EU–Mexico 2025: EUR.1 ends, REX registration required
Imagine you’ve been preparing a Mexican export deal for months. The goods are ready, the invoice is issued, and without hesitation you attach the EUR.1 certificate from customs. Then comes the shock: it will no longer be accepted.
This change is just around the corner. The new EU–Mexico Free Trade Agreement completely reshapes the rules of origin. While the document is still awaiting official signature, the text is final. That means: exporters must start preparing now.
👉 The biggest shift: EUR.1 is ending, replaced by origin declarations + the REX system. Customs clearance will be faster because no EUR.1 document needs to be validated anymore, but self-certification also comes with risks.
Origin declaration instead of EUR.1 – with REX number
Until now, exporters had to request an EUR.1 certificate from customs to benefit from tariff preferences towards Mexico. That option is disappearing.
In the new system, preferential treatment is based on an origin declaration on the invoice:
Under €6,000 → anyone can make the declaration.
Above €6,000 → only exporters with a REX number (Registered Exporter) can do so.
The official wording of the declaration looks like this:
“The exporter of the products covered by this document (REX number …) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of European Union preferential origin.”
This is no game: a single wrong REX number, or a misused formula, and your Mexican partner will pay the duty. Many exporters simply add the text above to the invoice, but it’s important to understand: you must be able to substantiate origin. Customs authorities will no longer issue EUR.1 forms and will instead focus on audits and checks.
👉 Check now: do you already have a REX number? If not, request it from your customs authority before you miss out.
👉 Unsure how to start? Contact us here and we’ll guide you step by step.
Easier rules: why SMEs benefit
One of the biggest winners of this modernization is small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Many strict rules have been relaxed, meaning more products can qualify for preferences.
Food industry: the sugar cap increased from 30% to 40% – a candy manufacturer or soft drink mixer can now more easily qualify.
Plastics: the old 20–25% ceiling has been raised to 50% non-originating materials. A huge advantage for plastic processors.
Textiles: an 8% weight tolerance on mixed fibers makes compliance easier for sewing workshops and small textile companies.
Feed and pet food: companies can now use up to 20% non-originating cereals.
👉 If you’re an SME, this is the moment to review your entire product range. You may find tariff preferences available for items you never considered before.
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Losers: where rules got tougher
Not every sector will celebrate these changes. Some will face stricter requirements:
Dairy: a new 20% cap on non-originating milk powder and protein. Tough for sports nutrition and protein bar makers.
Sugar-heavy industries: some products keep a strict 10% cap on non-originating sugar.
Beverages: wines and spirits must use wholly originating grapes/fruits – imported must is excluded.
Textiles quota: printing is accepted more widely, but remains subject to quotas (e.g. 2 million m² cotton fabrics annually).
👉 If you are affected, request new supplier declarations immediately, especially if you source milk ingredients (Chapter 04) from outside the EU.
👉 Unsure if your products qualify? Get in touch with us to check.
Pitfalls: what exporters and brokers must watch
The rules are more flexible, but the traps are real:
Multiple limits apply: e.g. a 2106 food product may face both a sugar cap and a dairy cap simultaneously.
Technical definitions: new requirements like “chemical reaction” or “purification” in chemicals – you’ll need manufacturing records to prove it.
HS classification: for plastics and textiles, the correct HS code can make or break preferential treatment.
Declaration errors: one wrong REX number = lost preference.
👉 Now is the time to review your export portfolio, supplier declarations, and recipes.
👉 Don’t wait until your first rejected shipment – contact us and let’s review your case together.
🔑 REX number vs. Approved Exporter
Many confuse the two, but under the new agreement they are not the same.
EUR.1 is ending.
The Approved Exporter status will no longer exist in EU–Mexico trade.
EU exporters must use a REX number from now on.
In Mexico, the “certified exporter” system remains, but applies only to Mexican companies.
👉 If you only exported to Mexico before and don’t have a REX number, register now with your customs authority.
👉 Subscribe to our newsletter and we’ll show you step by step how to issue correct REX declarations.
Conclusion: act now
The EU–Mexico Agreement marks a new era for exporters.
EUR.1 disappears.
REX becomes the foundation.
SMEs get more flexibility (food, plastics, textiles, feed).
Some industries face stricter limits (dairy, sugar, beverages, textiles quota).
👉 The question is not whether change is coming – but whether you are ready for it.
Your next steps:
Verify your REX number.
Review supplier declarations, especially for dairy and sugar inputs.
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Contact us here if you want to secure your exports to Mexico.