Can I own property in Mexico as a foreigner?

Own Property in Mexico

Many come to us with the same doubt: Can I really buy property in Mexico as a foreigner? And yes, you absolutely can. Just look around, Mexico is filled with American expats living here, as well as American businesses owning stores, agencies, warehouses, and buildings of all sort. Of course, they have properties and investments.

Now let's get to the more technical answer: first and foremost, foreigners can buy property normally. However, there are special zones ,near the country border or along the coastline, where the appropriate form of ownership is called fideicomiso (trust).

The figure of fideicomiso

The alternative to traditional property in these zones is the fideicomiso, known in English as a bank trust. In a fideicomiso, the bank becomes the trustee of your property (they become the guardian of the title for you).

Nevertheless, the buyer is the full and only beneficiary of the ownership. As such, the buyer has full ownership rights: they can rent it, live in it, get a mortgage, build, make improvements, or leave it in their will. If you buy a house in Mexico, the house is yours. Completely yours.

To sum it up: you own the house, and the bank is the guardian of the title for you. As established in the Law on Foreign Investment, the fideicomiso relationship lasts for a maximum of 50 years, but it can be renewed indefinitely.

There is a cost to maintain the trust, which is around $500 USD a year. For that matter, the bank charges you this amount as a fee, and that is about it. This may sound like a lot, but it is the equivalent of $42 USD per month, not such a high sum in exchange for owning a condo in paradise.

Getting your hands on it

Fideicomiso is simple if you think of it: you buy property in Mexico as a foreigner and the bank is just the trustee. Surely, there is a process and paperwork, the usual process you have to follow when acquiring a property being a foreigner.