Articles & interactive guides

Read it. Test it. Know where you stand.

Plain-English articles by our attorneys — some you read, some you interact with. New pieces every week.

Registry law · The fun ones

The Lot That Was Sold Eight Times (A Mexican Registry Mystery)

One lot, eight buyers, eight sets of "papers." Who actually owns it — and the unglamorous office that decides. Musical chairs, Mexican-registry edition.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · August 2026
Tax & property · New

Property Taxes in Mexico for Foreign Owners: What You Pay When You Buy, Hold, Rent, Sell — and Die

The taxes are not high — the surprises are. The five moments Mexican taxes touch a foreign owner, why the selling tax is decided by documents you create when you buy, and the myth of the neighbor who "paid nothing."

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · August 2026
Mexican Laws, Explained · New

Fideicomiso in Mexico, Explained: How Foreigners Legally Hold Property in the Restricted Zone

The bank trust is not a formality — it is a full legal institution with its own statute, its own anatomy, and one load-bearing figure nobody examines: the trustee. What the law actually says, and the checks that protect you.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Doing business · New

S.A. de C.V. vs. S. de R.L. de C.V.: Which Mexican Company Fits Your Soft Landing?

One is built around capital, the other around people — and the difference decides who can enter your company, how your interest is sold, and which oversight organ you must pay for every year. The anatomy, without the shrug.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Beach law · The fun ones

Can You Just... Move Onto a Mexican Beach? A Lawyer Ruins a Beautiful Dream

Free to enjoy forever, impossible to own ever. The full survivalist audit — the tent, the palapa, the RV, shore fishing, and the two Latin words that end every castaway plan.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Constitutional law · The foundation

Article 27: The One Constitutional Article Every Foreign Buyer in Mexico Lives Under

Ejidos, beaches, water, the restricted zone, expropriation — one century-old article distributes it all. Clause by clause, fraction by fraction, mapped to the Agrarian Law rules we apply every week. The technical foundation of everything on this site.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Water rights · Deadline watch

Mexico Water Concessions: The 2026 Regularization Window

CONAGUA opened a one-year window (to July 15, 2027) for titles expired since 2009 — ejidos qualify with no volume limit. Why buying the land never bought you the water, what the December 2025 reform changed, and the caducidad clock now ticking on unused volumes.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Beach law · The fun ones

Can a Hotel Really Block You From the Beach in Mexico?

The sand is everyone's — blocking access carries fines up to 12,000 UMA since the 2020 reform. ZOFEMAT concessions, the access trick, and the quick-fire round: beer, shells, dogs and vendors.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Beach law · The fun ones

Can You Take Your Dog to the Beach in Mexico?

Federal sand, municipal rules: why the answer changes at every "Bienvenidos a…" sign — Cancún's ban, Playa del Carmen's one dog beach (and its brand-new June 2026 rules), Vallarta's tolerance, and the two exceptions that travel with you.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Agrarian land · Case watch

Ejido Common-Use Land: Why "It's Being Regularized" Is a Warning, Not a Promise

The Bacalar case, explained by an agrarian lawyer: "lots" that never legally existed, what INSUS regularization actually is — typically an expropriation — and the five risks buyers should weigh before trusting the happy ending.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Immigration · New rules

Mexico Residency in 2026: Higher Income Requirements, Double the Fees, and the One Mistake That Costs You Six Months

Fees rose sharply, thresholds went up, and the permanent-residency shortcut closed for non-retirees. The official numbers, the discount almost everyone loses by paying first, and the sequencing error to avoid.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
⚡ Interactive · Agrarian land

Is That Mexican Land Ejido? Take the 2-Minute Test

Three questions reveal whether the land you're looking at fits the pattern of Mexico's most expensive trap for foreign buyers — plus the 10-minute verification checklist.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
⚡ Interactive · Doing business

Business Consultant vs. Licensed Mexican Attorney: The Difference That Protects You

Consultants are thousands; a licensed attorney with verifiable credentials and professional responsibility is a different category. With the 3-question test: who's really advising you?

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Real estate

Mexican Notario vs. Notary Public: The Difference That Costs Foreigners Money

The notario makes the deal legal. Your lawyer makes the deal safe. What the notario does — and critically, what they do NOT do for you.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026
Investment · Data

Mexico's Highest Q1 FDI on Record: $23.6 Billion in Q1 2026

The numbers, the sectors, the free infographic — and the three legal notes the press release skips if the next investment is yours.

By Gabriel Mendoza G., Founding Attorney · July 2026