{"id":52664,"date":"2026-09-29T16:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T21:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/how-to-buy-property-in-mexico-as-a-foreigner-bank-trusts-costs-and-taxes\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:55:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:55:52","slug":"how-to-buy-property-in-mexico-as-a-foreigner-bank-trusts-costs-and-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/how-to-buy-property-in-mexico-as-a-foreigner-bank-trusts-costs-and-taxes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to buy property in Mexico as a foreigner: bank trusts, costs, and taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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ONIX LIVING | REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Are you a foreigner looking to buy in Cancun or Tulum? Discover how the bank trust works, how much it costs, and what taxes you will pay <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Riviera Maya has become one of the favorite destinations for international buyers seeking a second home, a vacation house, or an investment with high potential for capital gains. And the answer to the most common question is yes: foreigners can buy property in Mexico. <\/p>

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But before taking the plunge, it is worth knowing the rules of the game. Cancun, Tulum, and the entire Mexican Caribbean coast are within the so-called Restricted Zone, where purchases are made through a bank trust or a Mexican corporation. Choosing the right structure, knowing the costs, and understanding which taxes apply in Mexico and your country of origin can save you time, money, and surprises. <\/p>

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That is why we have prepared this visual guide with everything you need to know before buying.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/\t\t\t\t

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Do you have questions about your specific case? At Onix Living, we accompany you throughout the entire process, from choosing your property to the closing. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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  1. Sources<\/strong><\/p>

    \u00b9 Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, Article 27, Section I (Restricted Zone: 100 km from borders and 50 km from coasts). Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. https:\/\/www.supremacorte.gob.mx\/sites\/default\/files\/cpeum\/documento\/2017-03\/CPEUM-027.pdf<\/a><\/p>

    \u00b2 Foreign Investment Law, Title Two, Chapter II: Acquisition of real estate in the Restricted Zone and trusts. Chamber of Deputies. https:\/\/www.diputados.gob.mx\/LeyesBiblio\/pdf\/LIE.pdf<\/a><\/p>

    \u00b3 Permit to establish a trust in the Restricted Zone. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE). https:\/\/sre.gob.mx\/permiso-para-constituir-un-fideicomiso-en-zona-restringida<\/a><\/p>

    \u2074 Tax treaties to avoid double taxation. Tax Administration Service (SAT). https:\/\/www.sat.gob.mx\/normatividad\/98105\/tratados-en-materia-fiscal-y-cuestiones-relacionadastratados-en-materia-fiscal-y-cuestiones-relacionadas<\/a><\/p>

    \u2075 Foreign Tax Credit. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), USA. https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/individuals\/international-taxpayers\/foreign-tax-credit<\/a> <\/p>

    \u2076 Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), USA. https:\/\/www.fincen.gov\/report-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts<\/a> <\/p>

    \u2077 Comparison of Form 8938 (FATCA) and FBAR requirements. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), USA. https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/businesses\/comparison-of-form-8938-and-fbar-requirements<\/a> <\/p>

    \u2078 Foreign Income Verification Statement (Form T1135). Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/tax\/international-non-residents\/information-been-moved\/foreign-reporting\/foreign-income-verification-statement.html<\/a><\/p>

    Bank trust costs ($2,400 USD for setup and $500 USD annually) and closing costs (5\u20137%) are approximate estimates; they vary depending on the trustee bank, the property value, and the municipality.<\/em><\/p><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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    Can foreigners buy property in Mexico? Yes. In this visual guide, we explain how the Restricted Zone works, what a bank trust is, how much it costs, and which taxes apply in Mexico, the United States, and Canada before buying in Cancun or Tulum. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":52666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446,507],"tags":[454,407,459,460,448,449,451,456,457,450,453,452,447,406,458,455],"class_list":["post-52664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-onix-living-2","category-valuable-content","tag-apartment-purchase","tag-asset-investment","tag-assets","tag-capital-appreciation","tag-invest-in-cancun","tag-invest-in-quintana-roo","tag-invest-in-tulum","tag-investment-in-the-mexican-caribbean","tag-investments-in-mexico","tag-onix-living","tag-real-estate","tag-real-estate-developer","tag-real-estate-development","tag-real-estate-investment","tag-real-estate-market","tag-reliable-developer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52664"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52669,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52664\/revisions\/52669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onixliving.mx\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}