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Invest in Mexico
A short guide for companies expanding into Mexico: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. Mexico at a glance
Population
131.9 million
The World Bank reports a population of 131,946,900 in 2025.
Source: World Bank, Mexico population, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDP
US$1.83 trillion
The World Bank reports GDP of US$1,832,641,364,775.52 in 2025, in current dollars.
Source: World Bank, Mexico GDP, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDP per person
US$13,889
The World Bank reports GDP per person of US$13,889.2 in 2025, in current dollars.
Source: World Bank, Mexico GDP per person, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Real GDP growth
0.6%
The World Bank reports real GDP growth of 0.6 percent in 2025.
Source: World Bank, Mexico real GDP growth, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Inflation
3.5%
Consumer prices rose 3.45 percent over the 12 months to September 2026, according to INEGI.
Source: INEGI, consumer price index bulletin, September 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of September 2026
Foreign direct investment inflows
US$40.9 billion
Foreign direct investment inflows were US$40,870.8 million in 2025, from UNCTADstat.
Source: UNCTADstat, foreign direct investment flows, Mexico, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
The currency is the Mexican peso, as the IMF refers to it in its 2025 Article IV press release.
Source: IMF, Mexico 2025 Article IV press release, October 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 27, 2025
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
The Presidential Office for Investment Promotion, created by a decree of May 4, 2026, checks applications for immediate authorization and guides authorized investors.
Source: DOF, decree on immediate investment authorization, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 4, 2026
A national digital investment window, created by a decree of May 4, 2026, handles authorization and federal procedures for qualifying projects; tax and customs procedures are excluded.
Source: DOF, decree on immediate investment authorization, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 4, 2026
Article 5 reserves strategic areas to the State, including oil and other hydrocarbons exploration and extraction, electric grid control, transmission and distribution, nuclear energy, radioactive minerals, mail and coinage.
Source: Orden Jurídico Nacional, Foreign Investment Law, current text (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 27, 2024
SE reports 14 development poles (PODECOBI) consolidated, six with an assigned developer, in its 2025-2026 annual report.
Source: Secretaría de Economía, annual report 2025-2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of 2026
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in Mexico
- Check the Foreign Investment Law: sectors reserved to the State or to Mexicans, foreign share caps, and approval above 49 percent.Comisión Nacional de Inversiones ExtranjerasOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Orden Jurídico Nacional, Foreign Investment Law, current text (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 27, 2024
- Constitute the company through a notary or public broker and register it in the Public Registry of Commerce, using SIGER.Secretaría de EconomíaOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Secretaría de Economía, SIGER guide for company incorporations (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
- Register the company with SAT to get its taxpayer number (RFC).Servicio de Administración TributariaOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: SAT, company tax registration form 43/CFF (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026
- Register the foreign investment with the National Registry of Foreign Investments and file its updates.Registro Nacional de Inversiones ExtranjerasOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: RNIE, registration obligations (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
Show 3 more set-up steps
- If you will buy property or hold a mining or water concession, get the foreign ministry permit where the law requires it.Secretaría de Relaciones ExterioresOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Orden Jurídico Nacional, Foreign Investment Law, current text (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 27, 2024
- Register as an employer with the immigration authority and obtain work permits for foreign staff.Instituto Nacional de MigraciónOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: INM, work permit frequently asked questions (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
- If you locate in an Isthmus development pole, hold a concession, sale or lease from the isthmus authority and apply for the incentives certificate.Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de TehuantepecOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Diario Oficial, Isthmus poles decree, April 23, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of April 23, 2026
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with RNIE and ANAM. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Investment and business setup
- Meet requirements
Foreign investment registry
RNIE
Registro Nacional de Inversiones Extranjeras
Registers foreign investors and Mexican companies with foreign capital and sets out the filings they must make.
Visit RNIE (opens in a new tab)Source: RNIE, registration obligations (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
- Get advice
Foreign investment commission
CNIE
Comisión Nacional de Inversiones Extranjeras
Decides whether foreign investment may pass 49 percent in the activities that the Foreign Investment Law lists.
Show 3 more organizations
- Get advice
Isthmus development authority
CIIT
Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec
Grants concessions, sales and leases of land in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec development poles, on which tax incentives depend.
Visit CIIT (opens in a new tab)Source: Diario Oficial, Isthmus poles decree, April 23, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of April 23, 2026
- Meet requirements
Immigration authority
INM
Instituto Nacional de Migración
Handles employer registration and work permits for foreign staff.
Visit INM (opens in a new tab)Source: INM, work permit frequently asked questions (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
Foreign ministry
SRE
Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores
Grants the permit that foreigners need to buy property outside the restricted zone, and works with SE on trade and investment attraction.
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
ANAM
Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México
Runs customs clearance and the electronic customs system, and is named in the 2025 Customs Law reform.
Visit ANAM (opens in a new tab)Source: Diario Oficial, Customs Law reform, November 19, 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 19, 2025
- Meet requirements
Tax authority
SAT
Servicio de Administración Tributaria
Registers taxpayers in the RFC, keeps the sector exporters register and issues the electronic signature used for trade filings.
Visit SAT (opens in a new tab)Source: SAT, importers and exporters register (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Meet requirements
Foreign trade single window
VUCEM
Ventanilla Digital Mexicana de Comercio Exterior
Runs the platform through which, since May 2026, the single window for SE, SAT and ANAM foreign trade procedures operates.
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Foreign trade business council
COMCE
Consejo Empresarial Mexicano de Comercio Exterior, Inversión y Tecnología, A.C.
Business council for foreign trade, investment and technology, with local business representations abroad.
Visit COMCE (opens in a new tab)Source: COMCE, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
- Get advice
Business coordinating council
CCE
Consejo Coordinador Empresarial
Business coordinating body with a special committee on investment and the relocation of companies.
Visit CCE (opens in a new tab)Source: CCE, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
Show 2 more organizations
- Get advice
Industrial chambers confederation
CONCAMIN
Confederación de Cámaras Industriales de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Represents Mexican industry and its chambers and associations.
Visit CONCAMIN (opens in a new tab)Source: CONCAMIN, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
- Get advice
Manufacturing industry chamber
CANACINTRA
Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Transformación
Represents manufacturers through a network of branches and industry sectors across the country.
Visit CANACINTRA (opens in a new tab)Source: CANACINTRA, home page (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
5. Worth knowing
United States tariffs on Mexico
Since July 24, 2026 the United States applies a 10 percent Section 301 duty to goods of Mexico, except goods entered duty-free under the USMCA.
What to do: Check the United States tariff heading and your USMCA claim before you quote a buyer.
Sources: CBP, Section 301 forced labor duties guidance, July 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab); Federal Register, USTR Section 301 forced labor notice, July 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
USMCA joint review
At the July 1, 2026 joint review the United States did not agree to a new 16-year term; annual joint reviews follow, and USTR opened comments for 2027.
What to do: Follow USTR notices and draft contracts that outlast the agreement's review dates.
Sources: Federal Register, USTR notice on 2027 USMCA review, October 2026 (opens in a new tab); USTR, statement on the USMCA joint review, July 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026
Mexico import tariffs
Mexico raised duties on 1,463 tariff lines from January 1, 2026 and set duties on 185 more lines from April 24, 2026; agreement rates apply to qualifying goods.
What to do: Check each input's tariff line and its country of origin before you price a project.
Sources: Diario Oficial, tariff decree of December 29, 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab); Diario Oficial, tariff and PROSEC decree, April 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026
Customs Law reform
The Customs Law reform published November 19, 2025 took effect January 1, 2026 with exceptions; a further reform in force January 1, 2027 targets undervalued imports.
What to do: Confirm current customs requirements with ANAM or your customs broker before you ship.
Sources: Diario Oficial, Customs Law reform, November 19, 2025 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab); DOF, Customs Law reform of October 23, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026
Show 4 more
European Union agreement
Mexico and the European Union signed a modernized agreement and an interim trade agreement on May 22, 2026; the Commission page lists no entry into force yet.
What to do: Keep using the current agreement and watch for official notices of entry into force.
Source: European Commission, trade relations with Mexico (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
Reserved sectors
The Foreign Investment Law reserves strategic areas, including hydrocarbons extraction, to the State, reserves some activities to Mexicans, and caps or screens foreign shares in listed activities.
What to do: Check articles 5 to 9 of the law before you set ownership shares, and ask the commission about approval.
Sources: Orden Jurídico Nacional, Foreign Investment Law, current text (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab); Secretaría de Economía, foreign investment page, October 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026
Public debt and arrears
IMF staff said the authorities' fiscal targets for 2026 to 2030 would still see debt rise steadily and recommended front-loaded consolidation; the last board consultation was October 23, 2025.
What to do: Read the IMF report before you commit to long-term peso exposure.
Sources: IMF, Mexico 2025 Article IV press release, October 2025 (opens in a new tab); IMF, Mexico country page (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026
Development poles
SE reports 14 Polos de Desarrollo Económico para el Bienestar consolidated, six with developers assigned; an April 2026 decree widened who can claim Isthmus pole incentives.
What to do: Check with the pole authority that land and incentives are available before you commit to a site.
Sources: Secretaría de Economía, annual report 2025-2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab); Diario Oficial, Isthmus poles decree, April 23, 2026 (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 29, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
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Promote:Mexico is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 30, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.