information prior to customs clearance, including steel products. These Automatic Notices must be processed through the Mexican Digital Foreign Trade Window website: https://www.ventanillaunica.gob.mx/vucem/Ingreso.html.
4 Available in Spanish at https://www.snice.gob.mx/~oracle/SNICE_DOCS/CATALOGOMOLINO-SIDERURGICOS_20240415-20240415.pdf}

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_{This article is prepared for the general information of interested persons. It is not, and does not attempt to be, comprehensive in nature. Due to the general nature of its content, it should not be regarded as legal advice.}

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