The MID identifies the manufacturer on a US entry (CBP Form 7501, and the ACE entry line). It is up to 15 characters, with no spaces, built from the manufacturer's name and address in four parts. The rules are in 19 CFR Part 102, Appendix.
1. Country
Start with the two-letter ISO code of the country of origin, for example CN for China. For Canada, use the province code instead of CA:
XA Alberta · XC British Columbia · XM Manitoba · XB New Brunswick · XW Newfoundland and Labrador · XN Nova Scotia · XT Northwest Territories · XV Nunavut · XO Ontario · XP Prince Edward Island · XQ Quebec · XS Saskatchewan · XY Yukon
2. Name
Take the first three letters of the first two words of the manufacturer's name. Skip the words a, an, and, of and the. Skip a lone initial, but initials that run together, like S.P.A., count as one word. A hyphenated name counts as one word. If the name has one word, use its first three letters.
3. Street number
Take the largest number on the street address line, and use up to its first four digits. If there is no number, leave this part out.
4. City
Add the first three letters of the city. In a city-state like Hong Kong, Singapore or Macau, use the city-state's name.
Official examples
| Manufacturer and address | Country | MID | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA VIE DE FRANCE, 243 Rue de la Paix, Bremond | France | FRLAVIE243BRE | “La” is not skipped. Only a, an, and, of and the are. |
| THE GREENHOUSE, 45 Main Street, Birmingham | United States | USGRE45BIR | “The” is skipped, and a one-word name gives three letters. |
| CARDUCCIO AND JONES, 88 George St, Sidney | Australia | AUCARJON88SID | “And” is skipped. |
| N. MINAMI & CO., LTD., 2-6 Chome, Kobe | Japan | JPMINCO26KOB | A lone initial is skipped; “2-6” becomes 26. |
| BOCCHACCIO S.P.A., Via Roma 61, Verona | Italy | ITBOCSPA61VER | Initials that run together (S.P.A.) count as one word. |
| MURLA-PRAXITELES INC., Odos Ermou, Athens | Greece | GRMURINCATH | A hyphenated name is one word; no street number, so none is used. |
| HURON LANDMARK, 1840 Wyandotte St, Windsor, Ontario | Canada | XOHURLAN1840WIN | Canada uses the province code (XO for Ontario), not CA. |
| A.B.C. COMPANY, 1234 Nathan Road, Kowloon | Hong Kong | HKABCCOM1234HON | In a city-state, the city part is the city-state's name. |
Common mistakes
- Using the shipper or trading company instead of the manufacturer.
- Using CA for a Canadian manufacturer instead of the province code.
- Taking the postal code instead of the street number.
- Building the MID from an invoice that has no street address.
Build a MID with the free generator. FreightProof also builds the MID for every manufacturer on an invoice, and flags the ones the documents cannot support.