How much does a fideicomiso cost?

Setup typically runs $2,000 to $3,500 USD one time, plus an annual bank fee of roughly $500 to $1,000 USD. These are administrative costs paid to the trustee bank, separate from the purchase price.

How long does a fideicomiso last?

The initial term is 50 years and it is renewable indefinitely. The beneficiary rights pass to your heirs, and the trust can be renewed for successive terms, so ownership is effectively permanent.

Do I really own the property, or just the trust?

You hold full beneficial ownership. The bank is only a trustee holding legal title on your instruction. You control every decision about the property, keep any proceeds if you sell, and can pass it to your heirs. In practice you own it the way any owner does.

The Fideicomiso · Foreign Ownership, Explained

What is a fideicomiso?

Q: What is a fideicomiso?

A fideicomiso is a Mexican bank trust created in 1973 so that foreigners could own property within 50 km of the coast, where the constitution restricts direct foreign title. A major Mexican bank holds the title as trustee while you, the buyer, are the sole beneficiary with full ownership rights: you can sell, rent, renovate, and bequeath the property freely.

It sounds complicated. It is not. The fideicomiso is simply the bank trust that lets a foreigner own coastal property in Mexico with full rights. Here is exactly how it works, what it costs, and why fifty years of American and Canadian owners have trusted it.

Year the trust was created

0 yrs

Initial term, renewable

100%

Ownership rights, yours

~$0/yr

Typical annual bank fee floor

Why it exists

Mexico's constitution restricts direct foreign title within 50 km of the coast. So in 1973, Mexico created the fideicomiso: a renewable bank trust designed specifically so that foreigners could own coastal property with full rights. It has been the standard, government-sanctioned route ever since.

This is not a workaround or a gray area. It is the official mechanism, used by hundreds of thousands of owners, administered by Mexico's largest banks.

What it means in practice

A major Mexican bank holds title on your behalf, as trustee
You are the sole beneficiary, with full ownership rights
Sell, rent, renovate, bequeath: freely, at any time
50-year initial term, renewable indefinitely
Your heirs inherit the beneficiary rights directly

The bank cannot sell, encumber, or touch your property. It acts only on your instruction. You make every decision an owner makes.

Put simply: more Americans own Mexican coastal property through fideicomisos than own timeshares in Hawaii. This is not exotic. It is established, routine, and secure.

Read the full buying guide

The Numbers

What a fideicomiso actually costs

The costs are smaller than most buyers expect, and they are administrative, paid to the trustee bank and the notary, separate from the price of the home.

Fideicomiso setup: $2,000–$3,500 USD, one time
Annual bank fee: $500–$1,000 USD
Property tax (predial): roughly $500 USD/yr on an Avanti residence

For context, a comparable Florida condo often carries $6,000 to $15,000 a year in property tax alone. These figures describe the cost of ownership, not the value of the home, which no one can promise.

How it works when you buy at Avanti

At Avanti, purchase documents are reviewed by a US attorney as part of the standard process, and the condo regime is legally registered. The fideicomiso is arranged with a major Mexican bank once your agreement is signed, and your name goes on the trust as sole beneficiary.

See the full step-by-step process →

What is a fideicomiso?

Why it exists

What it means in practice

What a fideicomiso actually costs

How it works when you buy at Avanti

The rest of what buyers ask

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