Guide · Foreign buyers

The real cost of the fideicomiso, with no invented tables.

Every foreigner who buys a home on the Quintana Roo coast does it through a bank trust (fideicomiso): 50 years, renewable, with a permit from Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE). The internet is full of "bank by bank" fee tables that no bank stands behind. Here is the opposite: the official fees to the cent, the market ranges with sources, and the 2025 story that changed who administers thousands of trusts in the Riviera Maya.

Official, to the cent · Ley Federal de Derechos 2026

What the government charges is neither negotiable nor a mystery.

  • SRE permit to constitute the trust: $21,648.83 MXN.
  • Review of the application: $596.29 MXN.
  • Amendment of the permit: $9,740.31 MXN.
  • Renewal requested late: $10,613.78 MXN.

Article 25 of the Ley Federal de Derechos, 2026 rates. The SRE resolves in 5 business days and the filing is 100% electronic. When a closing quote bundles "SRE permit $2,000 USD", now you know which part is the government fee and which part is agency service.

What the bank charges (and why there is no table)

No trustee bank publishes its restricted-zone fee schedule online today. We checked it directly on the pages of Monex, Banorte, Mifel, Scotiabank and Multiva: the product is there, the figures are not. Quotes are case by case. The real market ranges, with 2025 and 2026 sources: setup from $500 to $1,000 USD and an annual fee of $500 to $800 USD, with institutions that have historically quoted from $450.

The "bank by bank 2026" tables circulating on content sites contradict each other and even list as active trustees banks that no longer run that business. Our rule: if the number does not come from a written quote, do not use it to decide. We request the real quotes for you and compare them together with the full closing costs. The lien check that comes before any trust is set up is covered in the lien-free certificate guide, and if a seller proposes skipping the trust with an "assignment of rights" instead, read that guide first.

CIBanco and Intercam: what happened to thousands of trusts

In June 2025, the US Treasury (FinCEN) named CIBanco and Intercam over alleged money laundering. They were two of the most active trustees in the Riviera Maya. The CNBV intervened them and the outcome was orderly: CIBanco's trust portfolio was sold in full to Banco Multiva (which went from 0.3% to around 27% of the country's trust market) and Intercam's to Kapital Bank, in both cases keeping the terms of the original contracts.

The lesson that actually matters: your property is never on the bank's balance sheet. The trust estate is segregated by law, and the 2025 crisis proved it in practice: not one property held in trust entered CIBanco's liquidation. If your fideicomiso was with CIBanco or Intercam, it is administered today by Multiva or Kapital, and your only operational change is who you pay the annual fee to.

Frequently asked

The fideicomiso, straight.

How much is the government (SRE) permit in 2026?
The official fee is $21,648.83 MXN for the permit to constitute the trust plus $596.29 MXN for the review of the application, under Article 25 of the Ley Federal de Derechos at 2026 rates. At the exchange rate that is around $1,100 to $1,200 USD. If a quote lists "$1,500 to $2,500 USD for the SRE permit", the difference against the official figure is agency service, not government.
How much does the bank charge per year to administer the fideicomiso?
The documented market range for 2025 and 2026 runs from $500 to $800 USD per year, and some institutions have historically quoted $450 to $550 USD. No bank publishes its fee schedule online: quotes are case by case and usually negotiable, especially on properties above $500K USD.
And how much does it cost to open one?
The bank's setup fee runs about $500 to $1,000 USD. The "$2,000 to $3,000 USD setup" packages that appear in closing quotes are not the bank alone: they include the SRE permit, registration with the National Registry of Foreign Investment and notarial coordination. Always ask for the breakdown.
My fideicomiso was with CIBanco or Intercam. Did I lose anything?
No. Your property was never the bank's: the trust estate is separated from its balance sheet by legal design. CIBanco's trust portfolio passed in full to Banco Multiva (operating since September 2025, with the merger authorized and published in December) and Intercam's to Kapital Bank, in both cases on the same contractual terms. What changed is who you pay the annual fee to.
What exactly happened with CIBanco?
The US Treasury (FinCEN) named it on June 25, 2025 over alleged money laundering tied to opioids. The CNBV intervened it, its trust business was sold in full to Multiva, the banking license was revoked in October 2025 and the bank entered judicial liquidation in May 2026. No property held in trust was part of the liquidation: by then that portfolio already lived at Multiva.
How long does it take to set up a fideicomiso?
The SRE must resolve the permit in 5 business days and the filing is electronic. But the full closing of a purchase with a fideicomiso (file, bank, notario, registry) typically takes 1 to 3 months. If someone promises you two weeks, ask which part of the process they plan to skip.
Does the fideicomiso expire at 50 years?
The term is 50 years, renewable for another 50 with no limit on renewals. The renewal costs around $1,000 to $1,500 USD according to 2025 and 2026 sources, and if you request it late the official SRE fee for the untimely application is $10,613.78 MXN. It is a calendar task, not a threat to your property.
Which banks offer restricted-zone fideicomisos today?
After the 2025 shakeup, the largest portfolio is administered by Multiva (it inherited CIBanco's and today holds around 27% of Mexico's trust market), Kapital administers Intercam's, and the active trustees in the market include Banorte, Monex, Mifel, Scotiabank, Actinver and Banco del Bajío. Which one suits you depends on quoted fees, response times and whether a mortgage is involved: you compare in writing, not by reputation.

Methodology & sources

Official fees from Article 25 of the Ley Federal de Derechos (2026 rates, DOF December 2025); legal framework from the Ley de Inversión Extranjera and Article 27 of the Constitution. The CIBanco and Intercam timeline draws on primary sources: FinCEN orders (June 2025), SHCP announcements and DOF publications (2025 and 2026). Bank ranges come from 2025 and 2026 market sources; dollar conversions are approximate at the day's exchange rate. Exact fees are confirmed with a written quote.

Want the real quotes, not the internet ones?

We request quotes from the active trustee banks for you and hand them over itemized: government, bank and notary, each in its own column.

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