Customs broker authorization in Mexico: what you sign when you hand over your operation

Before a customs agency can file an entry in your name in Mexico, you have to authorize it. That authorization is the encargo conferido: the act by which an importer electronically enables a customs broker or agency to act as its representative before customs. It is not paperwork. It is the point where you decide who may file operations that will be recorded under your tax ID.

What it actually is

The authorization is registered electronically with the customs authority, linking your RFC to the license or authorization of the agency that will clear on your behalf. While it is in force, that agency can transmit entries in your name at the customs offices it was enabled for.

It is not the same as a commercial contract. You may have a services agreement with a logistics operator and still need this authorization to exist separately, in the name of whoever actually clears the goods. Confusing the two documents is one of the most common reasons shipments sit at origin or at port because the entry cannot be filed in time.

Liability does not transfer

The most expensive misconception is assuming the authorization shifts responsibility. It does not. The importer remains responsible for the accuracy of what is declared: value, tariff classification, origin, non-tariff regulations and the documentation supporting the transaction.

The customs agency answers for its professional conduct, but the information originates in your operation. If the commercial invoice does not reflect the real value, if the tariff classification is wrong, or if a permit is missing, the consequence lands on your importer record and your tax accounting.

That is why the authorization has to be paired with an orderly information flow, not just an electronic signature.

What to check before granting it

• Who receives it. Verify the license or authorization is current and that the agency operates at the customs office you need.
• Which customs offices. If your cargo enters through different points, confirm coverage before booking shipments.
• Who supplies the data. Define who provides the invoice, packing list, certificates and permits, and who validates classification.
• What you keep. Entries, annexes, proof of duty and tax payment and value evidence belong in your own file, not only in the agency’s.
• How to revoke it. The authorization can be revoked through the same electronic channel. Do it when a commercial relationship ends, not months later.

The risk of leaving authorizations open

Importers routinely accumulate active authorizations with agencies they no longer work with. Every one of those records is an open door for operations to be filed in your name.

Basic hygiene is simple: review which authorizations are active, close the ones that no longer match a current provider, and keep evidence of the revocation. A clean importer registry is maintained the same way; if the record gets complicated, see how to handle an importer registry suspension.

If you are not on the importer registry

Granting the authorization presumes you are enrolled in the importer registry and, where applicable, in the sector-specific registry that matches your goods. If you do not hold that registration yet, there is the route of importing under a qualified third party’s structure — a different arrangement in which you are not the one granting the authorization. That distinction changes who appears as importer of record and how the operation is documented; we explain it in importing without an importer registry.

Documents you should always have on hand

1. The current authorization and its acknowledgement.
2. The services contract or engagement letter with the agency.
3. Entries and their annexes for each operation.
4. Proof of payment of duties, taxes and fees.
5. The value file: invoice, wire transfer, purchase agreement and transport document.
6. Applicable non-tariff regulations: permits, notices, certificates and NOM labeling compliance.

That file is what holds an operation together if it is reviewed later. Rebuilding it after the fact is always more expensive than assembling it from the first shipment.

At TradeWay

We coordinate customs clearance together with transport and warehousing, through a single point of contact and a single invoice, and we tell you plainly what documentation to keep for each operation. If you are about to grant the authorization or want to clean up the ones already active, contact us and we will review it with you.