Atlas Mexicana offers service through the following major Mexican ports: Manzanillo, Progreso, Ensenada Tampico/Altamira and Veracruz, both LCL and FCL. Our services include the customs clearance services and transportation from these ports to any city in the country for delivery of the goods.

We emphazise the importance of ensuring that all documentation be available or readily obtainable from the importer prior to forwarding goods. As is the case in many countries, storage in Mexican airports can become very expensive very quickly, so clearing shipments as quickly as possible upon arrival is imperative.

Atlas Mexicana can provide rate quotes for our handling of shipments via any port; however, to do so and because of the Mexican customs structure, we always require the following information:

1. Description of goods (or HTS number, if available)
2. Commercial value of goods
3. Intended Mexican port to use
4. FCL or LCL (ocean freight)
5. Specific Mexican city of destination
6. Weight
7. Volume
8. Type of import (definite or temporary)
9. Whether NAFTA certificate of origin will be available
10. Point to where the freight is prepaid (port of entry, inland terminal, etc)

The more accurate the information regarding the merchandise, the better able we will be to provide approximate duties and taxes, advise of any compensatory quotas, indicate if any special permits or authorizations are required, etc.

You should bear in mind that to import, at a bare minimum, the importer must be registered as such with the Mexican government; therefore, companies which have never imported previously may have to go through the approval procedure, which could delay the actual importation of the goods. Some types of merchandise may require that the importer be additionally registered as an importer of that specific type of merchandise, and, without this specific registration, they may not be authorized to import the goods.

Regarding values, Mexican customs uses "official" values for goods. If the commercial value of the goods is below this "official" value, then the importer may have to go through a special procedure in order to import the goods, involving setting up a special bank account as guarantee. Under normal circumstances, goods are subject to the payment of ad valorem duties and VAT (on the total of the commercial value plus ad valorem duties). Even if the goods do not pay ad valorem duties, they will still pay the VAT. Any and all duties must always be advanced to us.

The handling of steamship containers on import shipments to Mexico is also somewhat unusual and you should be aware of this when forwarding on an FCL basis. On shipments prepaid to port only, most steamship lines will require that the container be returned to the port of entry, so transportation rates tend to be somewhat high in Mexico for containers. In addition, most steamship lines require that a deposit or guarantee be placed prior to releasing the container for customs clearance. This deposit is usually US$1000.00. Generally, somewhere between 5 and 10 days are considered without charge, but if the container is returned to the port or terminal beyone the "free" period, a demurrage charges is incurred and this is deducted from the deposit, which many times is returned by the steamship line quite a long time after the container is returned.

For obvious reasons, we almost invariably ask the importer for this guarantee in each case, if we are handling the services in Mexico, as it would be impossible for us to have tens or even hundreds of thousands of U.S. Dollars in the hands of the different steamship lines. If your prepay the transport of the container to final destination, which many times is possible, it is important to determine if the transportation is by truck or rail and advise your shipper, as there is usually a significant delay by rail versus truck.

If containers are forwarded on a prepaid basis to an inland terminal, it is important to verify with the steamship line if the hauling will be over-the-road or by rail. In Mexico, many importers prefer or even demand that the hauling be done by truck, as rail can be much slower, and many times the steamship line does not include the drayage from terminal to final destination in their rate and this must be paid by the importer.

On LCL shipments forwarded in consolidation with a third party to Mexico, it is usually impossible for us to provide the cost of the deconsolidator in Mexico. Each company in Mexico has widely varying charges and many times, even when we know the deconsolidators name, they cannot anticipate the charges until they actually have the paperwork on the goods. Also, on shipments prepaid to an inland city, some deconsolidators require that once the shipment clears customs at the port, the goods must be drayed from the customs warehouse to the deconsolidator's private warehouse in the port city for on-forwarding and this cost is not included in the prepaid freight charges and must be covered by the local customer.

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Atlas Mexicana offers service through the following major Mexican ports: Manzanillo, Progreso Tampico/Altamira and Veracruz, both LCL and FCL. Our services include the customs clearance services and transportation to these ports from any city in the country for delivery of the goods. Atlas enjoys a working relationship with most of the steamship lines operating from Mexico, as well as a number of consolidators.

Atlas Mexicana can provide rate quotes for our handling of shipments via any port or airport; however, to do so and because of the Mexican customs structure, we always require the following information:

1. Description of goods
2. Commercial value of goods
3. Shipped on MBL or HBL
4. Specific Mexican city of origin
5. Destination port
6. Weight
7. Volume
8. Ship as FCL or LCL
9. Type of container required if FCL

We would like to point out that it is not at all uncommon that containers must be brought empty from the designated port for loading, as many steamship lines in Mexico to not have containers available at the few inland terminals we have in our country (basically only Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey).

Atlas can issue it's own FIATA/AMAC- approved house waybill on any outbound shipment.

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