The National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) is prioritizing information sharing with Asian countries to review declared value, origin and security risks of goods before they reach customs clearance, according to statements by Estefanía Capdevielle, the agency's director general of Customs Attention for International Affairs, to Expansión published on November 4, 2026.
The strategy rests on the reform to the Customs Law published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on October 23, 2026, which empowers the authority to launch verification powers on its own initiative when the declared value is lower than the transaction value of identical or similar goods, and which takes effect on January 1, 2027, according to El Economista. The change matters for Mexico because undervaluation, that is, declaring goods below their legal value, reduces contributions and creates unequal competitive conditions for companies that do comply, according to the agency's own description. That point also weighs on North America's trade agenda.
"At this moment our priority in international affairs is information sharing with Asian countries," Capdevielle said, adding: "When a good is going to clearance, it already comes flagged, we already know what it carries, we already know where it comes from." The exchange focuses on declared value, origin and security risks, according to the official. The reform also sets a 20% parameter: when the value difference is smaller, the importer can replace the precautionary embargo with a cash deposit or a customs guarantee account; when the difference equals or exceeds that percentage, the cash deposit is the route, according to El Economista. Capdevielle also maintained that "the new reform is not to collect more, it is to be able to protect national industry."
The next milestone has a date: the additional provisions on goods and procedures must be published no later than December 31, 2026, according to El Economista. Those rules will specify which operations are subject to the precautionary embargo and will set the tone for the reform's first year, with the review of value and origin as the operational axis.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.