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How buying property in Mexico works, step by step, plus 196 articles on costs, tax, rentals and life in the Riviera Maya.

The buying process in 4 steps

Buying in Mexico is different from the US and Canada. Read these in order before you make an offer.

1Step 1IntroductionEach country has their own rules for buying Real Estate and when you first buy in Mexico it can seem confusing! If you…Read step 1 →
2Step 2Fideicomiso or CorporationA Fideicomiso gives a foreign buyer all the property rights and privileges of a citizen, with the additional advantage…Read step 2 →
3Step 3Buying ProcessWhen making your initial offer, this should be done using a written Offer to Purchase contract, ensuring no confusion…Read step 3 →
4Step 4Closing and Title TransferAt this point, both parties should be able to execute the purchase/sales agreement (compra-venta), start the closing…Read step 4 →

Articles

All articles

Tax & Residency

The Difference Between Tax Residency and Immigration Residency in Mexico

Two people can both hold a Mexican permanent residency card and have completely different tax obligations to Mexico — because immigration residency and tax residency are governed by entirely different laws, tested by entirely different criteria, and administered by entirely different government agencies. Conflating the two is one of the most common, and potentially costly, misunderstandings among foreign property owners. Two Separate Systems, Two Separate Purposes Immigration residency is...

Aug 29 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

What US Expats Need to Know About the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Property

The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion gets mentioned constantly by US expats living in Mexico, and just as constantly misapplied to situations it was never designed to cover. If you own Riviera Maya property and also work remotely or run a business while living there, understanding exactly what the FEIE does — and very specifically what it doesn't — matters more than knowing the headline exclusion amount. What the FEIE Actually Excludes The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion lets qualifying US...

Aug 29 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

Do You Owe Mexican Tax If You Never Rent and Rarely Visit?

Plenty of Riviera Maya owners bought their property as a long-term investment or future retirement plan, and genuinely use it only a handful of weeks a year — or some years, not at all. It's a fair question whether that light usage creates any Mexican tax exposure. The short answer is reassuring in most respects, with a couple of exceptions worth knowing about. No Income, No Income Tax Mexican income tax (ISR) applies to income. If your property generates zero rental income because you never...

Aug 29 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

Mexican Inheritance Tax: What Non-Resident Heirs Should Know

If you're set to inherit Mexican property from a parent or relative who lived outside Mexico, the good news arrives quickly: Mexico doesn't impose an inheritance or estate tax on the transfer itself. The less good news is that "no inheritance tax" doesn't mean "no costs or complications," and non-resident heirs specifically face a handful of practical steps worth understanding before the moment actually arrives. Mexico's 0% Inheritance Tax, Explained Property and assets received through...

Aug 29 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

Health Insurance for Temporary and Permanent Residents

Healthcare access is one of the more practical questions that comes up once someone moves from "occasional visitor" to "person actually living in the Riviera Maya part of the year." Both temporary and permanent residents have real options here, ranging from Mexico's public system to private international coverage, and understanding the tradeoffs matters more than picking whichever option sounds most familiar. IMSS Voluntary Enrollment: Mexico's Public System, Open to Residents IMSS (Instituto...

Aug 29 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

Renewing Your Fideicomiso and Residency: What Owners Forget to Track

Owning property in Mexico comes with a handful of recurring dates that don't send themselves reminders — unlike a mortgage payment, there's no single monthly bill nudging you to stay on top of things. Between the fideicomiso's own administrative requirements and your immigration status, it's remarkably easy for a busy owner to lose track of something until it becomes an urgent problem. The Fideicomiso Side: Two Different Clocks Your bank trust has at least two recurring obligations, and they...

Aug 29 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

Can You Lose Your Fideicomiso If Your Visa Lapses?

This question comes up constantly from owners whose temporary residency card is approaching its expiration date, and the short answer brings genuine relief: no, a lapsed visa does not put your fideicomiso at risk. Property ownership and immigration status are governed by entirely separate parts of Mexican law, and conflating the two causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety. Why Immigration Status and Property Rights Are Separate Systems A fideicomiso is a foreign-investment structure, regulated...

Aug 28 · 6 min read

Tax & Residency

Estate Planning: What Happens to Mexican Property When an Owner Dies?

Nobody buys a beach condo thinking about what happens to it when they die, but for foreign owners in Mexico, this is one area where a little planning up front prevents a genuinely difficult process for your heirs later. The good news is that Mexico's property-holding structures, particularly the fideicomiso, are actually built with succession in mind. The catch is that this only works smoothly if you've set it up correctly. The Fideicomiso Advantage: Built-In Succession A fideicomiso — the...

Aug 28 · 7 min read

Tax & Residency

How the US-Mexico and Canada-Mexico Tax Treaties Actually Prevent Double Taxation

"There's a tax treaty, so I won't get taxed twice" is technically true and commonly misunderstood at the same time. Tax treaties between the US and Mexico, and between Canada and Mexico, don't exempt your Mexican property income from tax in your home country — they coordinate which country taxes what, and require your home country to give you credit for tax already paid in Mexico. Understanding that mechanism matters more than knowing the treaty exists. The Core Mechanism: Source Taxation...

Aug 28 · 7 min read

Tax & Residency

Do You Need to File a Mexican Tax Return If You Only Rent Occasionally?

"I only rent it out a few weeks a year" is one of the most common things buyers say when asking whether Mexican tax rules really apply to them. The honest answer is that frequency doesn't change the underlying obligation — Mexico taxes rental income from Mexican property regardless of how occasional the rentals are. What changes is how that tax gets collected, and how much paperwork you're on the hook for. Mexican Tax Doesn't Have a Minimum Threshold Unlike some jurisdictions that exempt...

Aug 28 · 7 min read

Tax & Residency

How to Get an RFC (Mexican Tax ID) as a Foreign Property Owner

An RFC — Registro Federal de Contribuyentes, Mexico's federal taxpayer registry number — sounds like a bureaucratic afterthought until you try to pay your property tax online, sign closing documents at the notary's office, or set up a utility contract, and discover you need one. For foreign property owners in the Riviera Maya, getting an RFC early tends to save a lot of friction later. What the RFC Actually Does The RFC is a 13-character identifier issued by SAT (Servicio de Administración...

Aug 28 · 7 min read

Tax & Residency

Temporary vs. Permanent Residency: What Property Owners Should Know

You don't need any Mexican residency status at all to buy property here — that's one of the most persistent misconceptions among first-time buyers. But once you're spending real time in the Riviera Maya, the choice between temporary and permanent residency starts to matter a lot, affecting everything from how often you deal with immigration paperwork to whether you can open a full-service Mexican bank account without friction. You Can Own Property on Any Status, Including None Property...

Aug 28 · 7 min read

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The buying process in 4 steps

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THE RIVIERA MAYA

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