In recent years, customs agents in Mexico have shown a lack of concern for the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) certification.

There are currently 189 customs agents with this certification, an international measure that the Mexican government adopted in the middle of the last decade as part of its commitments to increase security in supply chains and goods transported globally – especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

It should be remembered that this certification is not only aimed at customs agents but at other participants in these supply chains, but they have also shown a lack of motivation to obtain it.

The Tax Administration Service (SAT) has almost a thousand of these certifications , including importers and exporters (584), customs agents (189), cargo motor carriers (166), audited premises (13), courier and parcel companies (two) and industrial parks (two).

At the recently held LXXXIV National Congress of Customs Agents , organized by the  Confederation of Associations of Customs Agents of the Mexican Republic (CAAAREM) , David Jarillo, central administrator of Certification of International Affairs of Foreign Trade Audit of the SAT, indicated that in the In the last five years, there has been an increase of just 5% in applications for new customs agent certifications.

Just over 800 customs agents operate in Mexico , the majority of which are integrated into the CAAAREM.

Companies that decide to become certified as AEO have to approve at least 11 security standards imposed by the authority, and on many occasions obtaining it has become an expensive and administrative burden for companies, mainly medium and small ones.

At the same time that they obtain the certification, the authority promises companies streamlining customs clearance , among other benefits; although, according to specialists consulted by T21, since the entry of the military or sailors into Mexican customs these benefits have almost disappeared.

“All foreign trade operations handled in Mexico are practically concentrated in 57% of our AEO companies, which is very important because the authority is trusting these companies that have certification and are in constant review and compliance. only in customs matters but also in fiscal matters,” explained David Jarillo.

With the aim of stimulating greater certification of customs agents, this year the tax authority undertook a streamlining of procedures, so that certifications are granted more expeditiously . “Thanks to this measure we have managed to receive 30% more registration procedures compared to last year and we will continue working to increase this volume,” according to the official.

Likewise, he warned customs agents that already have certification to maintain high security standards. “We have estimates, based on recent monitoring, that 29% of (customs) agents who initially complied with all requirements are no longer doing so. However, it is pertinent to make it known that this does not represent the withdrawal of the certification, there are mechanisms to resolve these absences and it can be fulfilled to maintain the certification,” he stated.

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Taking into account that the port of Laredo is the largest border crossing for the exchange of goods between Mexico and the United States, the relevance of taking advantage of the Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ), also known as free trade zones, is crucial because they allow the use of procedures special customs duties that benefit trade .

Federico Schaffler, Foreign Trade Administrator of the city of Laredo, Texas, explained to T21 that the FTZ are programs with a long tradition in the northern neighbor that for nearly 100 years have been effective allies in the commercial exchange between Mexico and the United States. Joined.

“The project consists of the activation of spaces within a warehouse, or in the patio of a foreign trade company on the American side, where merchandise that comes from another country, which in the case of Laredo is mostly Mexico, reaches these spaces and do not pay taxes until they enter the United States market, or they can also be goods produced in the United States that are destined for the FTZ to later be exported to another country in the world,” Schaffler indicated.

FTZs offer competitive advantages for a logistics operator such as deferral of payment of tariffs or taxes. Schaffler explained that in these areas products from Mexico that have exceeded export quotas can be stored, “at the time the “ok” for export is given, the product is already in North American territory and can begin marketing. ”.

Another trade facilitation tool that is in operation is the Federal Inspection Station that is currently operating at the Laredo airport, Texas, where the joint review between the National Customs Agency of Mexico ( ANAM ) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of air cargo products that enter eight airports in Mexico: Guadalajara, Toluca, Querétaro, Silao, Ramos Arizpe, Chihuahua, Hermosillo and San Luis Potosí.

These goods come from the aerospace, automotive, electrical, auto parts and electronics industries. “These are products that are already shipped from the United States to these airports and no longer have to go through customs again upon arrival,” explained the Foreign Trade administrator of the city of Laredo, Texas.

Although, to date the project operates in the aforementioned airports, Gilberto Sánchez, director of the Laredo International Airport, commented in an interview with T21 that the future goal is to extend the benefits to more air terminals, for example, the Felipe International Airport Ángeles (AIFA) , whenever the new government takes office on the Mexican side.

Regarding the expansion of industries, this is possible, however, it depends entirely on high-level negotiations between the governments of Mexico and the United States.

For his part, Gilberto Sánchez, commented that with dual customs, cargo that leaves the Laredo airport and is destined for one of the eight authorized airports in Mexico, the goods are automatically released by the Mexican authority.

He said that this facilitation allows waiting times to be released to release loads, going from three days to a few hours.

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