The recent notes on this topic piqued my interest. The results are another testament to the power of the world-wide-web. I started with an old favorite:
www.safetylink.com Then under "Safety Articles, FAQs, MRAs, etc." I found the following listed website for Mexico's standards, maintained by the U.S. govt.: http://naftalink.web.com.mx/8404menu.html Then, selecting the "1301 Obtaining an NOM Certification" page, the following text was available: OBTAINING A NOM CERTIFICATION If your product is subject to a Mandatory Mexican Standard, you must obtain a NOM Certification prior to exporting your product to Mexico issued by the Secretaria de Comercio y Fomento Industrial (SECOFI) or an authorized private sector certifying body in Mexico. NAFTA Facts Document 1302, Partial List of Mandatory Mexican Standards, lists some of the products subject to mandatory standards -- those standards on industrial goods which are currently being enforced at the Mexican border. There are other mandatory product standards in force in Mexico. This list does not include standards on medical equipment or products. If there is a mandatory product standard on a given good, then all domestic as well as imported goods must comply with the applicable NOM, even if the product does not fall on the list on document 1302. Exporters should be aware that, if there is a mandatory product standard applicable to their goods, Mexico may request, at any time, that Mexican Customs deny entry to any good that does not comply with the standard. U.S. exporters should work closely with their Mexican importers to determine whether or not their products are subject to a mandatory Mexican standard. For pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and supplies, cosmetics, toiletries, vitamins, food and beverages, your product may be subject to a Ministry of Health registration or notification requirement. Please note that some products, such as medical equipment and supplies, may be subject to both a Ministry of Health registration and a NOM Certification requirement. Exporter should work closely with their Mexican importers to determine health-related importation requirements. THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS Mexico has recently announced some changes to its certification process. Because we do not yet have a full understanding of these changes, these changes are not fully described here. This document will be updated once we receive more information regarding these changes. To ensure compliance with its mandatory standards, Mexico requires a NOM Certification. This Certification has historically been issued by the Director General de Normas (DGN) in SECOFI. Mexico has recently authorized two private sector bodies to grant NOM approval in areas of home electrical products and processed foods. For products for which the Mexican government grants certification, Mexico does not allow a U.S. exporter to obtain certification under any circumstances (the certification has to be applied for and obtained by the Mexican importer). Mexico has indicated, however, that for products certified by one of two recently authorized private sector certification bodies, exporters may be able to receive certification for their products if they have in place a quality assurance system as certified by a Mexican certifying body. Contact the organizations listed below for more information. The Mexican government, in conjunction with Mexican private sector interests, has set up a non-profit organization which reportedly can assist businesses in certifying products for sale in the Mexican market. This organization will charges fees on a cost-recovery basis. The contact for this organization is: Canacintra Gerardo Tajonar, Director Silvia Romero, Director of Promotion Avenida San Antonio 255, P.B. C.P. 03849, Mexico, D.F. Tel: 52-5-563-3400, Ext. 388 through 397 FAX: 011-52-56-11-2151 FINDING A LABORATORY There are a number of labs in Mexico that are accredited to test a variety of products. A full list of Mexican accredited laboratories can be obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Center for Standards and Certification Information at (301) 975-4040. To obtain information regarding prices, schedules and application procedures, please contact the laboratories that indicate they can test your product. The laboratory will request that you send samples for testing. You may ship up to three items into Mexico without a NOM Certification if the products are destined for a testing laboratory. Designated laboratories must accept all applications for testing, and conduct testing on a first come, first served basis. Labs set their own price schedule for testing. PRIVATE SECTOR CERTIFICATION BODIES IN MEXICO Mexico has authorized two private sector bodies in Mexico to grant NOM certification in the areas of domestic electrical products and processed foods. It plans on granting such authorization to additional private sector bodies in the near future. Exporters in these sectors should contact these bodies for additional information regarding their certification processes. Domestic Electrical Appliances Associacion Nacional de Normalizacion y Certificacion del Sector Electrico, A.C. "ANCE" Av. Puente de Tecamachalco No. 6 BIS COL. Fuentes de Tecamachalco Naucalpan de Jaurez C.P. 53950, Edo. de Mexico Authorized Representative: Ing. Federico Lopez Monroy Tel: (011-52) 55-20-90-26 and (011-52) 55-20-89-28 ANCE will likely become an authorized certification body for electronic products in the near future. Contact ANCE for additional information. [section on processed foods deleted] QUALITY ASSURANCE CERTIFICATION Quality assurance certification will play an increasingly important role in the Mexican certification process. Mexico has authorized the following to be a quality system certification body. Calidad Mexicana Certificada A.C. "CalMeCac" Mazatlan No. 166 Col. Hipodromo Condesa Mexico, D.F., C.P. 06170 Authorized Representative: Lic. Jaime Acosta Polanco Tel: (011-52) 5-53-05-71 and (011-52) 5-53-05-56 IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING TESTS IN MEXICO, INCLUDING A REFUSAL BY A DESIGNATED LAB TO TEST A PRODUCT, INORDINATE DELAYS OR EXCESSIVE CHARGES, PLEASE CONTACT DGN AT THE ADDRESS LISTED BELOW IMMEDIATELY TO REGISTER YOUR COMPLAINT. A LETTER EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM IS RECOMMENDED RATHER THAN A PHONE CALL. DGN WOULD APPRECIATE RECEIVING INFORMATION IN SPANISH, BUT A COMPLAINT IN ENGLISH WILL ALSO BE ACCEPTED. THE OFFICE OF MEXICO WOULD APPRECIATE RECEIVING A COPY OF ANY COMPLAINTS; FAX THEM TO THE ATTENTION OF ANNE DRISCOLL AT (202) 482-5865. Director General de Normas (DGN) Secretaria de Comercio y Fomento Industrial Puente de Tecamachalco No. 6 Col. Lomas de Tecamachalco, Seccion Fuentes 53950 Naucalpan, Estado de Mexico TEL (011-525) 729-9300, (011-525) 729-9475, (011-525) 729-9476 THE USE OF THE NOM MARK Beginning on November 11, 1994, a NOM mark must be on all products subject to NOM requirements. This mark will consist of a symbol, as shown in NOM-EM-004-SCFI-1994, as well as a unique registration number. This NOM is available, in Spanish, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Center for Standards and Certification Issues, at (301) 975-4040. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The following information is provided as a service to U.S. exporters and does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Commerce of these companies nor of the services they provide. Inchape Testing Services Inchape Testing Services, through its network of testing laboratories offering the ETL Listing a Labelling Program can assist product manufacturers in testing documentation preparation and processing necessary to certify electrical/electronic products for sale in Mexico. Inchape has set up procedures through strategic alliances which will.... [remainder lost in tailoring this note] Services include: arrangements of shipping samples to Mexico for testing, testing in Mexico by approved Mexican laboratories, translations into Spanish as needed, and forwarding the test report to the certifying agency for issuance of the NOM mark. Contact: For General Information on NOM program contact: Lawrence Todd, Belmont, CA Tel: 415-592-5111 Fax: 415-592-6052 For Local Contacts throughout the North American Inchcape System call 1-800-WORLDLAB Net Connection Corporation Net Connection Corporation and its joint venture partner in Mexico provides services to meet the new safety standards in Mexican NOMs. In addition to testing, it offers a wide variety of services to meet various requirements for exporting into Mexico. Services include: Managed Testing Services (advising on how to minimize required fees, completing applications for testing, submitting products for testing, translating applicable documents, shipping samples to Mexico for testing, developing applicable NOM labels, advising on other product label requirements), Contracted Importation Service (Net Connections will hold NOM certificates on behalf of the exporter, or obtain the certificates for the exporters's Mexican distributor), and other services. Contact: Net Connection Corporation 2101 Stradella Road Los Angeles, CA 90077 Tel: 800-527-8779 310-471-2706 Fax: 310-471-0421 Underwriters Laboratories Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has a cooperative agreement with the Associacion Nacional de Normalizacion y Certificacion del Sector Electrico, "ANCE," a private sector certifying body for electrical products in Mexico. UL can work with manufacturers to help them obtain the NOM mark, the certification mark required by Mexican regulations and issued by ANCE for electrical products. In addition, UL will work within the Mexican safety system to facilitate Mexican certification for other products not covered by ANCE. For further information about UL's North American Certification Services contact the UL engineer you normally deal with for your product category if are already using UL's services, or any of the UL staff members listed below: Northbrook, Il Melville, NY Tel: 708-272-8800 Tel: 516-271-6200 Fax: 708-272-8129 Fax: 516-271-8259 Barb Olds, ext. 43319 Greg Galluccio, ext. 22271 Helena Wolf, ext. 43403 Carlos Rueda, ext. 22928 Santa Clara, CA Research Triangle, NC Tel: 408-985-2400 Tel: 919-549-1400 Fax: 408-296-3256 Fax: 919-549-1842 Erin McLaughlin, ext. 2671 Scott Lemon, ext. 1484 For information on North American Certifications for clients in Mexico: Underwriters Laboratories Inc., c/o ANCE Tel (52-5) 520-8834 Fax (52-5) 520-8800 Tim Calland, Operations Coordinator -- Certifications Programs for Mexico. --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. 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