RULES FOR BRINGING HOUSEHOLD ITEMS INTO MEXICO depend on your residency status and the volume of items. Most people moving significant belongings utilize the Menaje de Casa (Household Goods Inventory) to import items duty-free.
The Menaje de Casa (Duty-Free Importation)
Foreigners with Temporary or Permanent Resident status (or Mexican nationals returning after living abroad for 2+ years) can import their used household goods duty-free once.
- Eligibility & Timing: You must initiate this process at a Mexican Consulate in your country of origin. Items must enter Mexico within six months of your first entry as a resident.
- Item Requirements:
- Used Items: All items must be used and have been in your possession for at least six months.
- Prohibited from Menaje: New items (with tags/packaging), firearms, explosives, food, beverages, medications, cleaning products, and motor vehicles.
- Limited Quantities: Electronics and appliances are usually restricted to one of each type (e.g., one refrigerator, one stove) to ensure they are for personal use.
- Documentation Needed:
- Certified Inventory: A typed list in Spanish including quantity, description, and for electronics, the brand, model, and serial number.
- Residency Proof: Your Mexican Resident Visa or Resident Card.
- Consular Fee: Expect to pay a certification fee of approximately $150–$180 USD.
- Customs Broker: A licensed Mexican customs broker is required to clear a large shipment at the border.
Bringing Items as a Tourist or in Small Batches
If you do not have residency or are just bringing a few items in your car:
- Tax-Free Allowance (Franquicia): You can bring personal luggage plus an additional allowance:
- By Land: Up to $75 USD per person ($300 USD during holiday periods).
- By Air/Sea: Up to $500 USD per person.
- Over-the-Limit Duties: For items exceeding your allowance but valued under $3,000 USD, you must declare them and typically pay a flat tax of approximately 16%–19%.
- Inventory: Even for small loads, keeping a list with estimated values is recommended to facilitate the declaration process at the border.
Prohibited & Restricted Items
Regardless of how you bring them, certain items are strictly controlled:
- Strictly Prohibited: Firearms, ammunition, and illegal drugs.
- Agricultural Restrictions: Fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, plants, and unsealed food products are generally prohibited to prevent pests.
- Medications: Must be for personal use; carry a prescription for psychotropic or “unusual” quantities of medication.
IMPORTANT:
- The list of household items will not include goods that the interested parties have had abroad for commercial or industrial activities, nor those that can be regulated under the scope of the Federal Vehicle Registration Law.
- The list must contain a detailed description of the items it comprises and their quantity. In the case of electrical items, the brand, model, and serial number must be indicated.
- It is not permissible to import motor vehicles, food, and beverages as part of the household items.
- The exemption from paying the tax for importing used household items will be granted within the following time frames: at the time of the interested party’s arrival in Mexico; within the three (3) months prior to the interested party’s arrival in the country; or up to a maximum of six (6) months after the date the interested party has entered the country.
Book an appointment for this of service by sending an email to consulmexuk@sre.gob.mx
For additional queries about this service, please dial 02079079472.