CAN FOREIGNERS REALLY OWN PROPERTY IN MEXICO?
 Yes, Americans and other foreigners may obtain direct ownership of 
property in the interior of Mexico. However, under Mexican law, 
foreigners cannot own property outright within the restricted zone. 
Instead, a real estate trust must be set up to hold title for the   
foreigner. Since foreigners are not able to enter into contracts in  
buy real estate, they must have a bank act on their behalf, much as  
a trust is use to hold property for minors because they also can not  
contract. The following is a brief outline of the law regarding such  
trust, known as "fideicomisos", but potential buyers should always 
get advice and have all real estate transactions overview by a 
licensed Mexican attorney. 

WHO'S INVOLVED IN REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS IN MEXICO?
Normally, there are three to four players involved in 
any real estate transaction in the restricted zone: 
         A real estate company 
         The buyer's lawyer 
         A bank 
         A public notary 

 A Mexican attorney should be involved to draw up contracts
and to review the conditions and terms of sale. Additionally,an 
attorney can do a title search and point out any problems or 
alternatives a buyer may have. An attorney can inform the buyer 
regarding his or her legal options and by doing so can make sure 
that no opportunities are missed: tax planning considerations, 
closing costs which should be paid by the seller, and ways of 
taking title to the trust rights which make sense for the particular
circumstances of a specific buyer. Very often one piece of good 
advice can save the buyer thousands of dollars in tax savings or
other savings when the buyer eventually sells the property.          

When looking for an attorney it is important to remember that any
Mexican attorney can normally handle a real estate transaction.
The buyer is not limited to only the local attorneys where the 
property is located. All real estate transactions involving a 
trust are governed by federal law.. 

A "fideicomiso" is a trust agreement created for the benefit of a
foreign buyer, executed between a Mexican bank and the seller of 
property in the restricted zone. Foreign buyers cannot own 
real estate in the restricted zone due to Constitutional restrictions.
The bank acts on behalf of the foreign buyer, taking title to real 
property.  The bank, as trustee, buys the property for the foreigner,
then has a fiduciary obligation to follow instructions given by the 
foreigner who is the trust beneficiary. The trust beneficiary retains
and enjoys all the rights of ownership while the bank holds title to
the property. The foreigner is entitled to use, enjoy, and even sell
the property that is held in trust at its market value to any eligible
buyer. 
    In order to allow foreigners to enter into the agreement contained 
in the Calvo Clause, Mexico requires all foreigners to apply for and 
obtain a permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to 
contracting to acquire real estate in Mexico. This is currently done 
by the trustee/bank at the time a real estate trust is set-up. 
The bank, as trustee, must get a permit from the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs to establish a real estate trust and acquire rights on real 
property located within the restricted zone. The purpose of the trust 
is to allow the trust's beneficiary the use and exploitation of the 
property without constituting real property rights. The beneficiaries
of the trust (fideicomisarios) may be: 

      Mexican corporations with foreign investment 
      Foreign individuals or legal entities 

The law defines "use" and "exploitation" as the right to use or 
possess the property, including its fruits, products, or any revenue 
that results from its operation and exploitation by third parties or        
from the bank/trustee. The law does not clarify how trust permits 	  
will be issued. Article 14 of the law states that the Ministry shall
decide on issuing the permits "...considering the economic and social
benefit, which the realization of such operations imply for the 
nation." The basic criteria used to determine such benefits are 
likely to change somewhat with the publication of the new foreign 
investment regulations. However,it is reasonable to anticipate that 
some of the unwritten rules used by the Mexican government in the 
area of real estate trusts will be included in the new foreign 
investment regulations. It is also possible that some of the 
confusing elements will be eliminated. It is important to understand
the application of the current regulations, even if they are going to 
be replaced, as well as some of the unwritten policies the government
has used in the past, to better understand what criteria will be used  
by the Ministry in the future.
 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must grant any petition for a trust
permit that complies with the stipulated requirements within 5 
working days following the date of its presentation to the Ministry's 
central office in Mexico City. It must be granted in 30 days if the 
application is submitted to one of the Ministry's state offices. 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must confirm the registration of any 
property acquired by foreign-owned Mexican corporations a maximum
period of 15 days following the filing of the petition. In both 
cases, if the maximum period passes with no action by the Ministry,
the trust permit or registration are considered authorized.          

The beneficiary has a contractual right under the trust agreement 
with the Mexican bank to all benefits that may result from the use 
or sale of that property, even though he does not hold title to the 
property. Under Mexican Law, the bank, as trustee, has a fiduciary 
obligation to respect the rights of the beneficiary. 

A real estate trust is not a lease. The beneficiary can instruct 
the bank to sell or lease the property at any time. The beneficiary 
can develop and use the property to his liking and benefit, within 
the provisions of the law. Generally, the law allows most activities 
engaged in by foreigners.