Aduana is the Spanish word for customs, both the government function and the physical customs facility at each border crossing, port, or airport in Mexico. Mexico's aduanas are operated by ANAM, the national customs agency.
Aduana means customs in Spanish. In Mexican freight conversations it refers to two things at once: the customs authority as an institution and the physical customs facility your truck passes through at the border. Since 2022, Mexico's aduanas have been run by ANAM, the Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, which took over customs operations from the tax authority, the SAT.
Every land crossing pairs a Mexican aduana with a U.S. port of entry operated by CBP. Southbound freight clears the Mexican aduana on import; northbound freight files a Mexican export and then clears the U.S. side.
When a Mexican carrier or agente aduanal says a load is 'en aduana,' the freight is physically inside the customs compound working through clearance: document review, the automated selection light, and possibly a revisión. That is different from sitting in a staging yard waiting for paperwork. Learn to ask which one is happening, because the fixes are different. Paperwork delays get solved by the agente aduanal; an inspection inside the aduana just takes the time it takes. Aduana hours, staffing, and infrastructure differ meaningfully by crossing, which is one reason crossing choice affects transit time as much as it affects the rate.
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