When you're shipping to the United States, you might need a Manufacturer Identification Code (MID). This code is used by US Customs and Border Protection to identify the manufacturer of the goods being imported. It's a good idea to have a MID for all your US-bound shipments, regardless of which carrier you're using. This helps prevent any delays or extra charges at customs.
This article covers what MID codes are used for, and how to create your own MID codes for your goods.
About MID codes
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) use MID codes to:
Verify that the imported goods comply with trade regulations.
Help to speed up the customs clearance process.
Provide a standard way to identify the manufacturer of the goods.
MID codes have four parts, and are created using the manufacturer's name and address.
Country code: The two-letter ISO code for the manufacturer's country.
Manufacturer name: Usually the first three letters of the first word and the first three letters of the second word of the company name, ignoring common words like "the", "and", or "a," as well as punctuation and initials.
Street address: The first four numbers or letters of the street address.
City name: The first three letters of the city name.
Using MID codes
MID codes are always required for textile and apparel products and must be on the commercial invoice. You can send MID codes electronically where the carrier supports this.
If your shipment includes products from different manufacturers, you must provide a separate MID code for each one.
For more detailed information, you can visit the Australian Government’s Go Global toolkit.
Worked examples
This section contains worked examples for constructing a MID code for different manufacturers.
Example 1: A company in China
In this example:
The manufacturer is Sheen Leu Company Limited
They are located at 135 Any Street, Shanghai, China.
Working:
Country code: CN, for China
Manufacturer name: SHECOM, from Sheen and Company, ignoring Leu and Limited
Street address: 135, from the street number
City name: SHA, from Shanghai
Result:
The MID code is
CNSHECOM135SHA
Example 2: A company in Australia
In this example:
The manufacturer is Outback Apparel Pty Ltd
They are located at 456 George Street, Sydney, Australia.
Working:
Country code: AU, for Australia
Manufacturer name: OUTAPP, from Outback and Apparel, ignoring the Pty Ltd
Street address: 456, from the street number
City name: SYD, from Sydney
Result:
The MID code is
AUOUTAPP456SYD
Example 3: A company with a single name
In this example:
The manufacturer is called Techtronics
They are located at 789 Innovation Drive, Auckland, New Zealand.
Working:
Country code: NZ, for New Zealand
Manufacturer name: TEC, from the first three letters of Techtronics
Street address: 789, from the street number
City name: AUC, from Auckland
Result:
The MID code is
NZTEC789AUC