System For Granting Authorizations
Importing ODS is subject to a system of annual import quotas. In order to be assigned a quota, a company must present a written request to Semarnat's General Bureau of Air Quality Management (Dirección General de Gestión de la Calidad del Aire) and Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes, indicating the type of substance and the amount the company wishes to import.
When the process of eliminating the consumption of a specific ODS begins, in compliance with obligations in the Montreal Protocol, the annual import quotas granted to companies are gradually reduced until such consumption is totally phased out.
The regulations for registers, import and export authorizations and certificates for exporting toxic and hazardous substances and materials, including ODS, are contained in the Regulations on Registers, Import and Export Authorizations and Certificates for Exporting Pesticides, Plant Nutrients and Toxic and Hazardous Substances and Materials.
These Regulations can be consulted at: http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/leyesynormas/Pages/reglamentosdelsector.aspx.
Any individual interested in importing toxic substances subject to Semarnat's control, in accordance with the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol in relation to ODS, must obtain an import license from COFEPRIS and import authorization from Semarnat.
After the corresponding licenses and quotas have been granted, companies will be subject to the System for Monitoring and Controlling Ozone-Depleting Substances (Sistema para el Seguimiento de Sustancias Agotadoras de la Capa de Ozono—SISSAO) administered by the Ozone Layer Protection Unit, which monitors the importing, exporting, production and consumption of ODS.
SOURCE: Support material for customs course, "SISTEMA NACIONAL PARA EL CONTROL IMPORTACIONES/EXPORTACIONES DE SAO'S," General Bureau of Air Quality Management (Dirección General de Gestión de la Calidad del Aire) and Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes (RETC), Ozone Layer Protection Unit (Unidad de Protección a la Capa de Ozono), Semarnat, September 2005.
In order to import or export ODS, it is necessary to determine the corresponding customs system, according to the particular use that will be made of these substances in national or foreign territory. There are six systems with their respective variations stipulated in Article 90 of the Customs Law, specifically: definitive; temporary, with a tax deposit; for commodities in transit; and for processing, manufacturing or repairs in an inspected facility and a strategic inspected facility.
When a commodity is presented at a customs checkpoint for its entry into or exit from a country, it is necessary to report the intended destination for the particular commodity, in an official document known as a customs declaration. It is also necessary to pay the corresponding taxes, and when applicable, comply with non-tariff restrictions and regulations, which can be verified by referring to its customs code.
The customs code corresponding to a particular commodity is based on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, which uniformly classifies commodities for international trade. This system makes it possible for a commodity to be classified and recognized in any part of the world, regardless of the language spoken in a given country.
For more information on customs procedures, the following website can be consulted: http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2007/A_Body_imp_exp.htm
The customs codes for ODS are as follows:
| ODS | CUSTOMS CODE | |
|---|---|---|
|
Chlorofluorocarbons |
Trichlorofluoromethane |
2903.41.01 |
CFC-12 |
Dichlorodifluoromethane |
2903.42.01 |
CFC-113 |
Trichlorotrifluoroethanes |
2903.43.01 |
CFC-114 and 115 |
Dichlorotetrafluoroethanes and chloropentafluoroethane |
2903.44.01 |
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons |
Monochlorodifluoromethane |
2903.49.02 |
Methyl bromide |
2903.30.01 | |
Other derivatives perhalogenated only with fluorine and chlorine |
2903.45.99 | |
Bromochlorodifluoromethane, bromotrifluoromethane and dibromotetrafluoroethanes |
2903.46.01 |
|
Annex 23 of the General Rules on Foreign Trade for 2007, which contain the customs codes for hazardous commodities, including ODS, can be consulted at: http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2007/RCGMCE/2006/Anexo_23.DOC.
Also, the customs codes mentioned can be consulted in the Law on General Import and Export Taxes, which can be found at: http://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/index.htm.
Customs procedures for importing ODS are as follows:
- Registering in the Federal Taxpayers Registry.
- Registering in the Importers List.
- Compliance with non-tariff restrictions and regulations.
- Payment of taxes.
- Customs office procedures, beginning with the presentation of a customs declaration and other documentation requested by customs authorities, such as the commercial invoice, bill of lading, a document accrediting the commodity's origin and point of departure, a certificate of weight and volume, and information making it possible to identify, analyze and monitor the commodity.
The non-tariff restrictions that apply to the importing of ODS are: Maximum Capacity and Prior License. Maximum capacity is the total amount of a substance that can be imported annually. It is regulated through an import quota granted by Semarnat's General Bureau of Air Quality Management (Dirección General de Gestión de la Calidad del Aire) and Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes. Prior licenses are the import licenses we have referred to in this section and which must be obtained prior to importing ODS.
SOURCE: "PROCEDIMIENTOS DE CONTROL ADUANERO DE SUSTANCIAS QUE AGOTAN LA CAPA DE OZONO," Luis Miguel Lara Ángeles, Lhegap Consultores, at the International Workshop for the Prevention of Illegal Trafficking of Ozone-Depleting Substances, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico, 7-8 September 2006.
