Importer of Record in Mexico
Import into Mexico without opening a Mexican entity first. We act as importer of record: we clear customs, pay the duties, and deliver your goods already nationalized and invoiced.
What an importer of record does
To import into Mexico, you need to be on the padrón de importadores, Mexico's importer registry. Getting on it takes weeks, and it requires a Mexican tax ID (RFC). If your company doesn't have a Mexican entity yet, that's a wall: your cargo can be ready to ship and you still can't legally bring it in.
As importer of record, Two Door Logistics becomes the legal importer for your shipment. The goods enter Mexico under our registration, we pay the import taxes (IGI, VAT, DTA), file the customs pedimento, and clear the shipment. Once it's nationalized, we invoice you directly and deliver to your destination.
Import into Mexico without being on the padrón
This is the exact problem the service solves. Instead of waiting weeks for your own padrón registration, or opening a Mexican subsidiary before you've even confirmed the market is worth it, you use ours. We handle the customs clearance, the duties, and the compliance, and you receive the product already nationalized with a proper invoice.
- Import or export handled under 2DL's registered importer status
- Payment of import taxes: IGI, VAT, DTA, and compensatory quotas where they apply
- Permits and non-tariff regulations managed under our registration
- Full customs clearance: tariff classification, pedimento, release
- Invoice issued directly to you (CFDI) once goods are nationalized
- Delivery coordinated to your warehouse, distributor, or end customer in Mexico
Who needs this
Foreign companies without a Mexican entity that need to deliver product to a customer or distributor in Mexico. Companies testing the Mexican market before committing to open a subsidiary. Companies mid-way through a nearshoring move, whose Mexican entity isn't registered yet but whose equipment or inventory already needs to cross the border.
It also works for one-off transactions: if you don't import into Mexico regularly, registering your own padrón for a single shipment usually doesn't make sense.
How it works with 2DL
We start by reviewing your shipment: product, commercial value, tariff classification, and whether it needs permits or non-tariff regulations (Mexican product standards, sanitary certificates, quotas). Based on that, we quote freight if needed, customs clearance, duties, and our service fee, itemized.
Once you approve, we run the operation under our name: we're the importer of record before ANAM, file the pedimento, pay the corresponding taxes, and release the shipment. When it's nationalized, we issue your invoice and coordinate delivery wherever you need it, our facility, your Mexican distributor, or your end customer.
Every operation is documented: pedimento, supplier invoice, sales invoice, and a bill of lading when applicable. That paperwork is what backs your purchase if it's ever reviewed, even though 2DL ran the customs operation.
FAQ: importer of record in Mexico
Is it legal to import through an importer of record in Mexico?
Yes. It's a standard, legal structure in Mexican foreign trade known locally as a comercializadora arrangement. 2DL runs the operation under its own registration, meets every tax and customs obligation, and delivers your goods nationalized with a proper invoice.
Can you deliver directly to my customer or distributor in Mexico?
Yes. Once the shipment is cleared and invoiced, we coordinate delivery to whatever destination you specify: your own facility if you have one, a distributor, or your end customer.
Do I need a Mexican tax ID to receive the invoice?
If your company has a registered Mexican entity, we invoice directly to it. If you don't, we walk you through what's needed to receive the operation correctly, including cases where your Mexican distributor receives the goods instead.
At what point should we get our own padrón instead of using this service?
Once your volume into Mexico becomes regular, your own registration usually pays for itself. We tell you when that threshold makes sense for your specific case and support the transition when you're ready.
Cargo ready to ship but no Mexican entity yet?
With 2DL as importer of record, you can receive your goods nationalized and invoiced without opening a Mexican entity first.