How to import herbs from India into Mexico

In short

To import herbs or spices from India into Mexico, you need to be registered in SAT's importer registry (Padrón de Importadores), work with a customs broker (agente aduanal), know your product's tariff code, meet SENASICA's phytosanitary requirements and, depending on the product and its use, COFEPRIS's requirements. A sea shipment takes about 6–8 weeks port-to-port to Manzanillo, and 7–9 weeks to Veracruz.

1. Register as an importer.
2. Choose your customs broker.
3. Classify your product: the tariff code.
4. Check SENASICA's requirements.
5. Check whether COFEPRIS applies.
6. Quote with the right Incoterm and port.
7. Check the shipping documents.
8. Arrival, taxes and clearance.

1. Register as an importer

To import for business, your company, or you as a self-employed person, must be listed in the Padrón de Importadores run by SAT, Mexico's tax authority, with a valid RFC tax number and e.firma electronic signature. Some regulated sectors also need a sector registry; your customs broker will tell you whether your product does.

Do this before you buy: without the registration, goods can't be cleared even once they reach the port.

2. Choose your customs broker

The agente aduanal classifies your goods, calculates the taxes, files the customs declaration (pedimento) and coordinates the checks at the port. To let them act for you, you grant them an encargo conferido, which is registered in SAT's systems.

Look for a broker with experience in agricultural products who works at your port of arrival. On a first import, they are the person who can save you the most time and money.

3. Classify your product: the tariff code

Every product has a tariff code (fracción arancelaria) in the TIGIE, Mexico's tariff schedule: eight digits plus a two-digit commercial identification number (NICO). The code sets the duty you pay and the rules that apply, such as SENASICA or COFEPRIS requirements.

For reference, dried herbs such as ashwagandha, moringa or psyllium are usually classified under Harmonized System heading 1211; turmeric under 0910.30; fenugreek under 0910.99; and oils in chapter 15. Your broker confirms the exact code for your product.

Mexico and India have no free-trade agreement, so the general TIGIE rate applies.

4. Check SENASICA's requirements

Herbs, spices and seeds are plant products, and SENASICA, Mexico's plant and animal health agency, sets the import requirements by product, use and country of origin. They are published as a phytosanitary requirements sheet (hoja de requisitos fitosanitarios), which you can look up in SENASICA's requirements module or ask your broker for.

For dried product from India, the usual requirements are:

• An international phytosanitary certificate issued by India's plant health authority, sometimes with additional declarations (for example, that the product is free of soil or of certain pests).
• An inspection at SENASICA's office at the port of entry, which issues an import phytosanitary certificate once the goods pass.

Look up the sheet before you buy and send it to us. The Indian phytosanitary certificate must carry exactly the declarations it asks for; if one is missing, the cargo can be held at the port.

5. Check whether COFEPRIS applies

COFEPRIS, Mexico's health regulator, comes in depending on the tariff code and on how you will sell the product: a cooking spice is treated differently from a dietary supplement or a herbal remedy. Some codes require an import health notice or a prior import permit, and herbal remedies need a health registration.

If you will sell the product packed for consumers, your label must also meet Mexico's labelling standards, such as NOM-051 for food and drinks. The label is the importer's responsibility, so check with your broker or a regulatory adviser before launching the product.

6. Quote with the right Incoterm and port

The Incoterm sets how far the exporter pays and is responsible:

• FOB: we deliver the cargo on board at the Indian port. You book the sea freight and insurance.
• CFR: we pay the freight to your port in Mexico. Insurance is yours.
• CIF: we pay the freight and basic insurance to your port.

From India, cargo sails from Mundra or Nhava Sheva. In Mexico, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas receive cargo on the Pacific, and Veracruz on the Gulf. Transit is about 6–8 weeks port-to-port to Manzanillo and 7–9 weeks to Veracruz. For samples and small lots we also ship by express air courier (DHL, FedEx or UPS).

The import guide covers payment terms and Incoterms in more detail.

7. The shipping documents

With every shipment we send:

• Commercial invoice.
• Packing list.
• Bill of lading (B/L), or air waybill for air shipments.
• Phytosanitary certificate from India.
• Certificate of origin.
• Test report (COA) for the lot, against the agreed parameters.

Check that the product name, botanical name, weight and lot number match across all documents. Differences between documents are a common cause of customs delays.

8. Arrival, taxes and clearance

When the cargo arrives, SENASICA inspects it and your broker files the pedimento and pays:

• IGI: the general import duty, set by your tariff code.
• DTA: the customs processing fee.
• IVA: value-added tax, 16 % at the general rate, though some foods are zero-rated. Your broker confirms which applies.

The goods then go through the automated selection system, the "traffic light": green means release; red means customs inspects the goods before releasing them. After that the cargo leaves the port for your warehouse.

How long does it all take?

• Before you order: importer registry, broker, tariff code and requirements sheet. Do these while you ask for a quotation and a sample.
• Preparation in India: the time to source, test and pack the lot is stated in your quotation.
• Sea transit: about 6–8 weeks to Manzanillo and 7–9 weeks to Veracruz, port-to-port.
• Clearance and delivery: depends on the inspection, the traffic light and your broker.

This guide is general information, not legal or customs advice. Rules change: confirm the requirements for your product with your customs broker before you order.

Frequently asked questions