What are the rules for what I can and cannot bring to import my household goods on a Menaje de Casa?

 

The Menaje de Casa is the method by which the Mexican government allows us to move our used household goods to Mexico one-time tax free.

In order to use the Menaje de Casa, you need to hold a temporal or permanente visa or be a Mexican citizen.

The spirit of the Menaje de Casa is that the items you bring into Mexico are your own items, for your own personal use, that you owned and used in your ordinary non-commercial course of living while residing outside of Mexico and that are intended for the same use while in Mexico.

The goods you can bring have to have been in normal use for six months.  (Many people think that, in order to comply, your goods just have to be six months old or older, but this is not correct; you have to have been using them for six months or more.)

In general, at the time of this writing, among the items you cannot bring are:

  • Any item that is otherwise acceptable on a menaje but that you have not had in use for at least six months.
  • A quantity large enough of any item so that the items could be considered sufficient to start even a very small business or to sell. This includes hobby or craft items.
  • Living plants and seeds.
  • Archeological items such as fossils.
  • Cleaning supplies.
  • Toiletries and grooming supplies. (Examples, but not a complete list: perfumes, mouthwash, toothpaste, etc.)
  • Food.  (This includes any food, including food in cans and bags, liquids, powder, fruits, vegetables, and pet food.  Spices are considered food, as are cooking oils, none of which is allowed in a menaje.)
  • Any type of weapon, including bows and arrows, explosives, knives, swords, machetes, arrows, guns and rifles of any sort and even supplies and accessories, such as ammunition, even empty cartridges, holsters, cleaning equipment, pellet guns and accessories.
  • Pornography of any type and in any form.
  • Medications, supplements, and vitamins, including even items over-the-counter items like aspirin.
  • Insecticides.
  • Alcohol of any kind, including beer and wine.
  • Cloth or fabrics in bulk.
  • Taxidermy items (stuffed formerly alive animals).
  • Human or animal ashes.
  • Scientific instruments or tools.
  • Batteries larger than would be used in items such as remote controls, flashlights, etc.
  • Vehicle parts.
  • Construction materials such as tiles, doors, windows, etc. 

Please keep in mind that your inventory is a legal document, so it please take seriously that you are certifying its accuracy.

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