If you are buying property in Los Cabos as a foreign national, you will almost certainly hold it through a fideicomiso: a trust in which a Mexican bank holds the title and you hold the rights to use, rent, renovate and sell the property.
It is a normal, well established route, and it is not a lease. What it is not is free. There is a federal government charge, a bank fee to set the trust up, and a fee every year after that for as long as you own the property.
The two parts behave completely differently, and that is the thing to understand before you compare any two quotes. The government part is written into federal law. The bank part is not published at all, by any trustee bank, which is why the ranges you find online vary so widely.
This guide separates them, so you know which figure comes from a statute, which is a quote you have to ask for, and what sits outside the trust entirely.
What the government charges, and why the figure you find online has a date on it
The federal permit that allows a bank to hold property in trust for a foreign buyer is charged for under the Ley Federal de Derechos, Article 25, fracción V, inciso a). The wording points at the permit “to constitute the trusts referred to in Article 11 of the Ley de Inversión Extranjera”, which is the provision that lets a foreign buyer hold coastal property this way.
Three things follow from that, and all three are more useful than a figure.
One: it is a flat federal fee, not a percentage. The charge attaches to the permit rather than to the value of what you are buying, so it is not the part of a quote that scales with the property. If two quotes differ widely, this is unlikely to be where.
Two: there is more than one federal charge, and most published guides mention only the permit. The same article sets a separate fee at fracción III for examining each application, and further fees at fracción V for modifying a permit once granted, and for a late application to extend a trust’s term. A buyer who assumes one government charge can be surprised by a second.
Three, and this is why the number matters less than the date on it: the amounts printed in the Ley Federal de Derechos are year-stamped, and they are updated by a separate annual tax resolution. So a figure quoted as “what the law says” is a figure from whichever year the writer happened to read. If a page gives you one confident peso amount for this permit without telling you which year it belongs to, that is the thing to notice.
So here is how to get the figure rather than guess at it. The permit fee is set each year, and there is a smaller separate charge for examining the application. Ask the notario handling your transaction for the current permit fee and examination fee at the time you apply. They file the application, so it is their figure to give. And apply the test that catches most bad estimates: check that any total setup cost you have been quoted leaves room for the federal charges on top of the bank’s fee.
What the bank charges, and why nobody publishes one number
The second part of the cost is the trustee bank, and there are two charges: a setup fee when the trust is created, and an annual fee for administering it.
No trustee bank in Mexico publishes a standard fee schedule for this. The fee depends on the bank, on the property value in some cases, and on what the bank includes in the service. Two buyers on the same street can pay different amounts because they used different banks.
As of October 2026, setup runs at approximately $1,000 to $2,000 USD as a general range, and the annual trust fee at approximately $500 to $1,000 USD. Treat both as the shape of the thing rather than as your cost. A guide that gives you one confident number for the bank portion is giving you an average.
These ranges reflect our latest information and can change. Contact us for the current figures on the property you are considering, and we will help you get a written quote from the trustee bank and the current federal charges from the notario.
What you can do is get the figure rather than estimate it. Before you commit to a property, ask which trustee banks are being used, and ask for a written quote from the bank recommended to you, itemizing the setup fee, the annual fee, and whether IVA is charged on top of either.
Anyone handling these routinely will have a route to that quote. It is a reasonable thing to ask for before you commit to a property.
What it costs in total, and what sits outside that figure
The trust cost and your closing costs are two separate things, and they are often quoted together in a way that makes both look wrong.
All of it lands on the same closing statement, so the distinction below is about which charge belongs to which thing rather than about what you pay and when.
The trust side: the federal permit and the examination fee, the bank’s setup fee, and the first annual fee if your bank collects it at closing.
The purchase side, and larger: the municipal acquisition tax, the notario’s fees, the appraisal, registration, and any legal fees you incur separately.
A closing cost estimate expressed as a percentage of the price should have the trust charges inside it where a trust is needed, which is one of the reasons such estimates come as a range rather than a figure. Our guide to buyer closing costs goes into what that range covers.
The acquisition tax is the biggest single line in most Los Cabos closings. It is a municipal tax, levied under the Ley de Hacienda para el Municipio de Los Cabos, and not a state tax, which is worth knowing because being told otherwise sends you to the wrong office and the wrong law. It is calculated on the highest of three figures: the price you pay, the official value held by the municipality, or an authorized commercial appraisal. If the appraisal comes in above your purchase price, the tax is calculated on the appraisal rather than on what you paid.
Ask for the acquisition tax to be quoted with the value it was calculated on stated, rather than as a bare amount. That is the single most useful thing you can ask about your closing costs.
The questions to ask before you choose a trustee bank
Comparisons of Mexican trustee banks exist online. What they do not tell you is what to ask, which is the part that changes what you pay.
- What is the setup fee, and what does it include? Some quotes include the federal permit and some do not. That is a common reason two quotes look different when they are not.
- What is the annual fee, and when is it first charged? Ask whether the first year is collected at closing or billed twelve months later.
- Is IVA charged on top? Ask explicitly rather than assuming the quote is inclusive.
- Does the annual fee change with the property value, or is it fixed?
- What happens if I sell before the term ends? Ask what the bank charges to transfer or cancel the trust.
- Who do I deal with each year, and in what language? You will have this relationship for as long as you own the property.
- What is the bank’s current position on new trusts? Trustee banks enter and leave this business, as the next section shows.
Ask the same seven questions of every bank you are quoted by. The differences between the answers are usually larger than the differences between the headline fees.
Our Buyer’s Guide shows where the trust sits in the purchase, and our FAQ page covers the other questions foreign buyers ask.
If your trust was with CIBanco or Intercam
Some owners still hold trust papers that name CIBanco or Intercam. Neither is the institution behind those trusts today. CIBanco’s trust business transferred to Banco Multiva in September 2025, and CIBanco has been in liquidation since October 10, 2025. Intercam’s business was acquired by Kapital Bank.
Your ownership rights are not affected. What changed is who administers the trust and where the annual fee is paid. Check which institution now holds your own trust rather than assuming: your deed and your last fee notice both name it, and we can help you work out who to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a fideicomiso cost to set up?
There are two parts. The federal permit is charged for under Article 25 of the Ley Federal de Derechos and does not vary with the property or the bank, but the amounts in that law are updated annually by a separate tax resolution, so ask your notario for the current figure rather than relying on a number published online. The trustee bank’s setup fee is separate, is not published by any bank, and as of October 2026 runs at approximately $1,000 to $2,000 USD as a general range. Get it as a written quote before you commit.
What is the annual fee, and what does it cover?
The trustee bank charges an annual fee for administering the trust, for as long as you hold the property, covering its role as titleholder and its administration of the trust. As of October 2026 it is approximately $500 to $1,000 USD as a general range. The amount varies by bank, so ask for it in writing alongside the setup fee.
What exactly does the government charge?
Article 25 of the Ley Federal de Derechos sets the charge for the permit at fracción V, and a separate fee for examining the application at fracción III. Further fees apply for modifying a permit and for a late application to extend a trust’s term. The amounts printed in the law are year-stamped and updated by a separate annual resolution, so the current figures come from the notario filing your application.
Is the fideicomiso cost included in my closing costs?
It should be. The federal permit and the bank’s setup fee land on the same closing statement as the municipal acquisition tax, the notario’s fees, the appraisal and registration, and a closing cost estimate given as a percentage should have them inside it where a trust is needed. Both conventions are used in practice, so ask which one you have been given.
Which banks act as trustee in Los Cabos?
Several Mexican banks offer trustee services, and the roster changes. Ask which banks are currently being used and why, rather than relying on a list published online, which may be out of date.
What happened to trusts held with CIBanco or Intercam?
CIBanco’s trust business transferred to Banco Multiva in September 2025, and CIBanco has been in liquidation since October 10, 2025. Intercam’s business was acquired by Kapital Bank. Ownership rights are unaffected. What changed is who administers the trust and where the annual fee is paid, so confirm which institution holds yours.
How do I know whether a specific property needs a fideicomiso?
A foreign buyer purchasing in Los Cabos will normally hold through a fideicomiso, because the property sits in what is known as the restricted zone. Whether a specific parcel does is a question for the notario handling the transaction rather than for a listing, so ask them to confirm it in writing before you budget for the trust.
If you take one thing from this page, it is that the two halves of this cost behave differently: the federal charge is fixed by law but printed as a figure that moves each year, and the bank charge is not published at all. Both are obtainable in writing before you commit, and neither should be a surprise at closing. Ask us and we will help you get both in writing for the property you are looking at.