How to prove EU origin to Mexican customs

In September 2026 you prove EU origin to Mexican customs the way you have since 2000: a EUR.1 movement certificate issued by your national customs authority, or an invoice declaration made out by the exporter on the commercial document. Nothing has changed yet. Several freight forwarders are already publishing that EUR.1 is being scrapped in favour of REX registration, which is a reasonable prediction and is not yet the law.

The distinction matters because a shipment cleared on the wrong document does not get the preference, and a claim made after the fact is a refund process rather than a right.

What applies today

The EU-Mexico Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation Agreement of 2000, universally called the Global Agreement, remains the instrument in force. Its origin protocol works on the older EU model: an official certificate validated by the exporting country's customs authority, or a declaration on the invoice.

Two practical points about the invoice declaration. Any exporter can make one out for a consignment below a value threshold set in the protocol, currently 6,000 euros in the standard EU formulation. Above that, only an exporter formally authorised by its own customs authority as an approved exporter may use it, and everyone else needs a EUR.1. If you ship regularly, approved exporter status is worth the application; it removes a customs office visit from every consignment.

What is coming, and when

The modernised EU-Mexico agreement was signed on 22 May 2026 and approved by the European Parliament on 8 July 2026. The Council of the EU concluded the separate interim Trade Agreement on 14 July 2026. Because that instrument falls within exclusive EU competence it does not need ratification by the 27 member states, and it enters into force on the first day of the second month after both sides notify each other that their internal procedures are complete.

We found no such notification from either side as at 4 September 2026. On the two-month rule, the earliest possible entry into force is therefore late 2026. Check the position before you rely on it; this is the most perishable statement on our site.

The Chile precedent is the best available guide

For what the change will look like operationally, look at what the EU did with Chile eighteen months ago, because the drafting model is the same.

The EU-Chile Interim Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 February 2025. From that date EUR.1 certificates could no longer be used for EU-Chile trade. They were replaced by a statement on origin made out by the exporter, or by importer's knowledge. There was no transitional period. EU exporters issuing a statement on origin need a REX registration unless the consignment does not exceed 6,000 euros, and the customs declaration carries specific codes to identify which basis is being used.

If Mexico follows the same template, and the negotiating history suggests it will, then on the day the new agreement applies your EUR.1 process stops working and your REX number becomes the thing that lets you sell at zero duty. Getting a REX registration is not difficult, but it is not instant either, and doing it in the week the agreement enters into force is a poor plan.

What to do now

1. Confirm your products actually qualify as originating under the current protocol. Origin is a legal test about where value was added and which tariff headings the inputs sat under, not about where the box was packed.
2. If you are not already REX registered, register. It costs nothing and it is the prerequisite for self-certification under every recent EU agreement, not only this one.
3. Keep the EUR.1 process running until the new agreement actually applies. The Council acted on 14 July 2026, so what remains is Mexico's internal completion and the mutual notifications; set a reminder to check both.
4. Tell your Mexican importer what is happening. They are the party who takes the risk if the claim fails at the border, and in most cases the importer is your distributor rather than you. See why a European company cannot be its own importer in Mexico.

For what the preference is actually worth in cash, we have run the arithmetic in what European goods actually pay to enter Mexico.

Common questions

Is EUR.1 still valid for exports to Mexico?

Yes, as at 4 September 2026. The Global Agreement of 2000 is still the instrument in force and its origin protocol still uses EUR.1 and the invoice declaration. The modernised agreement has been signed and concluded by the Council but has not entered into force.

Do I need a REX number to export to Mexico?

Not yet. You need one for EU-Chile trade, and you are likely to need one for Mexico once the modernised agreement applies. Registering in advance is sensible because the registration is not agreement specific.

What is the 6,000 euro threshold?

Under the standard EU origin protocol, any exporter may make out an origin declaration on the invoice for a consignment whose value does not exceed 6,000 euros. Above that value, only an exporter authorised by its own customs authority may self-certify; everyone else needs a EUR.1 issued by customs.

Who is liable if the origin claim is rejected in Mexico?

The importer of record, which for most European exporters is their Mexican distributor or customer. They pay the duty that should have been paid, plus any surcharge. That is a commercial exposure for you even though it is not a legal one, because it lands on the relationship.