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Can a foreigner buy property in Mexico?

Foreigners may buy, but with permission, zones or type limits

Mexico lets foreigners own property, but not directly within the restricted zone along its borders and coasts. There a foreigner holds the property through a bank trust (fideicomiso).

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Rules change. This page describes the structure of the rule, not prices, taxes or quotas. Confirm the current position with the official source listed below, and with a lawyer in the country, before you pay anything. This is general information, not legal advice.

Land

Outside the restricted zone, a foreigner can buy land directly, after an agreement not to claim the protection of their own government. Within a strip along the borders and coasts, the property must be held through a bank trust.

Houses and flats

Houses and apartments follow the same rule as land: direct title outside the restricted zone, and a trust inside it.

Buying through a company

A Mexican company with foreign shareholders may hold property, subject to the same zone rule.

Limits and closed zones

  • The restricted zone is a band of one hundred kilometres along the borders and fifty kilometres along the coasts. A bank trust has a fixed term that can be renewed.

What to watch for

  • A notary completes the sale. Check that the seller has full legal title, because communal (ejido) land cannot simply be sold to a foreigner.

Understand the legal system first

Mexico belongs to the Civil law family. Property is registered and transferred differently in different traditions, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the Mexico legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Compare Mexico with another country →

Official sources

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s guide to foreign property ownership is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.