A Transfer CFDI (CFDI de traslado) is the type-T voucher that covers goods movement when no transport-service fee is charged on that document · typical for own fleet or moves between your DCs. If a carrier bills you for freight, you almost always need an Income CFDI + Carta Porte complement, not a “Transfer because a truck moved.”
- transfer voucher (no freight sale)
- Type T
- subtotal and total at zero
- Value 0
- current complement with CFDI 4.0
- CP 3.1
- correct type before releasing MXN
- Pre-pay
Cluster context: Income vs Transfer · how to create Carta Porte 3.1 · what a PAC is.
What a Transfer CFDI is
It is Mexico’s Internet Digital Tax Receipt (CFDI) with TipoDeComprobante = T that documents legal possession and stay of goods while they move in national territory, when the issuer receives no fee for that haul.
On the Mexico–U.S. corridor: use it when you move your own goods (or equivalent cases) with owned or leased units. Do not use it to hide freight a third party billed you.
Short glossary definition: what is a Transfer CFDI.
Transfer vs Income vs Carta Porte
Three pieces get mashed in chat. Separate them before you stamp or release payment: the CFDI type, the service fee, and the complement that describes the trip.
Transfer CFDI (T)
Question it answers: Are we documenting a move with no freight fee?
Ops signal: Own fleet / inter-DC without a service invoice
Income CFDI (I)
Question it answers: Is someone billing the transport service?
Ops signal: Carrier / 3PL invoicing the trip
Carta Porte complement
Question it answers: How does it move (route, unit, goods, figures)?
Ops signal: Attaches to Income or Transfer when required
| Criterion | Transfer | Income + Carta Porte |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues | Owner / holder (own means) | Carrier billing freight |
| Freight fee on this CFDI? | No | Yes |
| Voucher value | Zero | Service amount |
| Typical receiver | Generic RFC (type-T guide) | Shipper / payer RFC |
| Accounts payable use | Does not support third-party freight spend | Spend base + trip match |
| Corridor default | Own fleet / internal moves | Hired MX–US freight |
When it applies (and when not to improvise)
Transfer applies when you document goods movement without a transport fee on that voucher. Typical cases (always filter with your tax advisor):
- Moves between branches or DCs of the same legal entity.
- Own inventory or asset moves with owned or leased fleet.
- Certain returns / consignments where no freight service is sold.
Carta Porte is not decoration: when the move is subject to the complement (federal stretches and SAT-published cases), it must ride with the CFDI. Common exceptions in official FAQs and guides:
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Detalle del paso · 01
Strictly local transport
Exception 1
Sources to calibrate (do not memorize an old PDF): SAT portal · Carta Porte complement · Carta Porte 3.1 FAQ · NOM-012-SCT-2-2017 (or successor) · current Miscellaneous Tax Resolution. Emission how-to: Carta Porte 3.1 step by step.
Required fields on type-T CFDI
Before the complement, the host CFDI must match the type. Desk rejections cluster here:
TipoDeComprobante
What type-T flows usually expect: T (Transfer)
Ops note: Do not use I “because the PAC UI had it ready”
Subtotal / Total
What type-T flows usually expect: Zero value
Ops note: Do not invent a “symbolic” amount
Receiver RFC
What type-T flows usually expect: Generic XAXX010101000 (SAT guide for T)
Ops note: If your PAC UI differs, validate against the current guide
UsoCFDI
What type-T flows usually expect: Historical guide: P01 (Por definir)
Ops note: Some software blogs cite S01 · confirm Anexo 20 + PAC
Concepts / keys
What type-T flows usually expect: Product keys aligned to CP catalog when applicable
Ops note: Complement BienTransp must not fight the concept line
Complement
What type-T flows usually expect: Carta Porte 3.1 with CFDI 4.0 when required
Ops note: Published SAT validity from 17 Jul 2024
Legal basis to cite carefully (not an automatic fine checklist): Federal Tax Code (CFDI articles), Miscellaneous Tax Resolution, Anexo 20, and Carta Porte complement criteria. For C2 exception weights/dims: NOM-012. Rules change · verify currency.
Carta Porte: client vs carrier data
Even when the issuer stamps the XML, complement quality depends on who owns which fields. On hired freight the carrier issues, but the client / shipper still owns the truth of goods and addresses. On own-fleet Transfer, your operation holds both blocks · and you should still separate responsibilities.
Carta Porte (header)
Client / shipper provides: International transport (yes/no)
Carrier provides: Complement version · total distance traveled
Origin location
Client / shipper provides: Origin · sender RFC · address (state, country, ZIP)
Carrier provides: Departure date/time · segment distance
Destination location
Client / shipper provides: Destination · receiver RFC · address (state, country, ZIP)
Carrier provides: Arrival date/time
Goods (totals)
Client / shipper provides: Total gross weight · weight unit · total merchandise count
Carrier provides: —
Goods (detail)
Client / shipper provides: Goods keys · description · quantity · unit key · weight in kg
Carrier provides: —
Hazardous materials*
Client / shipper provides: Flag · material key · packaging · packaging description
Carrier provides: — (confirm figures when the case requires)
Motor transport
Client / shipper provides: —
Carrier provides: SICT permit · permit number · vehicle type / plate / year
Insurance
Client / shipper provides: —
Carrier provides: Insurer · civil-liability policy number
Figures
Client / shipper provides: —
Carrier provides: Driver · RFC · license number
Deep dive on fill errors that reject the CFDI: Carta Porte 3.1 errors. Permits and vehicle config: SICT permit.
How to issue without rejections
Rejection is rarely “the PAC is down”: it is wrong type, fighting catalogs, or an incomplete complement. Recommended order for tower + tax:
Safe issuance
From case to UUID in the trip file
Decide the type
Is freight billed?
Gather masters
RFC, addresses, keys
Fill CP
Client + unit + figures
Cross-validate
Concept vs BienTransp
Stamp via PAC
CFDI 4.0 + CP 3.1
Store trip file
UUID + POD + trip
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Detalle del paso · 01
Before departure
Gate 1
Pre-pay validation: what pre-pay validation is · CFDI + Carta Porte + GPS + POD audit.
Errors that break accounts payable
These failures are not fixed with a cab sticker. They show up as payment holds, carrier disputes, or XML that does not match the trip.
Carrier bills and issues Transfer
Symptom: No clear freight spend base
Fix: Require Income + CP · hold until correct UUID
Using Transfer to “invoice” a service
Symptom: Hidden income / tax risk
Fix: Reclassify with tax advisor · issue the right type
Non-zero value on type T
Symptom: Rejection or catalog inconsistency
Fix: Totals at zero · freight amount belongs on Income
CP missing client data (weight, keys, ZIP)
Symptom: Orphan complement / PAC rejection
Fix: Ownership: client provides goods and addresses
Paying on PDF without matching type or IdCCP
Symptom: Typical 5–7% leakage when leaving sampling
Fix: Policy: no trip file, no payment date
Consequences when type or complement fails
Skipping or mistyping is not a “format” detail. Damage arrives on three fronts at once:
- Tax / authority: fines under the Federal Tax Code and miscellaneous rules · peso ranges published by software blogs disagree with each other and get updated. Do not memorize a 2023 table: calibrate with current CFF / RMF / DOF and your advisor.
- Roadside / possession: risk of goods or unit holds if you cannot prove the move when federal authority requires it.
- Accounts payable / corridor: XML that does not match · payment held · On Time Delivery damaged by document fights · see what OTD is.
OCL’s role in the trip file
OCL Cargo does not compete with your desktop invoicing suite: it is an autonomous TMS with computer use agents (they operate screens and portals like a control-tower operator) for Mexico–U.S. freight.
- Can stamp invoices and Carta Porte when the stack requires it (Transfer or Income by case).
- Matches the trip file before pay: rate · CFDI (correct type) · Carta Porte · GPS · POD.
- Catches mismatches that fail accounts payable (UUID, type T vs I, IdCCP, weights, plates).
- Who decides exceptions? Your team. The agent prepares the file; humans release or hold.
Recovery pattern when auditing 100% of the pilot flow: on the order of 5–7% of freight spend. Typical pilot 6–8 weeks without replacing your TMS on day one · reference cost ~$50 MXN per shipment when it applies. Hub: Mexico freight tax (CFDI + Carta Porte).
Related reading
Key takeaways5 points
- Transfer CFDI documents movement without charging a transport service; it is not the hired-freight invoice.
- If you hire a carrier, the default world is Income + Carta Porte; own fleet / no fee cases to Transfer.
- Zero value + generic RFC (SAT guide for type T); UsoCFDI: confirm current guide (P01 in official guides; some software cites S01).
- Carta Porte splits ownership: client owns goods and addresses; carrier owns unit, SICT, insurance, and driver.
- Accounts payable pays on the trip file (UUID · type · CP · POD), not a lone PDF; OCL can stamp and audit before releasing MXN.
Book your diagnostic
Frequently asked questions
It is Mexico’s Internet Digital Tax Receipt (CFDI) type T that documents goods movement when no transport-service fee is charged on that voucher (e.g. own fleet between DCs). It often carries the Carta Porte complement when required. It does not replace the Income CFDI a carrier uses to bill freight.
One-line test: is someone billing you to move that load? If yes to almost always Income CFDI + Carta Porte. If the goods are yours and you move them without that fee to Transfer CFDI. Matrix in this article and in Income vs Transfer.
The carrier (via its Authorized Certification Provider / PAC) issues the Income CFDI with Carta Porte when required. You, as the freight buyer, verify the XML and trip file before paying. You do not “fix” the type by re-issuing a Transfer CFDI.
Not always. The complement applies under SAT / Miscellaneous Tax Resolution criteria (federal stretches and published cases). Local moves and C2-or-smaller vehicles under NOM-012 (or successor) may be excepted when the federal radius is ~30 km origin–destination. Confirm with your tax advisor; accounts payable does not improvise.
On Transfer, amounts are zero. SAT’s filling guide for TipoDeComprobante T points to generic RFC XAXX010101000 on the receiver and, historically, UsoCFDI P01 (Por definir). Some software blogs cite S01: confirm the current guide / Anexo 20 and your PAC before stamping.
Transfer documents movement; hired freight spend is supported with Income (+ Carta Porte when required). See deductibility without Carta Porte. OCL does not guarantee deductibility.
Yes. OCL can stamp invoices and Carta Porte when the stack requires it; it also verifies the buyer-side trip file (CFDI type, complement, trip, proof of delivery) before paying hired freight. Who decides exceptions? Your team.