Opening a company in Mexico: locals, foreigners, freelancers and digital nomads

At a glance: S. de R.L. de C.V. or S.A. de C.V. with no legal minimum capital, notarial deed and RFC in 2 to 6 weeks, 30 percent corporate tax, 16 percent IVA with no threshold, RESICO flat regime for individuals up to MXN 3.5 million (about 165,000 euros), no digital nomad visa. Legal forms. Sole trader (persona física con actividad empresarial): RFC registration only, no capital. Limited company (Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada de Capital Variable, S. de R.L. de C.V.): 2 to 50 partners, no legal minimum capital, usually MXN 3,000 to 50,000 (about 150 to 2,400 euros). Stock company (Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable, S.A. de C.V.): at least 2 shareholders, freely transferable shares, no minimum. Registration. Name authorisation online from the Secretaría de Economía (free), deed before a notario or corredor público, filing in the Registro Público de Comercio via SIGER, then the tax number (RFC) and e-signature (e.firma) at the SAT, which needs an in-person appointment of the legal representative and a proven Mexican address; foreign-owned companies also register in the RNIE. Notary MXN 15,000 to 40,000 (about 700 to 1,900 euros). Total excluding capital about 1,200 to 3,500 euros; 2 to 6 weeks, SAT appointments being the bottleneck. Taxes 2026. Corporate income tax 30 percent flat, no SME rate; mandatory 10 percent employee profit sharing (PTU). Dividends 10 percent withholding for individuals and foreign shareholders on post-2013 profits, treaty rates lower. IVA 16 percent (8 in the border regions, 0 on food, medicines and exports), no registration threshold. Top personal rate 35 percent above MXN 5,107,704 (about 240,000 euros). Residents are taxed on worldwide income, non-residents on Mexican-source income only. Freelancers and the self-employed. Register the RFC as a persona física with business or professional activity (SAT appointment, CURP needed), issue CFDI 4.0 electronic invoices and file monthly. The simplified trust regime (Régimen Simplificado de Confianza, RESICO) for individuals with income up to MXN 3.5 million taxes gross receipts at 1 to 2.5 percent with no deductions; 16 percent IVA still applies. Otherwise progressive rates on net income. IMSS cover is voluntary for the self-employed, roughly MXN 1,000 to 2,500 a month (about 50 to 120 euros). Foreigners. 100 percent foreign ownership in nearly all sectors; limits remain in hydrocarbons, domestic transport and broadcasting. No resident director rule, but the SAT process needs a legal representative with an RFC and e.firma. Founders usually come as temporary residents by economic solvency (one year, renewable to four, then permanent): monthly income of about 300 days of minimum wage, roughly MXN 94,500 (about 4,500 euros) over six months, or savings of about MXN 1.6 million (about 75,000 euros), consulates vary. Consular fee about 55 dollars, INM card from about MXN 6,000 (about 285 euros). Banks open company accounts only for a legal representative with RFC and Mexican address, in person. Branch of a foreign company. A sucursal needs authorisation from the Secretaría de Economía, registration in the Registro Público de Comercio and the RNIE, an RFC and a legal representative in Mexico, with apostilled, translated parent documents. Taxed as a permanent establishment at 30 percent; remittances beyond the after-tax earnings account are grossed up and taxed, plus the 10 percent dividend withholding. Almost every foreign group opens an S. de R.L. de C.V. subsidiary instead. Digital nomads. No digital nomad visa. Visitors (FMM) may be granted up to 180 days at the officer's discretion, often less since 2022, and may not work for Mexican clients; remote work for foreign employers is tolerated but has no legal basis. The real route is the temporary resident visa by economic solvency above. Tax residence follows a home in Mexico or the centre of vital interests, not a 183-day count; foreign salaries are exempt below 183 days in twelve months. Changed recently. Minimum wage up 12 percent to MXN 278.80 a day (January 2025) and about 13 percent to MXN 315.04 (January 2026), lifting the solvency thresholds; Plan México decree with immediate deduction of new fixed assets (January 2025); 2026 fiscal package with higher excise taxes (IEPS), tougher digital-platform and invoicing enforcement and a regularisation incentive; MLI treaty changes effective from 2024. Figures checked October 2026 from the SAT, the Secretaría de Economía, the Instituto Nacional de Migración, PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries and Mexican advisers; thresholds and fees change yearly. Confirm with a licensed adviser in Mexico before you file.