Mexico; NOM-001-SCFI-2018 in effect August 14, 2020

The US/CAN safety certification “NRTL” equivalency agreement related to NOM-001-SCFI-1993 with Mexico has been suspended.  As of August 14, 2020, the NOM-001-SCFI-2018 comes into force, and the NRTL approval for Audio/video equipment and power supplies covered under the equivalency agreement related to NOM-001-SCFI-1993 is no longer accepted by Dirección General de Normas (DGN, by its initials in Spanish) of the Ministry of Economy for the importation of products at customs.   At the current time there is no impact to the “NRTL” equivalency agreements related to NOM-019-SCFI-1998 nor NOM-016-SCFI-1993.

The “NRTL” equivalency agreement related to NOM-001-SCFI-1993 makes specific reference to NOM-001-SCFI-1993, and with NOM-001-SCFI-1993 being withdrawn and superseded by NOM-001-SCFI-2018 on August 14, 2020, the “NRTL” equivalency agreement for NOM-001-SCFI-1993 cannot be used for NOM-001-SCFI-2018; in this case, only NOM certifications to NOM-001-SCFI-2018 will suffice as proof of compliance for products entering the Mexican market. 

As a short term remedy, the DGN has allowances that manufacturer’s may provide proof that NOM-001-SCFI-2018 approval is in process to satisfy passage of goods through customs.  Manufacturers should contact their NOM certification body (OC) in order to see if the short term remedy is available to them. This could allow for the temporary import of products, but the interpretation may vary, so Nemko cautions all importers to be prepared for possible complications/delays. 

Discussion between DGN and the US and Canadian authorities continue to resolve potential barriers to trade, but as of now no grace period has been announced.