Importing an Aircraft From the U.S. Into Mexico: AFAC Registration, Customs and IVA

Mexico sits next to the largest used-aircraft market in the world, and many Mexican owners buy their airplanes in the U.S. To import an aircraft from the USA to Mexico and register it there, you need a recent FAA export certificate, a formal import through a licensed Mexican customs agent with IVA paid, registration in the Registro Aeronáutico Mexicano and a Mexican certificate of airworthiness from the Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil, AFAC, which replaced the former DGAC as Mexico’s aviation authority.

This guide covers that process, the details that make Mexican imports different, including a tight window on the export certificate, and the main alternative some owners consider.

Before You Buy

  • Type and modifications. Confirm with a Mexican maintenance organization that the model is accepted in Mexico and that every STC and major modification will be.
  • Records. Mexico’s published import requirements ask for a complete history, including the status of every one-time and recurring AD, a list of non-applicable ADs with the reason for each, life-limited components, major repairs and alterations, and calibration records for items such as the transponder and pitot-static system.
  • Equipment and placards. The same requirements call for bilingual Spanish and English placards and altimeter barometric markings in hectopascals or millibars, along with an installed ELT. Glass-cockpit airplanes such as Garmin-equipped Cirrus models can display hectopascals, but confirm what your inspector will accept.
  • The customs agent. Formal imports into Mexico are made through an agente aduanal, a licensed customs agent. Engage one before purchase.

Our guide to buying an aircraft in the U.S. from overseas covers records review, the pre-buy and escrow.

Step by Step

1. Export certificate: mind the 60-day window

Mexico’s special import requirements, as published by the FAA, call for an FAA Export Certificate of Airworthiness issued within 60 days before the airplane arrives in Mexico, with no more than 50 flight hours since it was issued. Those requirements date from 2007, so confirm them with AFAC, but plan the export inspection close to delivery rather than weeks ahead of it. Our guide to exporting an aircraft from the U.S. covers the export certificate, FAA deregistration and the U.S. customs filing.

2. Fly it home

Most airplanes are flown into Mexico, often in a single day from the southern U.S. The flight is made on the airplane’s U.S. registration, with the international arrival procedures for Mexico.

3. Formal import and IVA

The customs agent files the import declaration. Import IVA of 16% applies on the customs value. U.S.-built aircraft that qualify as originating under the USMCA can generally enter free of general import duty, but the agent must claim that treatment correctly and confirm current rules, since trade measures between the U.S. and Mexico have changed in recent years. The agent will also confirm any customs processing fees.

4. Registration in the RAM

Under Mexico’s civil aviation law, aircraft subject to Mexican law must be registered in the Registro Aeronáutico Mexicano and carry Mexican marks: XB- for private aircraft, XA- for commercial and XC- for government. Registration requires the purchase contract, evidence of the seller’s title, evidence of cancellation of the U.S. registration, the import documents and the buyer’s tax registration, among other items. Foreigners legally resident in Mexico can generally own privately registered aircraft. Registration processing can take from several weeks to a few months.

5. Certificate of airworthiness

AFAC issues the Mexican certificate of airworthiness after confirming the airplane conforms and is airworthy. No aircraft may fly in Mexican airspace on Mexican registration without one. The new registration brings a new Mode S address, so reprogram the transponder and ADS-B equipment and recode the ELT for Mexico.

The Alternative: Keeping the Airplane N-Registered

Some owners based in Mexico keep their airplanes on the U.S. register, usually through an owner trust, and fly them under FAA rules. That avoids Mexican registration and certification but not Mexican tax and customs rules for an airplane kept in the country, and Mexican authorities have tightened enforcement on foreign-registered aircraft operating in Mexico, particularly around commercial use. It also requires FAA-certificated pilots and maintenance. Take advice from a Mexican aviation attorney and customs agent before choosing it.

How Long It Takes

The flight is the easy part. Allow one to two weeks for the U.S. export and customs work, then several weeks to three months for registration and certification in Mexico, depending on how complete the records are and how quickly the authority processes the file.

Frequently Asked Questions

What taxes apply when importing an aircraft into Mexico?

Import IVA of 16% applies on the customs value. U.S.-built aircraft that qualify under the USMCA can generally enter free of general import duty when the customs agent claims it. Confirm current treatment and fees with a licensed customs agent.

How recent must the export certificate of airworthiness be for Mexico?

Mexico’s published requirements call for an FAA export certificate issued within 60 days before the airplane arrives in Mexico, with no more than 50 flight hours since issue. Confirm the current requirement with AFAC.

What registration marks do private aircraft use in Mexico?

XB- for private aircraft. XA- is used for commercial aircraft and XC- for government aircraft.

Can a foreigner register an aircraft in Mexico?

Foreigners legally present in Mexico can generally own privately registered XB- aircraft. Commercial registration carries ownership restrictions.

The Bottom Line

Importing an aircraft from the USA to Mexico is short on distance and long on paperwork. Engage a customs agent and a Mexican maintenance organization before purchase, time the export certificate to the 60-day window, budget for 16% IVA and allow time for registration and certification.

Aerista helps Mexican buyers with every step on the U.S. side, from the search and records review through the pre-buy, closing, export and delivery flight, timed so the export certificate is still within Mexico’s window on arrival. Tell us what you are looking for, or browse the Aerista showroom.