EU-Mercosur: the 1 November 2026 deadline

What has happened

The Interim Trade Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur began to apply provisionally on 1 May 2026, pending completion of formal ratification. Certain tariff reductions take effect immediately.

For EU companies, law firms point to automotive and components, machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, wine, beverages and olive oil as the sectors that benefit. Mercosur's advantages into the EU are often applied through quotas.

The agreement works product by product: the exact rate, the phase-out schedule and the rules of origin are checked in the official text and in Access2Markets, not in press reports.

Which deadline applies and who is affected

There is a six-month window, until 1 November 2026, to request preferential treatment for goods that were in transit or in temporary storage on 1 May 2026. It affects anyone who shipped before that date and has not yet claimed the preference.

For a company exporting from the EU, proof of origin is a statement on the invoice. Exporters registered in REX can issue it with no value limit. Unregistered exporters can only do so for consignments of up to 6,000 euros.

The documents that support origin must be kept for at least three years. A later inspection may ask for them.

What to do before 1 November

1. 01

   Find the affected shipments

   Check which goods were in transit or in temporary storage on 1 May 2026 bound for Mercosur countries.

2. 02

   Check the tariff heading and origin

   Look up your product in Access2Markets: preferential rate, quota if any, and the rule of origin it must meet.

3. 03

   Register in REX if you will exceed 6,000 euros

   Without registration, the origin statement is only valid for consignments up to that amount.

4. 04

   Claim the preference with your customs agent

   Do it before 1 November 2026 and keep the proof of origin for three years.

How Exporta helps

With Exporta you prepare the commercial side of this news. Market reports by country and product bring together tariffs, demand and competition in the Mercosur countries, and Find customers gives you importers and distributors in your sector with the decision-maker.

Export documents (proforma, packing list and document reading) and the CRM with emails sent from your own inbox keep follow-up in order. Xport, the Exporta assistant, does it for you.