With the aim of promoting greater efficiency in logistics and foreign trade operations, the Mexican Intermodal Transport Association (AMTI) met with representatives of the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) to discuss various strategic issues, including the cancellation of Annex 29 of the General Rules of Foreign Trade (RGCE) of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) , a measure that would simplify procedures, avoid duplicate processes and expedite the flow of goods in the country.
Yolanda Esquivel, general director of AMTI, specified that they held a meeting with the authorities on August 12 to review several issues.
“One of them is Annex 29, where what we are seeking is the cancellation of this document to streamline the customs process; we have agreed that it will be done digitally, we are continuing along this path with ANAM and they are open to discussing this issue. The same applies to Annex 23,” he explained during their monthly meeting.
AMTI has been working with ANAM since September 2024 on various technical working groups and tests aimed at digitizing Annex 29 .
However, based on the analysis carried out during this process, it was considered important to rethink the objective and consider eliminating Annex 29 instead of continuing to dedicate efforts to its digitization, “since the required information is already largely contained in other documents and foreign trade systems available to the authority, such that other customs offices operate without this document.”
Therefore, the agency seeks to analyze the legal and operational feasibility of eliminating this requirement , removing duplication and administrative burdens without affecting traceability or the control powers of the customs authority.
He indicated that, for the reference of the areas that will follow up, the latest chain of communications on the Annex 29 application was shared, where the background and progress made so far can be found.
Regarding Article 23/Annex 29, the aim is to standardize and eliminate the requirement. At the meeting on August 12, AMTI also noted that a similar problem arises under different names depending on the customs office.
In Veracruz, the requirement is operationally identified as Article 23 , while in other operations it is handled as Annex 29.
Beyond the terminology used at each customs office, whether rail or maritime, AMTI’s approach is to comprehensively review both processes , identify the information that is currently requested in duplicate, and analyze the legal and operational feasibility of eliminating these requirements when the authority already has the corresponding information through other means.
Annex 29 specifies the goods that cannot be temporarily imported for processing, transformation or repair, nor destined for regimes such as bonded warehouse, bonded area or strategic bonded area.
These products include jet fuel; petroleum or bituminous mineral oils; butane and propane, mixed together, liquefied; biodiesel and its mixtures, without petroleum or bituminous mineral oils or with a content of less than 70% by weight of these oils, and others, according to the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) .
Annex 29 is based on the Customs Law and is important for importers, exporters and customs agents, avoiding penalties and ensuring that foreign trade operations are carried out in accordance with the law.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Evangelina del Toro / @GrupoT21
