Shipping to Mexico – How to Handle Tax ID Requirement from Buyers?
Hi everyone,
I'm currently selling on Amazon and have started receiving orders from customers in Mexico. However, I've run into a challenge regarding shipping: according to Mexican regulations, a Tax ID (RFC) or personal identification number is required for customs clearance.
In many cases, customers don't provide this information at the time of purchase, and as a result, shipments may be delayed or even returned.
I’d like to ask fellow sellers:
How do you handle this situation?
Do you have any tips or best practices for obtaining the necessary information from buyers?
Is there any Amazon-supported process to help with this?
Any insights or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
Shipping to Mexico – How to Handle Tax ID Requirement from Buyers?
Hi everyone,
I'm currently selling on Amazon and have started receiving orders from customers in Mexico. However, I've run into a challenge regarding shipping: according to Mexican regulations, a Tax ID (RFC) or personal identification number is required for customs clearance.
In many cases, customers don't provide this information at the time of purchase, and as a result, shipments may be delayed or even returned.
I’d like to ask fellow sellers:
How do you handle this situation?
Do you have any tips or best practices for obtaining the necessary information from buyers?
Is there any Amazon-supported process to help with this?
Any insights or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance!
8 respuestas
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
I found this from 4 months ago
We understand that you contacted us because you received a notice regarding RFC information.
If you are not based in Mexico, selling in the Mexico marketplace, or shipping to and/or from a Mexico address, then this should not affect your account if you ignore it. However, if ever you decide to sell in Mexico in the future, you may be charged a higher percentage if you do not submit RFC information.
When an RFC ID is not provided to Amazon, the Mexico Government requires Amazon to apply and remit the maximum “Non-Registered” withholding rate. This may lead to unexpected withholding that may not apply to your business. Additionally, any withholding certificate will use a generic RFC ID indicating none was provided to Amazon.
For more information, go to Mexico Income Tax (ISR) Withholding FAQ: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/GH6DEGUR6TACREV9
To help us continually improve, we ask that you take a moment to complete our survey below to tell us about your experience with this specific interaction.
Lastly, I actually found an Amazon document on this!
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Seller_nIdFEDPj9eA25
i am having this issue as well. It is become a major headache with many packages being held at Mexican customs with angry customers and ultimately returned to sender. After hours of calls, emails, etc it appears amazon is not collecting this information from the buyer and providing it to DHL. As a result DHL/Mexico customs is left having to try to contact the customer to get this information or the package is returned. I am hoping for something to make this a little less painful for sellers as we are stuck here.
Seller_Fr7Jr61d0qRko
Hey! I totally ran into this same issue when I started getting orders from Mexico—it caught me off guard too. Everything was going smoothly until shipments started getting stuck because of the missing RFC or CURP from customers. It’s one of those things Amazon doesn’t really explain clearly upfront.
From my experience, there isn’t a built-in way through Amazon to require customers to input their Tax ID during checkout, which is the real pain point. I ended up getting a bunch of returns and delays early on because of this.
What helped me was adding a clear note in the product description and even in the shipping confirmation message. I basically said something like:
“For customers in Mexico: Please provide your RFC or CURP immediately after purchase to avoid customs delays.”
It doesn’t guarantee 100% compliance, but it cut down the issues by a lot.
Also, if you’re fulfilling through FBA, Amazon sometimes handles the customs clearance—but not always, and it varies depending on the carrier and warehouse. So, even then, adding that note helps avoid surprises.
I found this blog post super helpful when I was trying to figure this all out:
👉 How to Handle Shipping Delays Due to Tax ID Requirements When Selling to Mexico on Amazon
It breaks down the exact requirements and what you can do proactively as a seller. Definitely worth a read if you’re selling cross-border.
