Moving From Mexico to the US: Export Paperwork and Border Clearance

You have finally decided to head north. The apartment in Roma Norte or the casita in Ajijic is half packed, and you are staring at a pile of furniture, books and kitchen gear with one worry: how does all of this legally leave Mexico and get into the United States without a surprise bill or a stuck shipment? This guide covers the export paperwork, the US border clearance, and how to find a mover who handles both sides.

Why Leaving Mexico Is a Two-Country Customs Job

When I moved down to Mexico years ago, I thought importing my life was the hard part. Then I helped three friends move back to the States, from Guadalajara, Mérida and San Miguel de Allende. Leaving turned out to be its own maze. Two different customs systems have to agree that your sofa is allowed to move, and each wants its own paperwork, in its own language and its own format.

The emotional side doesn’t help either. You are saying goodbye to friends, your favorite taquero and your landlord’s dog, and somehow you also have to become an amateur customs expert in the same few weeks. If you feel overwhelmed, that is normal. Below I break the process into two halves: getting things out of Mexico cleanly, and getting them into the United States without paying duty you don’t owe.

The Mexican Exit Side

On the Mexican side, the authority responsible for goods crossing the border is the Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, usually shortened to ANAM. If you are shipping a household load through a professional mover, the mover normally works with a Mexican customs broker, the agente aduanal, who prepares and files the export formalities for the shipment. Your job is to give the mover the documents they ask for, on time and with consistent names and spellings.

In practice, my friends were asked for some combination of the following: a passport, a Mexican residency card if they had one, proof of address, and a detailed inventory of what was in the truck. Some movers also asked for an RFC, the Mexican tax ID, if the client had one. Requirements vary by mover, broker and crossing point, so get the exact list in writing from whichever company you hire. Don’t assume a friend’s checklist from two moves ago still applies.

One detail matters more than people expect: consistency. If your passport says “Margaret Ellen Thompson” and your inventory says “Maggie Thompson,” a broker on either side may stop the paperwork until it is fixed. Use your full legal name, exactly as it appears in your passport, on every form in both countries.

The US Entry Side

The US side is handled by US Customs and Border Protection, CBP. The key document for most people moving household goods into the country is CBP Form 3299, the “Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles.” It is used by both US residents and non-residents, and it is how you ask CBP to let your household effects in without duty.

The free-entry rule for household effects acquired abroad, under HTSUS 9804.00.05, is strict. To qualify, the items must have been used abroad for at least one year by you or your family, in a household where you were a resident member. They also must not be intended for anyone else or for sale. That one-year use rule is the single most important fact in this guide, and the next big section is about it.

A US customs broker usually files this paperwork for shipments that arrive separately from you, which is what “unaccompanied” means: you cross on a plane or in your own car, and your furniture follows on a truck. Many international movers either have a licensed broker in-house or work with one regularly. It is worth asking about that before you sign anything.

Where Sirelo Fits Into the Picture

The hardest part for most people isn’t the forms. It’s finding a moving company that really handles cross-border moves from Mexico rather than a local mudanza crew that only drives within the country. That is where Sirelo becomes the most useful tool on your list. Sirelo is a comparison platform for international removals: you describe your move once, and it connects you with several moving companies that serve your route, so you can compare quotes side by side instead of cold-calling movers one by one.

For a Mexico-to-US move, the benefit is concrete. You can tell straight away which companies list the US as a destination, whether they mention customs brokerage, and how other customers have reviewed them. When my friend Carla left Mérida for Austin, she wasted almost two weeks emailing local movers who kept replying that they “could take it to the border.” Once she put her move details into Sirelo, she had several cross-border options to compare in a few days.

CBP Form 3299 Explained for People Leaving Mexico

This form is short, but it carries a lot of weight. If it is wrong, your goods can sit in a bonded warehouse at the border while storage charges pile up. If it is right, the shipment usually goes through with far less drama. Let’s go through it the way a nervous first-timer would.

What the Form Actually Covers

CBP Form 3299 is a declaration, which means you are formally telling the US government what you are bringing in and under which provision you are asking for free entry. The edition referenced here is dated 05/24, so make sure you or your broker use the current edition published by CBP. For household effects bought or acquired during your time in Mexico, free entry rests on the one-year use requirement.

The form covers unaccompanied articles: things that arrive separately from you, usually by truck, sometimes by sea or air freight. If you drive across with your car full of suitcases, those personal belongings are normally declared at the port of entry like any other traveler’s. The big shipment of furniture and boxes that a mover delivers weeks later is what Form 3299 is designed for.

Think of the form as your formal promise to CBP. You are saying, in effect, “These are my family’s used household things, we lived with them abroad, and we’re not selling them.” Everything else you prepare, such as the inventory, receipts and photos, exists to back up that promise if an officer asks.

The One-Year Use Rule and Why It Matters

The rule says household effects acquired abroad qualify for free entry only if they were used abroad for at least one year by you or your family, in a household where you were a resident member. Here is how that plays out in the kinds of situations I’ve watched friends deal with.

Scenario one: Daniel lived in Querétaro for four years. His dining table, bed frame and leather armchairs were bought in his first few months and used in his apartment the whole time. Those pieces fit the rule neatly. Scenario two: Daniel also bought a hand-carved wardrobe at a market in Tlaquepaque three months before moving, partly as a souvenir. That wardrobe hasn’t been used abroad for a year, so it doesn’t meet the household-effects free-entry condition. He needs to ask his broker how it will be classified and whether duty may apply.

Scenario three is the one that catches people with good intentions: buying several pieces of Talavera, rugs or furniture to give to relatives or resell back home. The rule specifically requires that the items not be intended for any other person or for sale. A shipment that looks like inventory, with five identical rugs or a dozen matching lamps still wrapped, can invite questions even if each item is lovely. If you are bringing gifts or anything new, tell your broker honestly and let them work out the correct treatment.

Building the Inventory CBP Wants to See

Your inventory is the backbone of the shipment. A good inventory lists each box or item, gives a short description of the contents, and, for anything valuable, records when you got it and how you used it. “Box 14: kitchen, pots and pans, used since arrival” is far more helpful than “Box 14: misc.”

I tell everyone to build the inventory as they pack, not afterward. Number every box, write the number on two sides, and keep a running spreadsheet on your phone. For furniture and artwork, take a photo in place, such as the armchair in your living room or the painting on your wall. Those photos are quiet but persuasive evidence that the item was part of your household and not something you picked up on the way out.

Supporting documents help too. Old receipts, furniture store invoices, facturas you requested at the time of purchase, and rental contracts that show how long you lived at an address all strengthen your case. If you originally moved to Mexico with a certificado de menaje de casa, the certificate Mexican consulates issue to foreigners who are going to live in Mexico, and your goods were cleared through a Mexican customs broker, keep that file. Its inventory can help show how long you have owned certain items. And if you are still deciding what deserves a place on the truck at all, see Repatriation From Mexico: What to Ship Home and What to Sell Locally.

Getting Your Mexican Affairs in Order Before the Truck Arrives

Customs is only part of the story. Leaving Mexico well also means closing your immigration file, sorting out your vehicle, ending your lease and utilities properly, and getting your money where it needs to be. If any of these is left hanging, it can follow you for years, especially if you plan to come back and visit.

Immigration Status and Your Residency Card

If you hold temporary or permanent residency, decide what to do with it before you go. Some people want to keep permanent residency because they plan to spend winters back in Mexico. Others are leaving for good and prefer to close the file properly. Either way, it is a choice you should make on purpose. For the steps to formally give up your status with INM, see How to Cancel Your Mexican Residency if You Leave the Country Permanently.

Your residency card is also one of the most common identity documents a Mexican mover or broker will ask for. Make sure it is valid and that the name on it matches your passport exactly. If your card is close to expiring, think about the timing carefully, because sorting out immigration paperwork in the same week as your packers arrive is a stress you don’t need.

The US immigration side is a separate matter. If you are a US citizen, you simply cross home. If you are moving north on a visa or a green card, your immigration documents must be in order before the move, and your customs paperwork has to reflect your actual status. A US immigration attorney, not a moving company, is the right person for those questions.

Cars, TIPs, and Mexican-Plated Vehicles

If you drove a US-plated car into Mexico on a Temporary Import Permit, cancel that TIP when the car leaves the country. That normally happens at the Banjercito module at the border crossing as you exit. If you skip it, it can cause trouble the next time you try to bring a vehicle into Mexico, and you may lose any deposit you paid. For the full process, see Temporary Import Permit Refund: How to Get Your Car Deposit Back when Exiting Mexico.

A car that was nationalized or bought in Mexico and carries Mexican plates is a different story. Importing a vehicle into the United States means meeting US safety and emissions standards. CBP generally expects EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT Form HS-7 for imported vehicles, and a car built for the Mexican market may not meet US specifications. For many people, the cleaner path is to sell the car in Mexico. For practical advice on that, see Selling Your Car or Furniture When Leaving Mexico: Getting a Good Deal.

My neighbor in San Miguel learned this the hard way. He assumed his Mexican-market sedan could simply be driven north and registered in Texas. After weeks of research, he sold it to a local buyer for a fair price and bought a used car in the US. It was frustrating, but much cheaper than trying to make a non-compliant vehicle legal.

Leases, Utilities, and Money

Give your landlord the notice your contract requires, schedule a walkthrough, and photograph everything before you hand over the keys. Deposits are one of the most common sore points for departing expats, and pushing for yours from another country is far harder than doing it in person. If your landlord is slow to return it, see Getting Your Security Deposit Back: What If Your Landlord Doesn’t Return It?.

Utilities need closing too. A CFE electricity contract, an internet service and a gas account left in your name can keep billing you after you leave. For the step-by-step process, including what to do with modems and routers that belong to the provider, see How to Cancel Utilities When Leaving a Mexican Rental.

Then there’s money. Decide whether to keep a Mexican bank account for pension deposits, future visits or a property you still own, or to close it. Closing an account usually works best in person at a branch, so don’t leave it for the last afternoon. See Closing a Mexican Bank Account: What to Do When Leaving the Country for the details. If you sold a property, see Moving Money Out of Mexico: How to Repatriate Funds from Property Sales for how to move the proceeds.

Choosing How Your Belongings Cross the Border

This is the decision that most affects your stress level, your budget and how likely you are to run into customs problems. You can hire a full-service international mover, use a mix of local packers and a freight company, or rent a truck and drive it all yourself. Each works for some people and is a disaster for others.

Full Service Movers Versus Doing It Yourself

A full-service international mover packs your home, prepares the inventory with you, coordinates the Mexican export through an agente aduanal, moves the goods across the border, clears them through US customs with a licensed broker, and delivers to your new door. You pay for that convenience, but you also hand the paperwork headache to people who deal with it every week.

The do-it-yourself route usually means renting or buying a vehicle, loading it yourself and driving it through a border crossing. It can work for a small load, such as a studio apartment’s worth of boxes and a couple of chairs. But once you are driving a loaded truck or trailer, the border can treat your cargo very differently from a car with luggage in it, and you may still need customs paperwork and possibly a broker. I’ve known people who drove up to the Laredo crossing confident and spent the night in a motel waiting for help.

The middle option is local Mexican packers for the packing, plus a freight forwarder for the crossing. It can work, but you become the coordinator between two or three companies that may not talk to each other. If something goes wrong, such as a broken item, a missing box or a document that wasn’t filed, each company may point at the other.

Comparing Quotes Through Sirelo

Whichever option you lean toward, get several quotes before you commit. Prices and services for a cross-border household move vary a lot, and the cheapest number is often missing something important, like the US customs brokerage, storage at the border or the final delivery. Sirelo is built for exactly this comparison: you enter your origin, destination and approximate volume, and receive offers from movers that serve your route.

When the quotes arrive, read them line by line. Ask each mover the same set of questions:

1. Who files the Mexican export paperwork, and which agente aduanal do you work with?
2. Who files CBP Form 3299 and handles US customs clearance, and is that broker licensed?
3. What happens, and who pays, if the shipment is held for inspection at the border?
4. Is packing, crating of fragile items and final delivery included, or charged separately?
5. What insurance or valuation coverage is offered, and how are claims handled?
6. What documents do you need from me, and by what date?

For a closer look at the cost lines that tend to hide in quotes, see Comparing International Removal Quotes for Mexico: Line Items That Hide Costs. Using Sirelo to collect the quotes and that checklist to test them is the combination I recommend to every friend who asks me how to leave without getting burned.

Comparing Your Main Options

Here is a practical comparison of the three approaches. Use it to narrow your choice before requesting quotes through Sirelo.

Factor	Full-service international mover	Local packers plus freight forwarder	Do-it-yourself truck or trailer
Mexican export paperwork	Mover coordinates with an agente aduanal	Forwarder may handle it; confirm in writing	Often your responsibility; may need a broker
CBP Form 3299 and US clearance	Usually filed by an in-house or partner broker	Depends on the forwarder	You arrange a broker or handle it yourself
Inventory preparation	Prepared with the crew during packing	You prepare it and pass it along	Entirely on you
Risk of delays at the border	Lower, because the paperwork is routine for them	Moderate, because of handoffs between companies	Higher, especially with a large load
Your time and stress	Lowest	Moderate	Highest
Best suited to	Full households, families, fragile or valuable items	Mid-sized moves with a hands-on organizer	Small loads and confident, Spanish-speaking drivers
Cost shape	Highest upfront, fewest surprises	Mid-range, with risk of add-ons	Lowest on paper; fuel, tolls, rental and broker fees add up

If you are still unsure what is worth shipping at all, see Leaving Mexico: Shipping Your Belongings Home Without Overpaying for help cutting the load before anyone measures it.

Border Clearance Day: What Happens at the Port of Entry

Even with a full-service mover, it helps to understand what happens at the border. You’ll ask better questions, recognize real delays when they happen, and stay calmer when a mover calls to say the truck is “in inspection.”

Choosing the Crossing

Where your goods cross depends on where you are leaving from and where you are going. Movers leaving central Mexico, Monterrey or Guadalajara often route freight through the Nuevo Laredo and Laredo corridor, one of the busiest commercial crossings on the border. People leaving Baja California often cross at Otay Mesa near Tijuana. Shipments heading to the Southwest may go through Ciudad Juárez into El Paso or through Nogales into Arizona.

You normally don’t pick the crossing yourself when you hire a mover. They choose based on their broker relationships and the route. It is still worth asking, because the crossing affects timing, and if your goods need to be held for a few days, storage happens near that port. A crossing near your final destination can mean a shorter final delivery leg.

If you are driving yourself, think about more than distance. Look at the hours of the commercial lanes if you are in a truck, how busy the crossing tends to be, and whether you’ll be arriving after a long drive tired and short on patience. A crossing you can reach early in the day, rested, is better than the “shortest” one that puts you at the gate at dusk.

Inspection, Agriculture Checks, and Prohibited Items

CBP can inspect any shipment, and household goods are no exception. An inspection doesn’t mean you did something wrong. Sometimes a shipment is simply selected. The officers compare what they find with what is declared, which is why an accurate, honest inventory matters so much. A box labeled “books” that is full of books goes through quietly. A box labeled “books” that is full of tequila does not.

Agriculture is the other big area. US agricultural inspection looks for soil, plant material, seeds, untreated wood and food products that could carry pests. Clean your garden tools, bicycles and outdoor furniture thoroughly before packing, because dried mud in a tire tread or on a shovel can trigger problems. Leave behind houseplants, fresh produce, homemade foods, and decorative items made from untreated wood, straw or seeds unless you have confirmed they are allowed.

Some categories need extra checks before you pack them. Alcohol, firearms and ammunition, prescription medications in large quantities, cultural artifacts, and products from protected wildlife all have specific rules. Pre-Hispanic artifacts in particular are a serious legal matter in Mexico, and you should not try to take them out. If you have anything unusual, ask your mover’s broker directly and get the answer in writing before it goes in a box.

Driving Your Own Car Across

Many people send the furniture with a mover and drive their own car north with suitcases, pets and the things they can’t bear to put on a truck. If you are doing this in a US-plated car on a TIP, the order of events matters. You cancel the TIP on the Mexican side as you leave, then present yourself and your car to CBP on the US side.

At the US booth, you’ll be asked about what you are bringing. Be straightforward: you are moving back, your household goods are coming separately with a mover, and the car contains personal belongings. Have your passport, vehicle registration, and a copy of your mover’s paperwork or inventory within reach in case the officer asks. Keeping these in one folder on the passenger seat saves a lot of fumbling.

I’ll be honest: the drive north can feel surprisingly emotional. A friend of mine leaving Ajijic said the hardest moment wasn’t the border at all. It was the last tank of gas at a Pemex station outside Guadalajara. Plan rest stops, travel in daylight, and give yourself permission to feel sad about leaving. It is part of the move.

Moving Pets From Mexico to the US

For many of us, the dog or cat is the most important thing being moved. US pet rules, especially for dogs, have become stricter and more paperwork-heavy. Start this part early, because some requirements can’t be rushed in the final week.

CDC Rules for Dogs

Under CDC rules that started on 1 August 2024, dogs that have been only in dog-rabies-free or low-risk countries must meet specific conditions to enter the United States. You need a receipt for a submitted CDC Dog Import Form. The dog must look healthy, must be at least 6 months old on arrival, and must have a microchip that can be read with a universal scanner. Check CDC’s own country classification list to confirm where Mexico, and any other country your dog has spent time in, sits before you plan the trip.

The microchip requirement is mandatory, so book a vet appointment well before you leave. Your vet can implant a chip if your dog doesn’t have one, or scan an existing chip to make sure it reads properly. Ask the vet to put the microchip number on any vaccination records and health certificates so every document refers to the same animal. If your dog is a puppy, check the 6-month minimum against your moving date. A puppy who is too young on arrival day doesn’t meet the rule, and that can force you to change your plans completely.

Fill out the CDC Dog Import Form ahead of travel and keep the receipt both on your phone and on paper. Airlines often have their own requirements on top of CDC’s, such as a recent veterinary health certificate, crate specifications and seasonal temperature restrictions. Read your airline’s pet policy before you book. If you are driving, carry the same paperwork, because border officers can ask for it.

Cats and Other Animals, and the Mexican Side

The CDC’s dog import rules apply to dogs, so the process for cats is lighter at the federal level. Individual US states, airlines and some housing providers can still have their own requirements, such as rabies vaccination records. Check the rules for your destination state and your airline, and travel with a current vaccination record from your Mexican vet even if nobody asks for it at the border.

Birds, reptiles and other animals can involve additional federal agencies and permits, and the rules are usually much more complex than for cats and dogs. If you have a parrot or tortoise you are determined to bring home, start that research months ahead and check with the relevant US agencies directly.

On the Mexican side, animal health matters fall under the Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural, the federal agriculture ministry. Your Mexican vet is your best first contact. They know what a health certificate needs to include, can tell you whether an official export certificate is needed for your situation, and can help you get the paperwork in order. Some pet owners also hand the whole thing to a pet relocation service, which can be worth it for nervous animals or complicated routes. Ask your mover whether they work with one, since some companies you find through Sirelo can coordinate pet transport with the household shipment.

A Realistic Timeline for Your Move North

The biggest mistake I’ve seen friends make is treating the move like a long weekend project. A cross-border household move takes planning, and most problems at the border trace back to rushed paperwork. Here is a timeline that works for a typical apartment or house move, adjusted to how things really run in Mexico.

Two to Three Months Before You Leave

This is the planning phase. Decide what goes and what stays, request quotes, and start any processes that can’t be rushed. Work through these steps in order:

1. Walk through your home room by room and sort everything into ship, sell, donate and leave.
2. Check each item you plan to ship against the one-year use rule for CBP Form 3299 and flag anything bought recently.
3. Use Sirelo to request quotes from several international movers that serve the Mexico-to-US route.
4. Schedule a vet visit to check or implant your dog’s microchip and review vaccination records.
5. Decide what to do with your car, and list it for sale early if it has Mexican plates and you aren’t taking it.
6. Give your landlord the notice your lease requires, in writing.
7. Gather old receipts, facturas and photos that show how long you have owned your furniture and valuables.

Starting the quote process this early through Sirelo gives you time for an in-person or video survey, so movers quote on your real volume rather than a guess. That alone heads off one of the most common sources of last-minute price changes.

Four to Six Weeks Before You Leave

Now the plan becomes real. Choose your mover, confirm in writing who handles each customs step, and lock in dates. This is also when you start closing your Mexican life:

1. Sign with your mover and get their document checklist for both the Mexican export and US entry.
2. Confirm that their US customs broker will prepare and file CBP Form 3299 for your shipment.
3. Start your detailed packing inventory with numbered boxes and photos of furniture in place.
4. Book flights or plan your driving route, including where you will cross and where you will rest.
5. Begin selling furniture and household items that aren’t coming with you.
6. Decide whether to keep or close your Mexican bank account and residency, and make appointments.
7. Complete the CDC Dog Import Form for your dog closer to travel, and check airline pet rules.

Expect at least one thing to go sideways during this stretch. A buyer will back out, a branch appointment will be rescheduled, or a document will need a correction. That is completely normal in Mexico, and building slack into the plan is what keeps a bad day from becoming a crisis.

The Final Two Weeks and Arrival

The final two weeks are about execution and paperwork in hand. Keep a physical folder and a digital copy of everything:

1. Confirm the packing date and make sure your inventory is final and matches the mover’s.
2. Clean outdoor items, bikes and garden tools so no soil or plant matter is in the shipment.
3. Schedule utility cancellations for after the movers leave, not before.
4. Do the walkthrough with your landlord, photograph the property, and agree on the deposit return in writing.
5. Cancel your TIP at the border if you are driving a US-plated car out of Mexico.
6. Carry your passport, the CDC receipt for your dog, vet records and a copy of the mover’s paperwork.
7. Stay reachable by phone after you land, because the US broker may need to reach you while your shipment is clearing.

After you arrive, there is usually a gap of some days or weeks before your goods are delivered, depending on the route and how quickly they clear customs. Plan to live out of a suitcase for a while. Keep essentials with you rather than on the truck: documents, medications, chargers, a few changes of clothes and anything with sentimental value.

If you are actually heading to Canada rather than the US, the border rules differ, and Moving From Mexico to Canada: Trucking Routes and Import Requirements covers that route in detail.

Choosing Your Mover With Confidence

Leaving Mexico is bittersweet. You are taking years of memories with you, and the last thing you want is for those memories to get stuck in a border warehouse because of a missing form. The core of a smooth move comes down to three things: an honest, detailed inventory, a correctly filed CBP Form 3299 backed by proof that your household effects were used abroad for at least one year, and a mover who handles both the Mexican export and the US clearance as routine work.

The quickest way to find that mover is to compare several at once. Put your move details into Sirelo, gather quotes from international movers that serve your route, and test each one with the questions in this guide. Then choose the company whose answers are clear, specific and written down. Everything else gets easier once the right people are carrying your boxes.

Disclaimer

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.