Manufacturer Identification Code

The Manufacturer Identification Code (MID) is an identifier CBP uses to track the actual producer of imported merchandise. It is required on every formal Entry Summary and is constructed by the importer of record (or customs broker) following the rules at 19 CFR § 102.23 and the CBP Directive on MID construction.

The MID is built from the manufacturer's name and address using a deterministic algorithm — it is not a registered code assigned by CBP. The format, up to 15 characters, packs:

1. 2 characters — ISO country code of manufacture
2. Up to 6 characters — derived from the first three letters of each of the first two words of the manufacturer's name (e.g., "Acme Industrial Ltd." → "ACMIND")
3. Up to 4 characters — the largest numeric component of the street address
4. Up to 3 characters — the first three letters of the city

For example, a manufacturer at "1234 Industrial Way, Shenzhen, China" named "Acme Manufacturing Co." would generate the MID CNACMMAN1234SHE.

Two distinct CBP rules govern the MID:

• For most merchandise, the MID identifies the manufacturer or producer
• For textiles and apparel subject to country of origin marking under 19 CFR § 102.21, the MID identifies the entity performing the origin-conferring operation

A wrong MID is a common audit finding, it suggests the importer doesn't actually know who made the goods. Repeated MID errors are a red flag for transshipment and can support penalties under 19 U.S.C. § 1592. The MID travels with the country-of-origin declaration on the Entry Summary; browse the CBP rulings database for MID-construction decisions.