More and more countries in Latin America are joining the implementation of the mandatory Carta Porte. Learn how to adapt your company to this regulation.
The Carta Porte is a legal instrument of declarative nature, where all the details related to the movement of goods in the national or international territory are included. It may be required by the tax authorities to corroborate the legality of the transported products.
Would you like to know in detail what this regulation, which is progressively being extended to all Latin American countries, is all about? Here we tell you what it is, how it is implemented in Latam, and what are the benefits of implementing it in your organization.
What is the Complemento Carta Porte?
The Carta Porte, also known as Complemento Carta Porte, is a legal document of a declarative nature. It states the origin, location, precise destination and transport routes of goods moved nationally and internationally. This documentation can be used on land, river, or air transport. As for its format, the form can be submitted on paper or digitally through applications created for this purpose.
In addition to containing all the information regarding the commercial and logistics process, the Carta Porte has another purpose: to be a control instrument for the tax authorities. In some cases, it may be mandatory according to the regulations of the territory where the products are transported.
It is important to highlight that this document is born as a complement to the electronic invoice, as it provides more complete information in real-time about the products being moved.
“Around 60 percent of the goods
that are transported by truck in Mexico is illegal”
Source: Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) (2020)
This is just one statistic that shows the reality faced by Latin American governments in the fight against smuggling and tax evasion. For this reason, more and more governments are betting on the mandatory presentation of the Carta Porte. It has become a valuable tool for tracking the movement of goods.
The current status of this regulation in Latin America
More and more countries in Latin America have instruments to control the movement of goods. In the following lines, we detail the documents required in each country.
Brazil: The MDF-e (or Manifesto Eletrônico de Documentos Fiscais) is a document required by the tax administration since 2014. This is such a sophisticated system that in most cases it is not necessary to stop trucks to verify the existence of the document.
Mexico: In this country, the tax administration (SAT) requires the CFDI with the Complemento de Carta Porte to move goods by road, rail, air, or river. It will be mandatory from January 1, 2022, and SAT informed that those who fail to comply with the norm will be subject to penalties.
Chile: In Chilean territory, a tax authorization document known locally as Guías de Despacho is required. Since January 2020, this document can only be issued in electronic format.
Argentina: From November 1, 2021, the use of the Carta Porte Electrónica for the movement of agricultural products on public roads in Argentina comes into force. As of 2022, this federal requirement may be extended to other goods.
Peru: Requires Guías de Remisión (Waybills) before starting the movement of goods. This digital document, which contains all the details of the movement, must be informed and authorized by the Tax Administration (SUNAT).
Uruguay: In order to carry out any movement of goods in that country, it is necessary to have the “e-Remitos” which is an electronic document authorized by the tax administration (DGI).
Ecuador: The tax administration (SRI) requires the “Guías de Remisión” to transport any merchandise legally within the country. However, the authorities still contemplate exceptions in their compliance because the electronic invoicing is not yet fully implemented.
4 benefits of implementing the Carta Porte
As we have seen, more and more governments are betting on the Electronic Bill of Lading. We can deduce that this decision is closely linked to the great benefits of its implementation.
Below, we will detail some of these benefits:
Error reduction: This is due to features such as data preloading and the possibility of cross-platform use regardless of language. Particularly in the case of international transfers.
Saving time and money: By eliminating the use of paper, data loading becomes much simpler. At the same time, time-consuming processes such as sending faxes or letters or reviewing a file for the control of these documents are eliminated. Invoicing is also faster due to the digitization of processes. Also, non-conformities regarding information or shipments made are reduced because both the data and their corresponding receptions are recorded automatically and truthfully.
Combination with other platforms: For example, in the case of Coldview, Carta Porte is part of the Electronic Invoice product and at the same time has functionalities that are combined with Coldview CCM. In other words, it is a concentrated integration of the different ERPs in a single solution.
Increased efficiency in logistics procedures: All of the above benefits undoubtedly have an impact on more efficient logistics processes, since faster and more effective actions are carried out.
How to implement a Carta Porte solution in your organization
Implementing the Carta Porte is a real challenge for organizations that need to issue it. This is because this legal instrument requires a lot of information to document each step of the movement, which is sometimes not available in current systems.
For this reason, it is very important to have a product that, for example, offers a Carrier Portal, as is the case of Coldview’s Bill of Lading Solution. This product, recently launched for Mexico, makes the task of those who are in charge of the shipment easier. Contributing to making them more efficient and, above all, that the company is not exposed to penalties for non-compliance.
Some of the functionalities of our solution are
Self-registration: A platform where carriers can carry out the formalities in a simple and immediate way. Because beyond the forecasts that can be taken into account, sometimes it is necessary to make adjustments and our tool allows it.
Access from any place and device: With Coldview’s solution, they will have remote access and a responsive interface to be able to access from any type of device.
Information management: To simplify the loading of information, we offer you software that allows the preloading of information. As, for example, the fiscal data or the transport used to move the merchandise.
Integral voucher management: You will be able to consult, generate and cancel vouchers. This functionality facilitates the process and prevents operations from being stopped due to unforeseen events. For example, you can review orders and view missing data before the invoice is issued. As well as, generate vouchers to solve eventual problems in any operation that is not registered.
In conclusion,
The digital transformation of the Carta Porte is an imminent reality and, although it generates more uncertainties than certainties, it is vital to take action as soon as possible. For this, a digital Carta Porte solution is an excellent option that will save you more than one headache.
Now, get in touch so we can help you solve the challenges posed by the implementation of the Carte Porte in your organization.
Learn more about this product here.
