Updates to Carta Porte Requirements for Mexico Shipments

Announcement Number: CN2021-66
Categories: General Announcements
Posted Date: December 1, 2021

To Our Customers,

If your business has shipments moving into, out of or within Mexico, please be advised of the latest Carta Porte bill of lading requirements. Please also note the effective date has been extended to January 1, 2022.

Effective Cross-Border Date

  • Per the November 25, 2021, Mexican SAT publication, the entry into force has been postponed to January 1, 2022
  • Please note that this has yet to be published on Mexico’s Official Gazette

Shipments Using a Generic STCC (e.g., FAK, Auto Parts)

  • Based on guidance from the AAR Customer Service Committee, which oversees initiatives to improve the accuracy of data that is exchanged among railroads and customers, the rail industry has agreed to continue accepting generic STCCs to avoid any rating issues (e.g., FAK, auto parts)
  • This generic STCC must be the first STCC entered in the EDI 404 or other acceptable bill of lading system
  • Subsequently, customers will also need to provide specific STCCs that describe the commodity after the generic STCC to adhere to Mexican railroad/Carta Porte requirements

Country of Origin/Destination

  • If the shipment originates/terminates outside of the U.S., customers will need to provide the country of origin/destination

For All Hazardous Traffic

  • Hazmat code and packing type must be provided

The rest of the requirements remain the same. These are as follows:

All Traffic

  • Commodity Code (Clave Producto)

Shipments from the United States to Mexico

  • Customs Tariff Code (Fracción Arancelaria)  

Shipments from Mexico to the United States

  • UUID from CFDI supporting the international sale of goods 
  • Customs Tariff Code (Fracción Arancelaria) 

Updated FAQs
The Carta Porte Overview and FAQ document reflects the most recent changes. Customers may access it via the following:

Why Carta Porte Compliance Is Important
The Carta Porte requirement is mandatory for all shipments in Mexico. If a shipment does not include this newly required information, it may be at risk of clearance delays and/or interchange delays as well as border setouts. Customers need to be fully compliant to avoid delayed shipments and potential fees or penalties on the Mexican portion of the shipment.

It is important to note that customers will be responsible for the accuracy of the information they or their representatives (i.e., customs brokers) provide to Union Pacific.

Stay Tuned
We continue to work with the Mexican railroads to determine if any additional data from the shipper will be needed beyond the requirements listed above and will share this information as it becomes available. If you have additional questions, please reach out to cartaporte@up.com for assistance. To see the latest Carta Porte information, visit the SAT website.