Import and Export of Hydrocarbons in Mexico by SENER

On Dec. 26, 2020, Mexico’s Ministry of Electricity (SENER) released in the Federal Official Gazette (DOF), a resolution that establishes the goods for which import and export things to do are topic to regulation by SENER (the Resolution), whereby SENER amends the existing regulation related to these import and export pursuits and its corresponding permits.

Changes to the Current Regulation

The Resolution alterations the situations to attain an import or export allow (the Permit) for hydrocarbons and oil products (the Merchandise). This GT Warn summarizes the most appropriate factors.
 

A.

Basic Requirements.

New obligations have been additional to apply for a Permit:

(i)		To offer data about the ultimate location of the Products issue to the Permit.
(ii)		To perhaps present evidence of the relation to major customers, with invoices and letters of intent, not only with contracts.
(iii)		To post a every month projection of the Products’ price of entry into the country and the quantity to be imported for the duration of the phrase of the Allow.
(iv)		To offer proof of compliance with the Obligatory Stockholding Obligations (CSO) for applicants that maintain a advertising and marketing and/or distribution allow, doing invest in and sale transactions with provider stations or conclude buyers.
(v)		To submit a doc stating that the applicant is up-to-day in the compliance of administrative, tax and customs obligations.

Securing a 20-yr import permit is no for a longer period obtainable to candidates. The maximum term for a Permit below the Resolution is five a long time.

To obtain this sort of five-yr Permit, in addition to the demands set forth for a one-12 months Permit, the applicant must also comply with the next two necessities:
 

(i)		Exhibit contractual commitments from possible prospects for at the very least 5 a long time.
(ii)		Supply proof of “existing storage and/or transportation infrastructure for the relevant Merchandise, or evidence that it is producing new infrastructure or growing its recent one.” This necessity is equivalent to the one particular integrated just before the issuance of the Resolution nevertheless, there is no clarity pertaining to SENER’s new interpretation of the obligation to “have infrastructure” and the usually means to proof its compliance

SENER will be essential to come to a decision on the grant or rejection of a allow inside of 12 functioning days from the day of receipt of the application. Right after this period, if no notification of the granting of the allow has been created, the ask for will be considered turned down. The reality that, for this form of allow, deemed rejection is contemplated will most probably crank out legal uncertainty for individuals. This can depict highly-priced and avoidable delays, hindering the effective chains of planned initiatives.

With regards to this technique, the Resolution grants SENER the electrical power to deny permits owing to probable effects on the country’s community funds or on the products being imported or exported, or to the detriment of the Point out, a fact that generates lawful uncertainty for men and women, including a selected quantity of subjectivity to the permitting course of action.
 

C.

Quantity Adjustment.

Pursuant to the Resolution, if the requested volume is not justified, SENER may possibly change the volume of the Allow to the quantity it considers justified.
 

D.

Extension of Permits.

In accordance to the Resolution, a single-calendar year permits may well be extended 2 times and for the very same authentic time period. The former regulations authorized permit holders to ask for an extension of the permit up to three periods.

Before the issuance of the Resolution, 20-12 months permits could be extended when and for up to 50 % the first time period. The Resolution signifies that the 5-calendar year permits could be extended once and for the very same phrase.
 

The Resolution includes two new revocation occasions:
 

(i)		Permit holders failing to tell SENER of any changes or updates about the first situations by which the Permit was requested and granted, including, for example, improvements in the bylaws and shareholding structure of the Allow holder, and
(ii)		Circumstances in which the Tax Administration Support (SAT) informs SENER that the buyer’s corporate name or fiscal handle abroad is fake or non-existent.

 

Pursuant to the Resolution, SENER may well declare the expiration and, consequently, early termination of a Permit in the party that the holder does not carry out import or export actions in a consecutive time period of 30 calendar times (for just one-12 months Permits) or 365 calendar times (for 5-yr Permits).
 

Allow holders will have to submit a month-to-month report in 10 business days following the finish of the corresponding thirty day period.

Probable Authorized Steps Pertaining to the Resolution

As the Resolution has been posted in the DOF, influenced get-togethers may look for cures beneath the Amparo Law (Ley de Amparo), which establishes that basic self-applied norms may well be subject matter to oblique defense, that is, those that by their straightforward entry into force create a damage to the specific or enterprise. Lawful motion may well be began in federal courts in just the 30-working day period counted from the working day of publication. The foundation on which to look for the defense of federal courts could be, amongst some others, the violation of ideas of legality, non-retroactivity of the legislation, hurt to legit expectations, and deficiency of progressiveness.