Legal Services for U.S. Investment in Mexico

Entity and tax structuring, before anything else. Choosing the right Mexican vehicle (typically an S. de R.L. de C.V. or S.A. de C.V.) and the holding and tax structure that fits your U.S. parent should be decided before you incorporate, sign a lease, or hire — because these are the decisions that are slowest and most expensive to reverse. Everything else builds on top of them.

Yes. Outside the "restricted zone," a Mexican company owned by your U.S. parent can hold real estate directly. Within the restricted zone — roughly 50 kilometers from coastlines and 100 kilometers from international borders — foreigners cannot hold land directly and must use a bank trust (fideicomiso) or a Mexican corporation. Structuring this correctly before purchase is essential, because a defective acquisition can be challenged.

Mexico is a Civil Law jurisdiction, so contracts are interpreted against statutory codes rather than case-law precedent, and many U.S.-style provisions do not translate. A U.S. contract may be partially unenforceable or interpreted very differently. For agreements governed by or performed in Mexico, contracts should be drafted or adapted for Mexican law from the outset.

Yes. Intellectual-property rights are territorial, and Mexico is largely a first-to-file system. Your U.S. registration does not protect your brand or invention in Mexico — you need to register with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). Filing early, before you enter the market, avoids the costly problem of someone else registering your mark first.

Through the Mexican courts or arbitration, depending on what your contracts provide. Procedures, timelines, and enforcement differ from the U.S., and the choice between litigation and arbitration — and of governing law and venue — has real consequences. We recommend setting dispute-resolution strategy when contracts are drafted, not when a conflict arises.