Mexican NOMs in English

In order for them to be imported into Mexico, all foreign products and goods must comply with the labeling requirements that have been laid out by the country’s government. These Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM)  or Official Mexican Standards — laid out the regulations that each product must comply with in order to obtain a NOM certification and/or NOM mark. Currently, the Mexican Secretariat for Communications and Transport (SCT) is the agency that is responsible for both NOM publication and the maintenance of these standards. 

Mexico Regulatory Authority

The Mexico regulatory authority is the Secretaria de la Economia (Mexican Economic Secretariat). This governmental agency is tasked with upholding the measurements that objectively indicate if a company is in compliance with the safety and health standards. These have been established to protect the health and safety of those people who are using a particular product. Another to ensure that a company complies with the Mexican NOMs is in the event that something does go wrong. The company is required to present contact information, warranty documentation and other information that could be of use to the consumers who are using its products. 

Compliance With NOMs is Mandatory

One aspect of compliance with NOMs is that each imported product that is designed to be sold commercially within Mexico must have an appropriate label in Spanish on them. This labeling must be completed prior to the products entering the country. While there are items that must be on this label that is specific to a particular product, the following are some general guidelines that provide interested parties with an overview of the information that is often required: 

  • The products contents as well as any ingredients that were used in its creation
  • The name of the company that produced or manufactured the product
  • The physical address of the business or the importing company
  • The instructions for the items use and/or care
  • The product’s trademark or commercial name
  • The exporter’s name, if it is different than the product’s manufacturer
  • Any warning that might be applicable to the product, its handling or any other situation when it might be dangerous

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How a NOM Expert Consultation Can Help

The process of meeting the NOM requirements can seem daunting — and for good reason. Though there is a largely untapped market for numerous items in Mexico, government officials have made it clear that companies must be prepared to ensure that their products comply or risk the lengthy and often time-consuming process of addressing each inadequacy. 

Working with a consultation expert provides a company with numerous advantages including the following: 

  • Technical requirements

The NOMs are comprised of highly-technical requirements. In some cases, the language might not directly translate to English. A failure to understand a regulation does not absolve a company from meeting the requirements stated within them. Being able to break down these technical requirements for a company so it can more easily meet them save time, money and frustration. 

  • Language barriers

While much of the information that a business finds on the official government sites regarding the requirements for NOM is in English, the technical regulations often are not. If this documentation is available in English, it’s likely that it is not the most up-to-date information that’s available. Adhering to NOM certification that is outdated could potentially cost a business valuable time, energy and other resources. 

  • Complex problems

Importing a product into another country like Mexico from the United States is a situation that could potentially be fraught with complex problems. Manufacturers and other companies who attempt to tackle this undertaking without the assistance of an experience NOM expert soon come to realize that doing so could have saved them countless headaches and hours of worry. 

Choosing the Right NOM Certification Expert

It’s important though, to choose a NOM expert that has both the experience and the expertise to help foreign brands enter the lucrative Mexican market.  Choosing the right NOM expert means having a bilingual team on the ground working on a company’s interests in meeting the Mexico NOM certification requirements. 

In addition, having a quick turnaround time is crucial when getting products to the Mexican market. With more than 20 years of hands-on experience on the sales and supply side of the equation, AIS Compliance & Service is poised to provide the NOM consultation services that today’s businesses need to successfully import their products into Mexico. 

A small company that prides itself on designing smart compliance solutions for their clients, AIS Compliance & Service knows how urgent obtaining a NOM certification is. Because they have the necessary power of attorney from key self-service centers in Mexico, AIS Compliance & Service doesn’t delay in issuing both certifications and certificates. 

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