For US importers buying from Mexican suppliers

USMCA
certifications
from your Mexican
suppliers,
collected,
checked, on file.

We collect each supplier’s certification, check it against the nine data elements of Annex 5-A, and chase what’s missing in Spanish by email, WhatsApp and phone. One binder per supplier, ready when CBP asks for the certification behind a claim, and renewed every year on our annual plan.

Get startedTalk to us

Start with five suppliers, free.

Sample · Binder index

Northfield Industrial Supply, Inc.

Columbus, Ohio · importer5 suppliers · 2027 certifications · Day 7

2 usable · 3 open

TabSupplierHS · goodsStatusPage
Tab ATroqueles del BajíoS.A. de C.V. · León, Gto.7326.90Stamped, zinc-plated steel brackets7326.90Stamped, zinc-plated steel brackets
9 of 9

Signed, usable

03
Tab BPlásticos Inyectados SaltilloS.A. de C.V. · Saltillo, Coah.3926.90Molded ABS housings3926.90Molded ABS housings
2026 only

8 of 9 present · signer said Monday

07
Tab CFundiciones Monterrey NorteS.A. de C.V. · Apodaca, N.L.7325.99Cast steel counterweights7325.99Cast steel counterweights
9 of 9

Signed, usable · on their letterhead

11
Tab DCables y Arneses de ChihuahuaS.A. de C.V. · Chihuahua, Chih.8544.42Wire harnesses with connectors8544.42Wire harnesses with connectors
HS differs

9 of 9 · reads 8544.49 ·flagged for you to raise with your broker

15
Tab EHerrajes Industriales de QuerétaroS.A. de C.V. · El Marqués, Qro.8302.42Furniture mountings8302.42Furniture mountings
Not returned

Their contact left in October ·new signer found Day 5 · no reply by Day 7

19
  1. Tab A

    Troqueles del Bajío

    León, Gto. · 7326.90

    9 of 9

    Signed, usable

  2. Tab B

    Plásticos Inyectados Saltillo

    Saltillo, Coah. · 3926.90

    2026 only

    8 of 9 present · signer said Monday

  3. Tab C

    Fundiciones Monterrey Norte

    Apodaca, N.L. · 7325.99

    9 of 9

    Signed, usable · on their letterhead

  4. Tab D

    Cables y Arneses de Chihuahua

    Chihuahua, Chih. · 8544.42

    HS differs

    9 of 9 · reads 8544.49 ·flagged for you to raise with your broker

  5. Tab E

    Herrajes Industriales de Querétaro

    El Marqués, Qro. · 8302.42

    Not returned

    Their contact left in October ·new signer found Day 5 · no reply by Day 7

Delivered as one PDF per supplier, or the whole binder.

01How it works

Five steps.

Nobody at the importer owns the chase. Purchasing has other work, and it isn’t the broker’s job. So we do it.

  1. 1

    You send your suppliers.

    A short form: company, contact, email, WhatsApp if they use it, products, what’s missing. About 2 minutes for five.

  2. 2

    You forward our
    introduction.

    A short note in Spanish that goes out under your name. It says who we are and what we’ll ask for. Nothing goes out from us before this, and we never write to a supplier you haven’t introduced us to.

    Sample · The introduction you forward · Email, under your name

    Day 0 · Fri · Email, under your name

    Para: Marisol Treviño Garza
    · Plásticos Inyectados Saltillo

    Asunto: Certificación de origen T-MEC 2027
    · Northfield Industrial Supply

    Marisol, buen día. Para nuestros embarques de 2027 necesitamos su certificación de origen T‑MEC. Afterline nos ayuda a reunirlas: en los próximos días le escribirán de nuestra parte, con una plantilla con los datos que ya tenemos.
    Le agradecemos su apoyo.

    Northfield Industrial Supply, Inc. · Compras

    In English

    Marisol, good morning. For our 2027 shipments we need your USMCA certification of origin. Afterline helps us collect them: in the next few days they will write to you on our behalf, with a template holding the data we already have.
    Thank you for your help.

    Northfield Industrial Supply, Inc. · Purchasing

  3. 3

    We collect, check
    and chase.

    Day 1 we write to each supplier, with a template pre-filled with what we already have. Day 3 we follow up. Day 5 we call whoever signs their certifications of origin. Your suppliers hear from a person, in Spanish, by email, WhatsApp and phone.

    1. Day 0 · You forward
    2. Day 1 · We write
    3. Day 3 · Follow-up
    4. Day 5 · We call the signer
    5. Day 7 · The binder

    Calendar days from your introduction. We give a supplier two days to answer before the next step.

  4. 4

    You get the binder.

    Within 7 days of your introduction. For each supplier: the certification as received or the reason it didn’t come back, the nine-element check and the chase log. One PDF per supplier.

  5. 5On Program

    We renew every year.

    On Program

    Before the current certification lapses, we ask each supplier for the next one. The tab carries forward, with the old certification behind the new one, so when a CF-28 asks for the certification behind last year’s entries, it is in the same binder.

Sample · The introduction you forward · Email, under your name

Day 0 · Fri · Email, under your name

Para: Marisol Treviño Garza
· Plásticos Inyectados Saltillo

Asunto: Certificación de origen T-MEC 2027
· Northfield Industrial Supply

Marisol, buen día. Para nuestros embarques de 2027 necesitamos su certificación de origen T‑MEC. Afterline nos ayuda a reunirlas: en los próximos días le escribirán de nuestra parte, con una plantilla con los datos que ya tenemos.
Le agradecemos su apoyo.

Northfield Industrial Supply, Inc. · Compras

In English

Marisol, good morning. For our 2027 shipments we need your USMCA certification of origin. Afterline helps us collect them: in the next few days they will write to you on our behalf, with a template holding the data we already have.
Thank you for your help.

Northfield Industrial Supply, Inc. · Purchasing

  1. Day 0 · You forward
  2. Day 1 · We write
  3. Day 3 · Follow-up
  4. Day 5 · We call the signer
  5. Day 7 · The binder

Calendar days from your introduction. We give a supplier two days to answer before the next step.

02The binder

One binder.
One tab per supplier.

Each tab holds three things, so you can see where every supplier stands without opening an email thread.

In each tab

  1. iThe certification as received, or the reason it didn’t come back.
  2. iiThe check of the nine minimum data elements.
  3. iiiThe chase log: every message we sent,
    with what the supplier told us, in their words.

What you receive

Per supplier
One PDF: the certification as received, the nine-element check, the chase log.
Whole binder
One PDF with the index, for your CFO or your broker.
To your broker
A supplier’s tab, when you say so.
Or send it yourself, from your copy, when CBP sends a CF-28.

The check

Nine elements,
checked one
by one.

USMCA has no official certification form. A certification can sit on an invoice or any other document, but it has to carry the nine minimum data elements of Annex 5-A. We check every one and flag what isn’t there.

Usable, by our count
Signed, all nine elements present, a blanket period that covers your shipments, and products and 6-digit HS codes that match what you listed.

This is the copy the supplier had on file: a 2026 period and no signature. Line 9 is missing today. Line 8 runs out on December 31.

Sample

PLÁSTICOS INYECTADOS SALTILLO, S.A. DE C.V.

Certification of origin, USMCA / T-MEC

Received Day 3 · Mon · email · PDF

Tab B · page 07

No.Element · Annex 5-AOn the certificationCheck
1Certifier role:
importer, exporter or producer		ProducerPresent
2Certifier: name, title, address, phone, emailMarisol Treviño Garza,
Export Manager.
Blvd. I. López Zertuche 4120,
Saltillo, Coah., México
+52 844 555 0142
mtrevino@plasticos-saltillo.example		Present
3ExporterPlásticos Inyectados Saltillo
S.A. de C.V.		Present
4ProducerSame as exporterPresent
5ImporterNorthfield Industrial Supply, Inc.
1450 Industrial Pkwy,
Columbus, OH 43219 · +1 614 555 0187
purchasing@northfield.example		Present
6Description of the good and its HS tariff classification (6 digits)Injection-molded ABS housings.
HS 3926.90		Matches list
7Origin criterion (A, B, C or D)B, as stated by the producerPresent
8Blanket period (up to 12 months)Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026Ends before your 2027 shipments.2026 only
9Authorized signature and dateCertification statement present.FirmaFechaSign here

Not usable as received.

8 of 9 present · Period: 2026 only · See lines 8 and 9

We asked for a 2027 period and a signature on Day 3, then called the signer on Day 5.
Their answer is in the chase log, in their words.

Checked Day 3

We record the origin criterion the producer states. Whether the good qualifies stays their call and yours. If a supplier tells us a product doesn’t qualify, we record it and tell you.

The chase

Seven days,
every message logged.

Calendar days, counted from your introduction.
We write in Spanish, by email, WhatsApp and phone.

Sample · Tab B · Plásticos Inyectados Saltillo

DayChannelWhat we didWhat the supplier said, in their words
0FriEmail, by youYou forward our short introduction,
in Spanish, to each supplier.		—
1SatWhatsAppWe write to Marisol, their export manager, in Spanish, with a template pre-filled with what we already have: importer, products, your HS code for them to confirm.
“Recibido, gracias. Lo reviso con el director.”

Got it, thanks. I’ll check with the director.

Sample · The Day 1 template, as sent · WhatsApp

Day 1 · Sat

Marisol Treviño Garza · Plásticos Inyectados Saltillo

Adjunto: Certificacion_TMEC_2027_Northfield.pdf · 1 página

Marisol, buen día. Soy Ramon, de Afterline, de parte de Northfield Industrial Supply. Le pedimos su certificación de origen T‑MEC para los embarques de 2027. El T‑MEC no tiene un formato oficial; la certificación debe incluir nueve datos mínimos. Le adjunto una plantilla con lo que ya tenemos:

Si algún producto no califica, avísenos y se lo comunicamos a Northfield.

Gracias. Ramon Prieto · Afterline
ramon@withafterline.com

Plantilla adjunta · lo que ya tenemos

Exportador / productor
Plásticos Inyectados Saltillo S.A. de C.V., Saltillo, Coah., México
Importador
Northfield Industrial Supply, Inc.,
Columbus, Ohio
Productos
Carcasas de ABS inyectadas · HS 3926.90 · clasificación de Northfield: confirme o corrija
Periodo global
1 ene 2027 a 31 dic 2027 (propuesto)
Declaración
Texto del Anexo 5-A, incluido
Faltan
  • Certificador: rol, nombre, cargo, dirección, teléfono y correo
  • Criterio de origen (A, B, C o D)
  • Firma y fecha

Pre-filled from your form and your product list. The HS code is marked as yours, for the supplier to confirm or correct. The certifier, the origin criterion and the signature are theirs to fill in.

In English

Marisol, good morning. I’m Ramon, from Afterline, on behalf of Northfield Industrial Supply. We’re asking for your USMCA certification of origin for 2027 shipments. USMCA has no official form; the certification must include nine minimum data elements. Attached is a template with what we already have. If any product doesn’t qualify, let us know and we’ll tell Northfield. Thank you.

3MonEmailFollow-up. She sends their 2026 certification, unsigned. We check it: 8 of 9 present, period 2026 only. We ask for a 2027 period and a signature.
“Es la que tenemos. ¿No les sirve la de este año?”

It’s the one we have. Doesn’t this year’s work for you?

5WedPhoneWe call Marisol, who signs their certifications, and go through the 2027 period and the signature with her.
“La firmo con el periodo 2027 el lunes, cuando regrese de planta.”

I’ll sign it with the 2027 period on Monday, when I’m back from the plant.

7FriThe binder, to youYou get the binder. Tab B holds the 2026 copy, the nine-element check, this log, and the day the signer gave us.

Still missing2027 blanket period · signature

You know who signs, and when she said she would.

Days 2, 4 and 6 have no step: we give a supplier two days to answer.

03The calendar

Why December 31,and every year after.

A blanket certification covers 12 months at most, and many run on the calendar year. The ones on file have to be replaced every year, and since the July 1 review the rules of origin can change every year too.

On the calendar

Reviewed every year.

At the joint review the US declined to extend USMCA. It stays in force, but rules of origin can change each year.

Section 301 covers Mexico.

10–12.5%. Goods that enter duty-free under USMCA are exempt, so whether a good qualifies, and whether you can prove it, is worth 10% or more of its value.

Many calendar-year blankets lapse.

From January 1, your claims need certifications that cover the new year. To have binders before December 31, send suppliers by December 4.

You keep USMCA records for 5 years after each entry, and CBP can ask for the certification behind any claim with a CF-28 request for information.

04Plans

Start with five.Then every supplier, every year.

  • Start

    Free

    Five suppliers.
    Binder on Day 7, with what came back.

    Get started

  • Season

    $1,000 flat

    Up to 25 suppliers. Binders by January 15 when you start in December.

    Talk to us

  • Program

    By number of suppliers

    All your Mexican suppliers, every year: renewals, and a USMCA review.

    The review: we map each product’s rule of origin, its inputs and its supplier certifications into an evidence file, using the HS classifications your team or your broker provide, so your team or your broker can make the call. The file states no conclusion on whether a product qualifies.

    Talk to us

Notes

  1. 1The $1,000 counts toward a Program started by March 31.
  2. 2Nothing is billed unless you choose Season or Program.
  3. 3A supplier still open on Day 7 stays open in the tab. On Season and Program we keep chasing until the certification is usable, the supplier tells us a product doesn’t qualify, or you tell us to stop.

Where our work stops

The certification stays the supplier’s, and the origin call stays theirs and yours.We collect, check and chase.

We do

  • Collect each supplier’s certification.
  • Check it against the nine elements.
  • Chase in Spanish, by email, WhatsApp and phone.
  • Keep every follow-up in the binder.
  • Renew every year on Program, before the current certification lapses.

We don’t

  • Certify origin or decide whether goods qualify.
  • Classify goods, or ask a supplier to change an HS code.
  • Give legal advice.
  • Act as a customs broker or file entries.
  • Write to a supplier you haven’t introduced us to.

Questions a compliance manager asks

Do you decide whether our goods qualify?
No. We check that the nine elements are present and that the products and 6‑digit HS codes match your list, and we record the origin criterion the producer states. Whether a good qualifies stays the supplier’s call and yours.
What if a supplier never answers?
The tab says who we wrote to, when, on which channel, and what came back, including nothing. If we found out who signs there, it says that too. On Season and Program the chase goes on after Day 7.
Do you file entries, or act as our broker?
No. Your broker keeps the filing. When you say so, we send them a supplier’s tab.
What do you deliver, and in what format?
PDF: one per supplier, or the whole binder in one file. On request, also the files as the supplier sent them and a spreadsheet index.
What if a supplier says a product doesn’t qualify?
We record it in the tab and tell you. We don’t argue origin with a supplier, and we never ask one to change an HS code.
Who writes to our suppliers?
A person at Afterline, in Spanish: by email from an @withafterline.com address, by WhatsApp and by phone. Para proveedores, below, shows a supplier how to check that a message is real.

05Your supplier data

What we do with
your supplier data.

Plain rules, in writing.

  1. We contact only the suppliers you introduce. Nothing goes out from us before your introduction.
  2. Your binders are yours. Ask at any time and we send everything: the files as the supplier sent them, the PDF binder and a spreadsheet index by supplier, product, HS code and blanket period.
  3. We keep each certification, its check and its chase log for at least 5 years after its blanket period ends, unless you ask us to delete them sooner. Our copy does not replace your own records.
  4. We never sell supplier contacts or share them with anyone you haven’t named, and we never use them to market to your suppliers.
  5. Each importer’s binder is its own. We never tell one customer, or a supplier, which suppliers another customer buys from.

06For brokers

Your clients’
certifications, on file
before CBP asks.

Every client claiming USMCA on Mexican goods has to keep the certification behind the claim for 5 years after the entry, and CBP can ask for it with a CF‑28. We collect those certifications from your client’s Mexican suppliers, check them against Annex 5-A and keep them in one binder per supplier.

How an introduction works

  1. You tell your client about us.

    Forward this page. We take client and supplier details from the client, never from you.

  2. Your client sends us its suppliers.

    The same short form, under the client’s name.

  3. With your client’s written OK, we copy you.

    On the binder, and on any US-content statements we collect.

We pay no referral fees and charge none.

The 9903.82.21 line
needs supplier data.

Under Proclamation 11032, USMCA-qualifying steel and aluminum articles on the Annex I-C list pay the 25% Section 232 duty only on non-US content. Commerce defined “US content” on October 14, 2026. Many clients put everything on the 25% line because the supplier data isn’t there.

For each part number, we collect the supplier’s signed statement of US content, any support they gave, the date and the signer, and, with your client’s written OK, hand it to you. We don’t verify the figures or compute the split. You keep the filing and do the split. We never prepare entries or calculate entry-line values.

Entry line, schematic · Annex I-C steel articleNot to scale. The importer declares the values; its broker files the split.

Without supplier data

9903.82.20
25% on the full value

Where many clients put everything.

With supplier data

9903.82.20
Non-US value · 25%
9903.82.21
US content · no 232 duty
up to 40% of value

We collect the supplier data. You do the split.

Sources: USMCA Annex 5-A · Proclamation 11032
Commerce notice of October 14, 2026 · CBP Form 28

Talk to us about a client

07Para proveedores

Cómo verificar
que el mensaje es real.

¿Le escribió Afterline de parte de uno de sus clientes en Estados Unidos?

Le pedimos su certificación de origen T‑MEC para 2027. El T‑MEC no tiene un formato oficial; la certificación debe incluir nueve datos mínimos y le enviamos una plantilla con los datos que ya tenemos. Si algún producto no califica, avísenos y se lo comunicamos a su cliente.

  1. Nuestros mensajes llegan siempre después de que su cliente le haya reenviado nuestra presentación. Nuestros correos salen de una dirección @withafterline.com.

  2. Pregunte a su cliente. Es la forma más rápida de confirmar.

  3. O escríbanos a ramon@withafterline.com desde su correo de empresa.

Send the five you’d
least like to chase.

Get startedTalk to us

Start with five suppliers, free.
A short form, about 2 minutes.