Gather your ID and buyer documents

The identity and compliance file that the closing attorney, the notario and the trustee bank need for each buyer and each beneficiary.

Why it matters

Mexico's anti-money-laundering law (Ley Federal para la Prevención e Identificación de Operaciones con Recursos de Procedencia Ilícita) requires notarios and banks to identify their clients. The bank must also identify each beneficial owner (beneficiario controlador, Código Fiscal de la Federación art. 32-B Quáter). The trust deed records that this was done. The data in your KYC form is copied into the SRE permit and the deed, so a mistake here becomes a mistake in your title.

Who helps

The closing attorney's paralegal collects it. The bank and notario review it.

Documents

• Passport: a full-color scan of the photo page and the signature page. It must be current.
• KYC (know-your-customer) identity form, one per buyer, signed. It asks for full legal name (no abbreviations), occupation, place and date of birth, nationality, marital status, home address, years at that address, US SSN or other tax ID, and contact details. A beneficiaries' section asks the same for each one.
• Driver's license (a second ID).
• Proof of address, less than 2 months old: an electricity, water or gas bill, or a bank statement, showing your name and address. A property-tax bill was rejected. Send the whole page. You may black out account numbers.
• Immigration document: your FMM (tourist) or resident card.
• Beneficiaries' passports (the people who take over the trust if you die).
• Birth certificate.
• Marriage certificate, if married, and your spouse's passport.
• If a buyer signs by power of attorney, the apostilled original (step 2.16).
• Format: PDF only. Phone photos are usually not accepted.

Common mistakes

• Folded, cropped or partial images. Scan the full open page.
• Names that differ between passport, KYC form and marriage certificate (middle names, maiden names, accents).
• Sending documents piecemeal. Send one complete, labeled set per person.

Say it in Spanish

• ¿Qué documentos le faltan de cada comprador?
  Which documents do you still need from each buyer?
• ¿Un estado de cuenta bancario sirve como comprobante de domicilio?
  Is a bank statement acceptable as proof of address?
• El pasaporte está vencido. ¿El banco acepta el acta de nacimiento?
  The passport is expired. Will the bank accept a birth certificate?

Confirm the details for your case with your notario or attorney.