Mexico / NOM
Mexico's Ministry of Economy published an agreement on 29 May 2026, effective 1 July 2026, closing a simplified-import exemption for smartphones and mobile phones (HS codes 8517.13.01, 8517.14.91, 8517.18.99). Consignments now require proof of NOM-001-SCFI-2018 safety certification and NOM-024-SCFI-2013 Spanish-language commercial labelling and warranty documentation at import -- phones arriving without a NOM-001 certificate are at risk of customs detention. Broader NOM-208-SCFI RF/telecom testing and NOM-019-SCFI IT-equipment rules also apply to the wider consumer-electronics/IoT ICP exporting to Mexico.
Last updated 25 August 2026
Mexico's Ministry of Economy published an agreement on 29 May 2026 that closed a simplified-import exemption previously available to smartphones and mobile phones under HS codes 8517.13.01, 8517.14.91 and 8517.18.99. That exemption had allowed these products to clear customs without the full certification and labelling documentation otherwise required for electronics. Effective 1 July 2026, it no longer applies -- shipments in these categories now need proof of NOM-001-SCFI-2018 safety certification and NOM-024-SCFI-2013 Spanish-language labelling and warranty documentation at the point of import, the same standard that already applied to most other electronics categories.
Source: GMA Labs, "Mexico Cell Phone NOM Requirements Start July 1, 2026".
NOM-001-SCFI-2018 is Mexico's electrical safety standard for electronic and electrical equipment, covering construction, insulation, and safety-hazard testing broadly analogous to IEC 62368-1-family safety standards used elsewhere. For smartphones and mobile phones, a NOM-001 certificate now needs to exist and be referenced at the point of import -- consignments arriving after 1 July 2026 without one are at risk of customs detention rather than being able to clear first and certify afterward, which is the practical effect of the exemption closing.
Source: GMA Labs, "Mexico Cell Phone NOM Requirements Start July 1, 2026"; Bringg, "Shipping Electronics To Mexico: NOMs, Taxes And Amazon Rules".
NOM-024-SCFI-2013 governs commercial information and labelling for electronic products sold in Mexico, requiring Spanish-language documentation covering product information, warranty terms, and after-sales service contacts. It sits alongside NOM-001, not in place of it -- a phone that holds a valid NOM-001 safety certificate can still fail import or retail compliance if its labelling and warranty documentation are not in the required Spanish-language format. Both need to be in place together for the 1 July 2026 rule to be satisfied.
Source: Bringg, "Shipping Electronics To Mexico: NOMs, Taxes And Amazon Rules".
The 2026 rule closes the exemption specifically for smartphones and mobile phones, but it does not stand alone -- NOM-208-SCFI already covers RF and telecom equipment testing, and NOM-019-SCFI covers IT equipment, both applicable to the broader consumer-electronics and IoT categories exporting into Mexico. A manufacturer whose product line spans phones, connected devices, and general IT/electronics hardware should check certification status against the relevant NOM standard for each product type rather than assuming the phone-specific rule is the only one in scope.
Any consumer electronics or IoT manufacturer exporting smartphones or mobile phones into Mexico, plus anyone with a wider electronics line touching RF/telecom (NOM-208) or general IT equipment (NOM-019) categories. A business that has been relying on the now-closed simplified-import route needs NOM-001 safety certification and NOM-024 Spanish-language labelling documentation in place before filing, not arranged reactively once a shipment is held. Mexico is Latin America's second electronics-import market after Brazil to get dedicated coverage here, and typically has a shorter certification runway to plan for than jurisdictions with longer-dated deadlines.
Mexico's Ministry of Economy published an agreement on 29 May 2026, effective 1 July 2026, closing a simplified-import exemption that had previously let smartphones and mobile phones (HS codes 8517.13.01, 8517.14.91, 8517.18.99) clear customs without full documentation. Since that date, consignments require proof of NOM-001-SCFI-2018 safety certification and NOM-024-SCFI-2013 Spanish-language commercial labelling and warranty documentation at the point of import.
Phones arriving in Mexico after 1 July 2026 without a valid NOM-001-SCFI-2018 safety certificate are at risk of customs detention. The exemption that previously allowed simplified clearance no longer applies to smartphones and mobile phones under the affected HS codes, so certification now needs to be in place before the shipment is filed, not arranged after a hold.
NOM-024-SCFI-2013 covers commercial information and labelling for electronic products sold in Mexico, requiring Spanish-language documentation covering product information, warranty terms, and after-sales service contacts. It applies alongside NOM-001's safety certification -- a product can be NOM-001 certified and still fail import or retail compliance if its labelling and warranty documentation are not in the required Spanish-language format.
Yes. The 2026 rule closes the exemption specifically for smartphones and mobile phones, but the broader NOM framework already applies more widely: NOM-208-SCFI covers RF and telecom equipment testing, and NOM-019-SCFI covers IT equipment. Consumer electronics and IoT manufacturers exporting into Mexico across these categories should check certification status against the relevant NOM standard for their product type, not assume the phone-specific rule is the only one that applies.
Adding Mexico to a market-access review alongside Brazil and the rest of Latin America means checking NOM-001 safety certification and NOM-024 Spanish-language labelling status for phones, and NOM-208 or NOM-019 for wider RF/telecom or IT-equipment product lines. We fold Mexico's NOM requirements into the same market-access review we run for the other jurisdictions we cover, so it is one process per product, not a separate one to track per country.
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