Yes. Citizens of the United States, Canada and any other country can buy property in Mexico, including a residence in Mazatl\u00e1n. Because Mazatl\u00e1n sits on the coast, the purchase is made through a fideicomiso: a bank trust in which a Mexican bank holds the title and you hold every right of ownership as its beneficiary. This page explains how it works, what it costs, what you will need and how the process runs at Villa Vicario, a completed and lived-in building in the Historic Center of Mazatl\u00e1n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution defines a \u201crestricted zone\u201d: the strip of land within 100 kilometers of the country's borders and within 50 kilometers of its coastlines. Inside that zone, a foreign individual cannot hold direct title to land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mazatl\u00e1n is on the Pacific coast, so the entire city, the Historic Center included, is inside the restricted zone. Outside the zone (Guadalajara, Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, for example) a foreigner can take direct title. Inside it, since the Foreign Investment Law of 1993, the mechanism for residential property is the fideicomiso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fideicomiso is not an exception or a workaround. It is the ordinary, regulated way foreigners own homes along the Mexican coast, and every notary and every major Mexican bank handles it as routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fideicomiso is a trust agreement, formalized before a Mexican notary, with three parties:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bank holds the title for your benefit and for no one else's. It cannot sell, rent, mortgage or transfer the residence without your written instruction. What the bank does is administrative: it keeps the title, follows your instructions and charges an annual trustee fee for doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fideicomiso is not a lease, not a timeshare and not co-ownership with the bank. The value of the property, its appreciation and its income are yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As beneficiary of the fideicomiso you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initial term of a fideicomiso is 50 years. It can be renewed for additional 50-year periods on request, and the renewal is routine. If you sell before the term ends, the buyer either takes over the existing trust or sets up a new one. If you pass away, your substitute beneficiaries continue under the same trust. Nothing is returned to the bank or to the government at the end of the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the trust is created, the bank, through the notary, applies to the Secretar\u00eda de Relaciones Exteriores for a permit to establish the fideicomiso. As part of that permit you agree to consider yourself a Mexican national with respect to this property and not to invoke the protection of your government over it. This is the \u201cCalvo clause\u201d, a standard clause included in every fideicomiso in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You do not need Mexican residency to buy. Your notary will tell you which immigration document to present at signing. The cost of the permit is set by the government and the notary includes it in the closing estimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Closing a purchase with a fideicomiso involves a set of costs that are separate from the price of the residence. As a reference so you can run your own numbers: in Mazatl\u00e1n they usually come to around 6% of the value of the residence<\/strong>. That is a guide figure, not a quote. The percentage moves, because several items are fixed and weigh more on a lower-priced residence, and because tariffs change from one year to the next. The items are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask us for a closing-cost estimate for the residence you are considering. We coordinate it with the notary so you receive it in writing before you commit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two things that are not closing costs and are worth keeping separate: the trustee bank charges an annual fee<\/strong> for as long as the fideicomiso lasts; and the tax on the gain and the sales commission are paid by the seller, not by you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases the buyer provides:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases you do not need a Mexican tax ID (RFC) or a CURP to buy; some banks or notaries request one for their file. Your notary gives you the definitive list before signing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Mexican corporation, even with foreign shareholders, can hold direct title inside the restricted zone. That route exists for non-residential purposes, such as operating a business. It is not designed for a home: the law reserves the corporate route for non-residential use, and it creates a company you must maintain for as long as you own the property, with accounting, tax filings and corporate obligations every year. For a residence at Villa Vicario the fideicomiso is the simpler and cleaner route. If you have a specific business use in mind, raise it with your notary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. Owners at Villa Vicario live in the building or rent their residences, and that is part of the everyday life of the building. The building's Google listing carries 26 reviews and a 5.0 rating, written by guests who have stayed here. It is not a hotel and is not operated as one; it is a residential building where some owners choose to rent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rental income earned in Mexico is taxable in Mexico and generally must be declared here, and it may also be reportable in your home country. An accountant who works with foreign owners sets this up for you before your first guest. Consult an accountant; we do not give tax advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The timing below is a guide, not a commitment. The notary, the bank and the SRE set the calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can sign in person in Mazatl\u00e1n or through a power of attorney if you are abroad on the signing date. Your notary explains the requirements for a power of attorney granted outside Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flor del Pac\u00edfico finances the purchase directly. No credit bureau, no appraisal, no origination fee and no committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask us for the payment schedule for the residence you are considering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of what a foreign buyer is told to worry about in Mexico belongs to presale: delivery dates that slip, finishes that change, buildings that are never completed, deposits that are hard to recover. None of it applies here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not a hotel, not presale. Complete, delivered and lived in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flor del Pac\u00edfico offers three select residences at Villa Vicario, with immediate delivery:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prices in Mexican pesos, official price list VV-PL-2026-09. See the residences in the brochure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose a time on the calendar for a 45-minute private tour, in person or by video call: Schedule a private tour<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Documents you will need<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The alternative: a Mexican corporation, and why it is not the right instrument for a home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can you rent your residence?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How the purchase works at Villa Vicario, step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How long it takes (as a guide)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Direct financing from the developer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Why buying a completed, lived-in building directly from the developer removes presale risk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Three select residences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Book a private tour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n