Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores Permit for Foreign Property in Mexico

The Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) permit is the authorization Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs grants so that a foreigner can hold property inside the restricted zone through a bank trust. If you are an American buying near the coast, this permit is the legal foundation that lets you own a home in places like El Sauzal, Ensenada, with full beneficial rights.

It is requested by your notary, approved as a routine matter for residential buyers, and included in your closing costs. Understanding it removes most of the mystery from buying coastal property in Mexico.

What the restricted zone means

Under Mexico's Constitution, foreigners cannot directly own land within 50 kilometers of the coastline or 100 kilometers of the border. This is the "zona restringida." Ensenada and virtually all of Baja's Pacific coast fall inside it.

Rather than closing the coast to foreign buyers, Mexico created a legal pathway in 1973: the fideicomiso, a trust held by a Mexican bank. The SRE permit is what authorizes each of these trusts.

The role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry's job is to confirm and authorize foreign participation in restricted-zone property. When your notary files the permit application, the Ministry reviews the buyer, the property, and the bank that will serve as trustee, then issues the authorization that allows the trust to be created.

This is the same process for a single condo or a large oceanfront residence. For a new development like Panorama by Viento, the developer's legal team coordinates these filings unit by unit.

What you get once the permit is granted

With the permit issued and the trust created, you become the primary beneficiary of the fideicomiso. Your rights mirror those of an outright owner:

• Live in and use the property freely
• Lease it short or long term and keep the income
• Renovate, expand, or rebuild
• Sell or gift the property at any time
• Designate heirs directly in the trust, avoiding probate

The bank holds bare legal title only and acts solely on your instructions.

How it fits the timeline

The permit is one step in a sequence:

1. Sign the purchase agreement and deposit earnest money.
2. The notary files the SRE permit application.
3. The Ministry issues the permit.
4. The bank establishes the fideicomiso.
5. You close before the notary.

Because the Ministry's review takes time, this step usually sets the pace of the whole closing, which commonly runs four to eight weeks.

Cost

The federal permit fee is typically a few hundred US dollars and appears in your closing statement alongside the notary fee, the bank's trust setup fee, and the acquisition tax. Total closing costs generally land between 5 and 8 percent of the purchase price.

A safe, established framework

For five decades this framework has allowed millions of foreigners to own homes on Mexico's coast. It is federally regulated, transparent, and handled by professionals: notaries, attorneys, and trustee banks. The permit is not a barrier; it is the door.

To see how the permit connects to the larger picture, explore our investment guide and our residences in El Sauzal.

Own your piece of the Pacific

Viento Ensenada coordinates the SRE permit, notary, and trustee bank for every buyer, so the legal mechanics never stand between you and your home. Our oceanfront residences start at around half a million USD, 90 minutes from San Diego, with Panorama in pre-sale and Solano available now.

Schedule a private visit by WhatsApp or through our contact page, and let us show you the coastline and the paperwork side by side.