International: Mexico

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Cross-Border Trucking Requires Separate SICT Authorization (USMCA/T-MEC)

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own trucks across the border. A carrier’s domestic Permiso de Autotransporte Federal de Carga does not itself authorize international trucking into the US or Canada. Separate permits are required under USMCA/T-MEC agreements, issued by SICT for outbound Mexican carriers and, reciprocally, by SICT for US/Canadian carriers wishing to operate within Mexico. The reciprocal permit for US/Canadian carriers explicitly excludes domestic Mexican cabotage service. Where a mover subcontracts the cross-border carriage, the carrier’s own permits cover the transport it performs.

“Cross-Border Operator” Is Not a Special Licence Category

Worth understanding precisely. A driver who regularly moves cargo across the Mexico-US border is often called an “operador transfronterizo,” but this isn’t a distinct SICT licence type. It’s an operational status that results from simultaneously satisfying separate Mexican and US requirements, issued by different authorities on different timelines. For example, if the driver holds a US- or Canada-issued Commercial Driver’s License, driver documentation must be separately submitted to SICT’s Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte within 15 days of permit issuance.

Carta Porte Applies to International Operations Too

Yes, where the mover transports goods in its own vehicles. The Carta Porte Complement requirement covered on the Mexico page extends to cross-border shipments, with additional data collection specific to international operations.

OverviewOverview & Scope

For a mover physically operating its own trucks across the US or Canadian border, the domestic SICT permit doesn’t extend to that traffic. A distinct USMCA/T-MEC cross-border authorization is required, and drivers face their own separate documentation requirements tied to whichever country issued their commercial driving credential. It’s worth being precise that there’s no single unified “cross-border trucking licence”: a mover operating this way is really satisfying two countries’ separate systems simultaneously, not holding one combined credential. Where a mover subcontracts the cross-border carriage, these permits attach to the carrier operating the trucks, and the mover should use carriers that hold the licences that transport requires.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Mexican movers that operate their own trucks into the US or Canada must:

1. Obtain separate SICT cross-border authorization under USMCA/T-MEC before operating the mover’s own trucks into the US or Canada; the domestic federal permit alone does not cover this.
2. Submit driver documentation to SICT’s Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte within 15 days of permit issuance, for drivers holding a US- or Canada-issued Commercial Driver’s License.
3. Ensure Carta Porte Complements include the additional data required for international operations.

US or Canadian movers that operate their own trucks into Mexico must:

4. Hold the reciprocal SICT permit and not perform domestic Mexican cabotage.

Movers that subcontract the cross-border carriage must:

5. Use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• SICT cross-border authorization (USMCA/T-MEC)Where applicable (Mexican mover operates its own trucks into the US or Canada)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Reciprocal SICT permit for US/Canadian carriersWhere applicable (US or Canadian mover operates its own trucks in Mexico)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Driver documentation submitted to SICT within 15 days of permit issuance for drivers holding a US- or Canada-issued Commercial Driver’s LicenseWhere applicable (mover operates its own trucks with such drivers)Verified by AffirmationRequired
• No domestic Mexican cabotage performed under the reciprocal permitWhere applicable (US or Canadian mover operates its own trucks in Mexico)Verified by AffirmationRequired

Customer practices

• Carta Porte Complement includes the data required for international operationsWhere applicable (mover transports goods in its own vehicles across the border)Verified by AffirmationRequired