Can foreigners buy property in Mexico?

Mexican law restricts direct foreign ownership within 50 km of the coast and 100 km of any border (the "restricted zone"). All of Quintana Roo's beach property falls in that zone — but you can still own it. You just buy through a fideicomiso.

**What a fideicomiso actually is:** a 50-year renewable trust held by a Mexican bank, with you as the beneficiary. You have every right a Mexican owner would have — sell it, rent it, will it to heirs, modify the property — and the trust auto-renews. It's not a "loophole" or a "workaround"; it's the standard ownership vehicle for ~95% of foreign coastal property purchases since 1973.

**The buying process:** 1. **Offer accepted** — usually verbal first, then a Letter of Intent with 5–10% earnest money in escrow. 2. **Hire a Mexican notario (notary)** — different role than U.S. notaries; here they're licensed lawyers who handle the legal transfer. The notario is mandatory and represents the transaction, not you or the seller. Budget $4,000–8,000 USD for the notario depending on property price. 3. **Permits + bank trust setup** — your notario applies to SRE (foreign affairs) for trust permission and works with the bank trustee. Takes 30–60 days. 4. **Closing** — funds transferred via wire to escrow; deed (escritura) signed at the notario's office; bank trust filed; you walk out with a registered ownership document.

**Total closing costs:** typically 6–9% of purchase price, broken into ~3–4% acquisition tax (ISAI), ~1.5% notario fees, ~1% bank trust setup + first-year fee, ~0.5% appraisal + miscellaneous. Plus an annual fideicomiso fee of $500–700 USD/year going forward.

**What can go wrong:** title issues (always run a 5-year-back title search through your notario), HOA rental restrictions that surface after closing (read the HOA bylaws before signing — some buildings ban Airbnb), tax surprises (Mexican capital gains on resale can be steep if you don't structure correctly). Use independent legal + tax counsel; don't rely solely on a developer-supplied attorney.