Temporary imports (Can work very well for expensive products)

If you import and export, you know that it is necessary to carry out many procedures and that these vary from country to country. 

This can be very expensive if what you want, for example, is to send a piece from one country to another to repair something or if you want to showcase expensive equipment at an exhibition or show it to a buyer.

This is where temporary imports come in. There are different permits for temporary imports, and we will discuss them in this article, the first is the IMMEX program.

Manufacturing, Maquila, and Export Service Industry or IMMEX allows manufacturers to import raw materials and equipment into Mexico tax and tariff-free for a limited time (including the value-added tax, IVA).

To be eligible for this benefit, the products must be temporarily imported and used in an industrial or service operation that is designed to manufacture, transform, or repair goods for export. 

These short-term imports must eventually become part of a larger export. The Secretariat of Economy's website has further information about this program.

Other temporary imports include temporary imports to be returned in the same condition, musical instruments for artists, imports for cultural and sporting events, imports for conventions, congresses, and trade shows, imports for press, journalism, and cinematography.

A major advantage of this type of temporary import is that hiring a Mexican customs broker is not necessary, the importer can fill out the forms on their own. It is important to keep in mind that not complying with this requirement can result in the confiscation of the merchandise and the penalty fees for recovery are high.

Mexico joined the ATA carnet system in 2014, this ATA carnet allows US exporters to import things for trade shows, sales promotion, commercial samples, exhibitions, and demos.

The ATA carnet allows a traveler to just show up with the equipment at customs and be cleared by officers upon arrival. If the item to be imported is bulky or shipped via cargo airplane, it is advised to hire a customs broker to manage the process but using the ATA carnet will allow eliminating the paperwork involved.

If you are an exporter take advantage of these benefits offered by the authorities to simplify and speed up processes.

Learn more about 3PL Logistics services in Mexico here.